JRandomHacker's recent activity
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Comment on An important update on Concord - "At this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024" in ~games
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Comment on The sustained two-shot in ~movies
JRandomHacker LinkI doubt you could call someone "the best" in a category as broad as "youtube video essay", but Tony and Taylor might just get there. Super psyched to see them back.I doubt you could call someone "the best" in a category as broad as "youtube video essay", but Tony and Taylor might just get there. Super psyched to see them back.
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Comment on What game do you consider an unconventional masterpiece? in ~games
JRandomHacker Link ParentSpoilers as well: Click for spoilers The Witness is a weird one because it pretends to be... a puzzle game - while actually being a _different_ puzzle gameSpoilers as well:
Click for spoilers
The Witness is a weird one because it pretends to be... a puzzle game - while actually being a _different_ puzzle game -
Comment on FUEL: I shouldn't be able to play this game in ~games
JRandomHacker LinkI have to do this now. FUEL was... well it wasn't "a masterpiece", but it felt like it was so far ahead of its time. It feels like the closest comparison would be the Forza Horizon series, but...I have to do this now. FUEL was... well it wasn't "a masterpiece", but it felt like it was so far ahead of its time.
It feels like the closest comparison would be the Forza Horizon series, but there's such a huge contrast between the complete wilderness of FUEL and the hyper-capitalist, hyper-influencer environment of FH.
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Comment on Braid: Anniversary Edition "sold like dog s***", says creator Jonathan Blow in ~games
JRandomHacker LinkMaybe he shouldn't have spent the past 4 years being completely insufferable about every hot-button topic out there (instead of before, when he was only insufferable about programming)Maybe he shouldn't have spent the past 4 years being completely insufferable about every hot-button topic out there (instead of before, when he was only insufferable about programming)
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Comment on Webcam recommendations? in ~tech
JRandomHacker Link ParentThe c920 is very much the "just get the Brother printer" of webcams. It's either all you need, or you'll be going to a "real" camera with actual lenses and all that.The c920 is very much the "just get the Brother printer" of webcams. It's either all you need, or you'll be going to a "real" camera with actual lenses and all that.
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2024, a week-long charity fundraiser featuring speedruns, is live (runs June 30 - July 6) in ~games
JRandomHacker Link ParentDan Salvato is second only to Neil Cicierega in my mind for "wait, that's the same guy?" factor. You could know him from his speedrunning (and his decade-long effort to get All Melons to a GDQ),...Dan Salvato is second only to Neil Cicierega in my mind for "wait, that's the same guy?" factor. You could know him from his speedrunning (and his decade-long effort to get All Melons to a GDQ), you could know from his work modding Super Smash Bros Melee for the tournament scene, or you could know him for DDLC - and have no idea about the other things he did.
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Comment on Funny, crazy and silly mods in ~games
JRandomHacker LinkMy favorite very-specific-mod is one for Mass Effect 2 that does nothing but remove a single line of dialogue, just for FemShep. It's at the very beginning of the Archangel recruitment mission,...My favorite very-specific-mod is one for Mass Effect 2 that does nothing but remove a single line of dialogue, just for FemShep. It's at the very beginning of the Archangel recruitment mission, where the Batarian merc recruiter makes a sexist comment when FemShep walks in the room. On the any% speedrun route, this line is the only difference between playing FemShep and BroShep, so this mod avoids one route being slower than the other for no good reason.
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Comment on Science fiction or fantasy recommendations for children in ~books
JRandomHacker LinkI can't judge your daughter's maturity/tolerance for adult themes, but with that caveat I'll give a massive recommendation for Animorphs, even though they might be a bit tricky to track down...I can't judge your daughter's maturity/tolerance for adult themes, but with that caveat I'll give a massive recommendation for Animorphs, even though they might be a bit tricky to track down nowadays.
On one hand, Animorphs is a story about teenagers being able to personally experience some of the incredible things about the animals of Earth in order to stand up for humanity and the planet. On the other hand, it's about child soldiers fighting a guerilla war against an enemy that prevents them from being able to trust anyone, even their families. Animorphs can be funny, heartwarming, bleak, grotesque, hopeful, and so many other things. It features a great cast of characters with a wide spread of perspectives and narrative voices (and also some really good diversity representation for today, much less for the 90s when it was published).
I really like this books.
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Comment on Nebula strikes deal with Spotify to stream video content in ~tech
JRandomHacker Link ParentAdam Neely does great work on the intersections between music theory, business (and occasionally law), and culture and historyAdam Neely does great work on the intersections between music theory, business (and occasionally law), and culture and history
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Comment on What video games have had you taking real-life notes? in ~games
JRandomHacker LinkI think most of mine have been mentioned in this thread already, and I'll be taking a very careful read for more recommendations. The Witness is probably the big one (it's a shame Jon Blow went...I think most of mine have been mentioned in this thread already, and I'll be taking a very careful read for more recommendations.
The Witness is probably the big one (it's a shame Jon Blow went off the deep end). Especially in the greenhouse, diagramming out what colors were visible under which light sources was a big help.
TUNIC as well, especially with some of the larger puzzles. It was super satisfying to
TUNIC endgame spoilers
see the Golden Path fill in as I figured out each piece
Another one I've done is Satisfactory - while I'll usually go to one of the various online planners, when I'm trying to lay down a factory super precisely, I still prefer good ol' graph paper to draw my building layouts.
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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
JRandomHacker Link ParentREAPER is offensively good for its price. I use it for podcast editing rather than music production (and used to use it for custom Rock Band songs) and it's always been more than enough for what I...REAPER is offensively good for its price. I use it for podcast editing rather than music production (and used to use it for custom Rock Band songs) and it's always been more than enough for what I need.
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Comment on The lonely work of moderating Hacker News in ~tech
JRandomHacker Link ParentA similar trend that I've seen is people who can't seem to distinguish between "clickbait" and "a narrative with a hook" - the HN audience in particular often has a low tolerance for the style of...A similar trend that I've seen is people who can't seem to distinguish between "clickbait" and "a narrative with a hook" - the HN audience in particular often has a low tolerance for the style of article that's written as an exploration of the process the author went through.
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Comment on Valve's next game may have just leaked / Deadlock appears to be a multiplayer hero shooter that combines elements of Overwatch, Valorant, and Dota 2 in ~games
JRandomHacker Link ParentLooks like it's a rumor that's been around for a while that people have connected some new dots on.Looks like it's a rumor that's been around for a while that people have connected some new dots on.
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Comment on Valve's next game may have just leaked / Deadlock appears to be a multiplayer hero shooter that combines elements of Overwatch, Valorant, and Dota 2 in ~games
JRandomHacker LinkApparently this is being worked on by Icefrog - I don't want to go overboard and attribute all the good parts of Dota to him, but that feels like a really good sign to have him involved in the...Apparently this is being worked on by Icefrog - I don't want to go overboard and attribute all the good parts of Dota to him, but that feels like a really good sign to have him involved in the design phase.
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Comment on The lonely work of moderating Hacker News in ~tech
JRandomHacker Link ParentThere's a reason several bloggers I follow will say "oh no my post is on the orangesite frontpage" or things like that.There's a reason several bloggers I follow will say "oh no my post is on the orangesite frontpage" or things like that.
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Comment on Data show that the amount of sexual content in top films has sharply declined since 2000 in ~movies
JRandomHacker Link ParentI read "hit the scenes" too fast and thought you were saying that LOTR the prequel trilogy, and Harry Potter had sex scenes. I thought we must have watched very different movies.I read "hit the scenes" too fast and thought you were saying that LOTR the prequel trilogy, and Harry Potter had sex scenes. I thought we must have watched very different movies.
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Comment on The tech baron seeking to “ethnically cleanse” San Francisco in ~life
JRandomHacker Link ParentWell it got flagged less than 6 hours in, which is exactly what I expect from the orange site.Well it got flagged less than 6 hours in, which is exactly what I expect from the orange site.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~games
JRandomHacker LinkAll of Fabien's retro game work is so good - his game Black Books are some of my favoriteAll of Fabien's retro game work is so good - his game Black Books are some of my favorite
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Comment on The two cultures in ~games.tabletop
JRandomHacker LinkMy dad taught me to play backgammon years ago and we'll always get in a match or two on family trips. One interesting corollary to the observation about nondeterministic games and playing for...My dad taught me to play backgammon years ago and we'll always get in a match or two on family trips.
One interesting corollary to the observation about nondeterministic games and playing for money - I've played a decent amount of competitive Magic The Gathering, as well as organized tournaments and leagues. Despite being an inherently random game, WotC has gone through significant efforts to avoid associating the game with gambling of any kind. I was talking to a player who was relatively new to Magic but had a decent amount of experience in esports (this was an online Magic event), and they asked about money matches, which are reasonably common as ad-hoc side events at fighting game tournaments in particular. Not only is there essentially zero culture of money-matching at Magic events, but putting money down on a match in a competitive setting will automatically make you lose the match - or even get disqualified, if you knew it was disallowed and did it anyway.
I'd like to propose "the Concord" as a unit of time for measuring the lifespan of a live-service game. Much like the Mooch to measure executive-branch appointments, the Concord is a very small unit of measure - a mere 15 days. Destiny 2 has been running for 170.27 Concords and FFXIV has 268.33 Concords (that's post-ARR relaunch - a caveat that sounds like maybe should be relevant for this game)