Jasontherand's recent activity
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Comment on Need pixel art software recommendations (it can be free or paid) in ~games
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Comment on Need pixel art software recommendations (it can be free or paid) in ~games
Jasontherand LinkAseprite, which others mentioned, is specifically designed for pixel art. It's good, but I wouldn't say it makes things easy? I tend to use Affinity for most of my art instead. As of like a week...Aseprite, which others mentioned, is specifically designed for pixel art. It's good, but I wouldn't say it makes things easy?
I tend to use Affinity for most of my art instead. As of like a week ago it is free now also, so it doesn't hurt to give it a try. It takes some learning, like any professional software, but I found it great for making all the art for my Godot games. I tend to create the art in vectors first, then rasterize it to pixels as late as I can. Most other software does not natively support working on vector and pixel at the same time like Affinity. I think my art turns out better when I do that vs Aseprite, but I am not great at either lol.
To give a better explanation for why working on it is nicer:
I can have layers with different shapes, and scale or edit or rotate them perfectly, without effecting the other layers, and they will still be pixel perfect when I convert it later. Aseprite does support layers too, I just found them harder to work with, and their shape tools are not as advanced, and are not vectors, so they can get weird when you have to modify them. -
Comment on DM-ing with a stutter? in ~games.tabletop
Jasontherand LinkI can speak to co-DMing. For about 2 years my wife was my co-DM, where I planned the story and plot points, and let her know what they were and what was important before the session started. She...I can speak to co-DMing.
For about 2 years my wife was my co-DM, where I planned the story and plot points, and let her know what they were and what was important before the session started. She is a much better improviser and voice actor than me, so I would usually let her speak as the NPCs while I made determinations regarding outcomes or when to roll. It was also very handy when the party wanted to split up for a little bit, as she could just run the other half while I handled the main group.
I think it can work really well, if you set the right expectations. A co-DM will have to be able to make decisions themselves, so neither one can feel like they need to have every detail of the world under their control, but trust that the other side will make good decisions and be able to work with crazy changes. Also you need to communicate before the session starts and all the time, otherwise it just won't work.
If they are someone you feel like you can trust, and that they would trust you without worrying, I think it can work. If ether of you needs to be in total control, or are not good at communicating expectations and get upset when things do not go according to your plan, I would not recommend it.
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Comment on What are your favorite low cost main dishes/meals? in ~food
Jasontherand Link ParentThank you for the recipe I just made the blend! I can't wait to make some misir wat and try it out!Thank you for the recipe I just made the blend! I can't wait to make some misir wat and try it out!
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Comment on What are your favorite low cost main dishes/meals? in ~food
Jasontherand Link ParentI have been trying to find somewhere in person that sells berbere spice mix just for this and have recently given up. I was contemplating ordering some from Ethiopian which looks good, but now I...I have been trying to find somewhere in person that sells berbere spice mix just for this and have recently given up. I was contemplating ordering some from Ethiopian which looks good, but now I want to hear about yours. Which spices did you end up adding to your mix?
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Comment on Nuclear’s big mistake - linear no-threshold in ~enviro
Jasontherand LinkThis was a great video, thank you for sharing. I was under the assumption like most people that there was a cumulative effect, but it looks like it is much more nuanced and much more dependant on...This was a great video, thank you for sharing. I was under the assumption like most people that there was a cumulative effect, but it looks like it is much more nuanced and much more dependant on rate than lifetime absorption.
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Comment on Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without an online account in ~tech
Jasontherand Link ParentI do small business IT and for our clients yes, we do want this. They sign into their 365 environment at setup, then intune installs everything they need automatically. There is not a lot of...I do small business IT and for our clients yes, we do want this. They sign into their 365 environment at setup, then intune installs everything they need automatically. There is not a lot of reason to require online accounts, but the ability to use them saves us about 15 minutes of work for each computer, which is not a ton, but adds up.
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Comment on What's your video game comfort food? in ~games
Jasontherand Link ParentMan, I might need to do another playthrough of Majesty. It does have something special about it that is just a joy to play. Do you have a favorite temple?Man, I might need to do another playthrough of Majesty. It does have something special about it that is just a joy to play.
Do you have a favorite temple?
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Comment on Dark patterns killed my wife's Windows 11 installation in ~tech
Jasontherand Link ParentOh yes, I don't doing the phone did auto backup to OneDrive by default. That is the kind of stupid setup I would expect. It is the downloading synced files to the device that is device specific...Oh yes, I don't doing the phone did auto backup to OneDrive by default. That is the kind of stupid setup I would expect. It is the downloading synced files to the device that is device specific and Samsung could not touch.
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Comment on Dark patterns killed my wife's Windows 11 installation in ~tech
Jasontherand Link ParentIt is a device specific setting, so Samsung is definitely not a part of that. They must had enabled it before uninstalling, although in my experience that setting never survived reinstall. I am...It is a device specific setting, so Samsung is definitely not a part of that.
They must had enabled it before uninstalling, although in my experience that setting never survived reinstall.I am just saying they are not quite as innocent as the story suggests, and it's not quite so easy for this to just happen to anyone.
Also OneDrive runs in the user context, the files only sync while you are signed in, so the storage ran out while they were logged.
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Comment on Dark patterns killed my wife's Windows 11 installation in ~tech
Jasontherand LinkI know all the comments on here are shitting on windows for this, but I also feel the need to push back against the author a little. As a Windows person who does Windows IT day in and out, they...I know all the comments on here are shitting on windows for this, but I also feel the need to push back against the author a little.
As a Windows person who does Windows IT day in and out, they needed to have made some changes that allowed this to happen.
First of all, OneDrive does not download all it's contents to a device by default. They would have to have explicitly set the folder it was in to Always Available, or gone into the OneDrive settings to set that globally. You would think someone who actively did not want OneDrive on their computer would not have turned that on.
Also it might be easy to ignore, but Windows will notify you that your disk space is low, it doesn't just run out without pop-ups screaming at you. I get that users don't read anymore because there is too much noise, it's more just my frustration that I wish that wasn't the case.
As for the not able to log in when there is no disk space- Windows is an idiot and should do better with that shit. I have also had to use this exploit to get into a PC before, and it sucks and is more finiky than it sounds.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Last Express in ~games
Jasontherand LinkI am very excited for this party because it seems interestingly familiar to a different game I have played before-Titanic: Adventure Out of Time. It also plays out in real time, and there is so...I am very excited for this party because it seems interestingly familiar to a different game I have played before-Titanic: Adventure Out of Time. It also plays out in real time, and there is so much to do you will most certainly fail your first few times. It is of course also trying to be a faithful recreation of a luxury transport that no longer exists. Weirdly though it came out the year before and was a big success with 1.5m copies sold. I suppose I credit that to the ship being a very popular subject at the time; the film would release the year after this game, so it was definitely in the zeitgeist.
They were not developed or published by the same people, but I wonder if Broderbund saw the success of Titanic and expected similar returns on The Last Express because of how similar they look on paper. I will have to report back how similar they are after I try the game out, and if anyone wants a bonus game this month and wants to also play Titanic we can have a little discussion together.
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Comment on $30K Ford EV truck due in 2027 with much-simpler production process in ~transport
Jasontherand Link ParentFor anyone interested in the performance of EV towing, Aging Wheels put out a video about it recently that really surprised me. https://youtu.be/UmKf8smvGsA?si=ntMPGG5N57PFbZOr Towing was nowhere...For anyone interested in the performance of EV towing, Aging Wheels put out a video about it recently that really surprised me.
https://youtu.be/UmKf8smvGsA?si=ntMPGG5N57PFbZOr
Towing was nowhere near as detrimental as I expected. The whole idea that weight does not make much difference was so counter to what I was taught.
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Comment on My classroom will be AI-free this fall in ~humanities
Jasontherand Link ParentMy only issue with it is having to hand write things. As someone who has wrist problems and struggles to write more than a few sentences by hard before it becomes physical painful, I could not...My only issue with it is having to hand write things. As someone who has wrist problems and struggles to write more than a few sentences by hard before it becomes physical painful, I could not give up typing for writing essays. That does not seem to be an option here, and for students today that grew up typing essays from elementary school I am willing to bet their handwriting muscles have atrophied too.
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Comment on Slay the Spire board game and other fun co-op board games in ~games.tabletop
Jasontherand LinkAfter about 2 years our Frosthaven crew has just about finished. We also liked the slay the spire boardgame, so if you are up for a commitment, Gloomhaven and Frosthaven are very good. In a...After about 2 years our Frosthaven crew has just about finished. We also liked the slay the spire boardgame, so if you are up for a commitment, Gloomhaven and Frosthaven are very good. In a similar vein but with less setup there is Tales from the Red Dragon Inn, and Kinfire Chronicles.
For something not like that but fun co-op, I love Decorum, which is a puzzle game about finding a house arrangement that works for everyone at the table, but you can only be passive aggressive with each other.
Also different and great and not very new is Spirit Island. That one you play as elemental spirits trying to keep settlers from ruining your island. This one can have a little more quarterbacking than the others which is unfortunate, but I still love it.
The Stardew Valley board game is also great, and very much like the video game. If you like the video game I think you will like the board game.
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Comment on Baking edgeless brownies from the inside out in ~food
Jasontherand Link ParentDon't forget that mashed food was popular among those who could afford it also because it didn't hurt their teeth to eat. Some kings had such rotten teeth they would only eat patés and such. It...Don't forget that mashed food was popular among those who could afford it also because it didn't hurt their teeth to eat. Some kings had such rotten teeth they would only eat patés and such. It was very labor intensive to chop things that finely before mechanical blenders and food processors, so usually only the rich did it.
If you are interested in the history of that stuff, a great book on the subject is "Consider the Fork" by Bee Wilson
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Comment on Looking for books about history or biographies or memoirs that you enjoyed reading or were happy to have read in ~books
Jasontherand LinkIf you have any interest in the history of public parks in the US, or the Builtmore, or the Chicago Columbia Exposition worlds fair, or just about a very interesting life in the late 1800s, I...If you have any interest in the history of public parks in the US, or the Builtmore, or the Chicago Columbia Exposition worlds fair, or just about a very interesting life in the late 1800s, I recommend The Genius of Place. It is the biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, best known as the designer of New York's Central Park. He lived a truly fascinating life, including sailing to China in 1843 as a young man after being blind most of his childhood, writing some important abolitionist accounts of what slavery was really like in the pre civil war south, marrying his dead brother's wife, heading the U.S. Sanitary Commisson during the civil war, and much more.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
Jasontherand Link ParentWhat spices did you put on the nachos? A dusting of paprika and cumin can make a big difference. Similarly seasoning the beans/beef is important. Also adding a drizzle of lime juice on top...What spices did you put on the nachos? A dusting of paprika and cumin can make a big difference. Similarly seasoning the beans/beef is important. Also adding a drizzle of lime juice on top afterwards I find helps. If you wanted more crunch you can pre bake the chips and it will help keep them drier.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Jasontherand Link ParentI liked the writing. It's not like I would play it for the story, but it kept me engaged and wanting to see where it went next. It's cuter and funnier than advanced wars I would say. I enjoyed the...I liked the writing. It's not like I would play it for the story, but it kept me engaged and wanting to see where it went next. It's cuter and funnier than advanced wars I would say. I enjoyed the game and would recommend it. The big difference I felt was that factions are all identical stat wise, only the commander ability is different.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Jasontherand Link ParentI am curious what you thought of Wargroove. I thought it scratched the itch well enough, even if it was not as direct a clone of AW as some other games.I am curious what you thought of Wargroove. I thought it scratched the itch well enough, even if it was not as direct a clone of AW as some other games.
Oh I have a very similar process.
Paint.Net was how I got started making most things before I moved to Affinity, so I am really comfortable using it for simple things. I tend to touch up pixel work in there instead of either Aseprite or Affinity because I know how to do things quickly in it.
I also do ezgif for doing promotional gifs. I screen capture from Godot and then use that to crop and reduce it down to what is allowed by itch.io.