Kilcundas's recent activity
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Kilcundas LinkRailroads Online As a new father with very little downtime, this has become my go-to dad-game whenever the rare opportunity to play something presents itself. The game allows you to build and...Railroads Online
As a new father with very little downtime, this has become my go-to dad-game whenever the rare opportunity to play something presents itself.
The game allows you to build and operate a narrow-gauge railroad set in the US during the age of steam. What really sets this game apart from other train games is the focus on building the railroad itself in a physics-based sandbox. There are plenty of games where you can build a railway and manage it from an strategic/economic perspective (e.g. Sid Meier's Railraod Tycoon series, Transport Tycoon and Transport Fever,) and probably just as many pure train-sims (Microsoft's Train Simulator series, Trainz, and to an extent the more recent Railroader). But Railroads Online incorporates both, and does so fairly well. You build tracks between industries accounting for gradients and avoiding obstacles, then run trains between industries to earn money and use that money to buy more rolling stock and more powerful locomotives. While an update introduced a 'fly' mode, most of the gameplay is designed for a first person perspective and the UI does a surprisingly good job of accommodating this.
In fact, the game has essentially pioneered it's own genre: Infinirails is in early access and seems to be a very similar concept with an infinite generated world, and Century of Steam is an upcoming title from Railroads Online devs that have splintered from the studio to create their own game (more on that below...).
The game ticks a lot of boxes for me personally. I adore games that allow me to build my own world and have enjoyed setting up props around stations to make towns look as realistic as possible. I have my own experience with steam engines and narrow gauge heritage railways, enjoy historical settings and really appreciate that the game allows me to set my own goals and complete them in my own time, which is great as an adult and even better as a parent. Progression isn't tied to skill trees or experience points (though these are required to unlock more powerful engines in the game), for me it's been finally finding a route to an ore mine on top of a hill that doesn't exceed a 2.5% grade, or finally setting up a depot in a way that's realistic, usable and looks pretty. It's really become my comfort game, y'know?
Unfortunately, there are a lot of shortcomings and disappointments when it comes to the game, namely:
- The game is, without a doubt, unfinished despite having exited Early Access. I suspect publisher interference, as the game went from a big period of large, regular, high-quality updates to quickly dropping two DLC packs and releasing version 1.0 before going completely AWOL. A couple of developers recently announced they were still working on the game on Reddit and Discord, but many others have subtly indicated something is preventing them from further development.
- Probably related to the above, the actual engine driving simulation is bare-bones and offers pretty much no challenge whatsoever. Engines have functional reversers (forward/backward) and regulators (how much steam is provided to the cylinders for acceleration), and the engines require the player to shovel coal or wood semi-regularly, but that's about as complicated as the driving gets. There's no simulation of water levels, for example, which is crucial in running an actual steam engine. Boiler pressure barely affects the running of the engine, which prevents the game from offering up any interesting gameplay opportunities such as firing heavy before a steep grade or maximising efficiency over a long distance. Fortunately the breakaway devs at Studio 346, developing Centaury of Steam, are really prioritising this aspect of the gameplay and are doing so in fun and interesting ways. Apparently there were some creative differences during development that lead to the split, which is a shame since with the right planning different difficulty or 'realism' levels could have accommodated players whether they enjoyed these features or just wanted to drive around.
- This may seem like a petty complaint, but Railroads Online is a terrible name for the game. Yes, you can play the game multiplayer, but that doesn't really seem like the focus and from my limited experience doing so the performance just doesn't compare to single-player. It's neat, it's nice to have, but it's not the main show that the title implies it to be. It's also such a broad term (irony unintended) for a game specifically focused on narrow-gague railroads in America.
- The last DLC included a lot of placable props, which would be great if most of them weren't already models present in the game. In other words, players have to pay to place their own trees and rocks, despite both being present in the world. This felt particularly distasteful, at the time of purchasing I didn't mind supporting the devs considering the quality of updates that had been released since I purchased the game, but in hindsight I kind of regret supporting this kind of behaviour. Again, I'm guessing this was probably something pushed by the publisher, but I'll never know for sure.
In summary, I've really enjoyed my time with this game but mostly appreciate the genre it's spawned. Very much looking forward to Century of Steam filling this niche for me in the future.
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
Kilcundas Link ParentNow that you mention it, I DNF'd A Gentleman in Moscow a dozen or so pages in as we went in to lockdown during the pandemic shortly after I picked it up. This could probably become it's own thread...Now that you mention it, I DNF'd A Gentleman in Moscow a dozen or so pages in as we went in to lockdown during the pandemic shortly after I picked it up. This could probably become it's own thread at this point!
Out of curiosity, did you read both versions of The Stand? I haven't read it myself but I'm familiar with the history of the two versions and I'm curious. I usually reread at least one book per year, but the only time I've ever read a different version of the same book would be two different translations of The Count of Monte Cristo.
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
Kilcundas Link ParentOh I can definitely look back on it now and laugh. I did end up having to go back a few weeks later with a nasty post-surgery infection and was almost certain Tsar Peter had cursed me. I can...Oh I can definitely look back on it now and laugh. I did end up having to go back a few weeks later with a nasty post-surgery infection and was almost certain Tsar Peter had cursed me.
I can honestly say it's the best biography I've ever read, and one of my favourite non-fiction books. It won a Pulitzer prize, and very much deserved to in my opinion. I've since purchsed Nicholas and Alexandra by the same author and hope to read that soon - I already know how that story will end and I'm fairly certain I won't suffer the same fate!
(And thank you for your well wishes. I won't go in to details for obvious reasons but the surgery fixed an ongoing issue for me that has greatly improved my quality of life. Thanks, modern medicine!)
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
Kilcundas LinkI know this isn't quite what you were referring to when you coined hate-reading, but you reminded me of an unfortunate (and hilarious, at my expense) experience I had with a book a few years back....I know this isn't quite what you were referring to when you coined hate-reading, but you reminded me of an unfortunate (and hilarious, at my expense) experience I had with a book a few years back.
I was reading Robert K Massie's biography of Peter the Great. it was an absolute tome at just shy of 1000 pages, but fortunately I had a major surgery coming up shortly after starting that would give me plenty of time to read it. Massie's prose is wonderful and I was fascinated the entire way through, so the painful recovery from my urinry tract procedure was dulled somewhat by the fact that I had this book to enjoy reading during my recovery.
... That was until I got to the last fifty or so pages and learned that Peter I of Russia died from a bladder infection, likely from surgery on his urinary tract. I distinctly remember laying in my bed in recovery reading about 18th century wooden catheters while painfully aware of my own and wanting to throw the damn book across the room. I had enjoyed hundreds of pages of history only for a cruel coincidence to ruin the last chapter or so. I powered through, but think I would have gladly DNF'd if I wasn't so close to the end.
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Comment on Project N - a fork Daggerfall Unity seeking to add all of Tamriel in to the Daggerfall engine in ~games
Kilcundas LinkNeat! I used to keenly follow the development of Tamriel Rebuilt (for the uninitiated, a mod that originally had the same goal as a mod for TES III: Morrowind), while there are obviously a lot of...Neat!
I used to keenly follow the development of Tamriel Rebuilt (for the uninitiated, a mod that originally had the same goal as a mod for TES III: Morrowind), while there are obviously a lot of parallels I think this project is especially interesting considering the technical challenges and Arneb's considered design choices - their plans to deviate from the vanilla game in particular seem well thought out rather than feature creep, which is a great early sign.
I've dabbled with Daggerfall a few times, both emulated via DosBox and Daggerfall Unity. I've enjoyed it from the perspective of a TES fan but it hasn't quite 'clicked' for me yet. Looks like I'll need to give it another go. Would love to hear any tips/perspectives from anyone else who has gotten in to Daggerfall retroactively.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump admin’s racist Halo memes are ‘a new level of dehumanization of immigrants’ in ~society
Kilcundas Link ParentI was about to point out that Gamestop only posted a non-political meme that was reposted by the Trump administration (as suggested by the paragraph about Gamestop in the article), but then I...I was about to point out that Gamestop only posted a non-political meme that was reposted by the Trump administration (as suggested by the paragraph about Gamestop in the article), but then I double-checked their X account... Jesus. Talk about jumping on the bandwagon.
Yeah, O'Donnell has been a difficult one for me. I've always enjoyed Halo's soundtracks (particularly CE and 2), and for a while his Youtube channel posted lots of fascinating making-of videos. I don't like the idea of unsubscribing from someone for having a political belief I disagree with, but considering the nature of the videos being posted now I'm learning towards not tolerating intolerance and disengaging. I'm on a Youtube hiatus at the moment anyway which makes the point moot, but at this point I'd like to take a break from this planet entirely.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump admin’s racist Halo memes are ‘a new level of dehumanization of immigrants’ in ~society
Kilcundas LinkBrief Summary of the article, although I encourage everyone to read it in full: To say I'm disgusted is an understatement, and I'm particularly disappointed in Microsoft's (lack of) response. I...Brief Summary of the article, although I encourage everyone to read it in full:
"On Monday morning, the Trump administration used a picture of Halo’s Master Chief to call for the destruction of immigrants
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Over the weekend, the Trump administration shared AI-generated Halo memes across its social media accounts. This culminated in the official Department of Homeland Security accounts sharing an image of dudes in Spartan armor riding a Warthog under the words “DESTROY THE FLOOD JOIN.ICE.GOV.
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In the fiction of Halo, the Flood is a parasitic creature that infects sentient life and turns them into monsters whose only desire is to spread the parasite. They’re depicted as a brainless and fast moving wave of flesh that could not be reasoned with.
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The Trump administration has long invoked racist imagery, much of it pulled from America’s past, to sell its agenda. But overtly equating immigrants to a ravening horde of monsters from a video game has its closest analogue in Nazi propaganda.”
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Microsoft declined to comment on this story."
To say I'm disgusted is an understatement, and I'm particularly disappointed in Microsoft's (lack of) response. I had only just mentioned in another thread that the original Halo is one of my favourite games and was tossing up checking out the recently announced remake. Considering this development, I absolutely do not feel comfortable giving any money to a company that condones or allows their product to be used as a conduit for this kind of messaging.
Marty O'Donnell - one of the original composers for the Halo series, is currently running for congress as a Republican and has, unfortunately, fully thrown his support behind this rhetoric and has begun parroting these messages in his own tweets. I'm usually a firm believer in the concept of 'death of the artist' but... Man. It's difficult to see one of the original creatives behind a work I really enjoy in full support of it being used this way.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not an American. I just care deeply about this as a human being, consumer of media and a (now former) Microsoft customer. And a heartbroken Halo fan now, I suppose.
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US President Donald Trump admin’s racist Halo memes are ‘a new level of dehumanization of immigrants’
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Comment on Halo: Campaign Evolved | The Silent Cartographer – Thirteen minute gameplay demo in ~games
Kilcundas LinkMy personal philosophy when it comes to video game remakes/remasters/etc. is to treat them like I would a cover of a song I particularly like: If I get to experience an alternate take on a game I...My personal philosophy when it comes to video game remakes/remasters/etc. is to treat them like I would a cover of a song I particularly like: If I get to experience an alternate take on a game I really enjoy, that's great. If I don't like it, I can always† go back and experience the original. Like any cover, hopefully it's different enough to keep me interested while staying familiar enough for me to remember why I liked it in the first place.
All that being said, the original Halo: Combat Evolved is my favourite FPS of all time, and I have very mixed feelings about this. Curiosity will no doubt result in me checking this remake out (eventually, when the price drops), but I can't exactly say I'm exited. Here are some of my very petty gripes from the perspective of a fan since the original 2001 title's release:
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I'm not opposed to new levels, but three new levels set before the original first level of the game just seems like an odd choice. The original Halo's opening was fantastic and full of mystery. Hell, the first thing you see is the ring floating in space, so from the moment you start up the campaign you immediately find yourself unraveling the story. Forgive me for comparing Bungie to Shakespere for a moment, but imagine if Hamet had an entire act before the opening scene with the king's ghost. What's the point? I'm guessing giant set pieces, explosions and Sergeant Johnson cameos, unfortunately. I'm just not convinced this will add value to the campaign as a whole.
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Is it just me, or do the environments seem smaller? It could be a case of the spaces feeling more crammed with all of the extra detail provided, or an increase in movement speed (no, we can't debate sprint right now. We don't have time!), but everything just felt cramped. It's a shame, especially since Halo was particularly memorable upon release for it's wide open levels and encounters.
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The original cast is back to reprise their roles... Yay? This all comes down to direction, I suppose, and this time Marty O'Donnell won't be steering the ship. It was strange to hear lines delivered in a different cadence to what I'm used to after hundreds of playthroughs, but I was actually pleasantly surprised to hear some new lines from Cortana - I feel like if I just hear the same lines delivered differently, I'll be disappointed. There seemed to be a lot of placeholder dialogue, Captain Keyes was yet to be re-recorded, and I sincerely hope the Elites speaking English were from Halo 5 or Infinite because give me Wort Wort Wort or give me death, dammit.
Ultimately I know this is likely a soulless cash-grab remake that will fail to miss the mark, but hey, I'll be happy to be proven wrong. At least it will be interesting, no matter what happens.
† 'Always' is, of course, not always the case when it comes to video games, unfortunately. I refuse to support developer's who remake products and remove the originals from digital storefronts as has happened on several occasions in recent memory. Hopefully the analogy still stands.
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Comment on What are some interesting landmarks in your neck of the woods? in ~talk
Kilcundas LinkDeep down, Elephant Rock is nothing more than a split rock formation beside a country road that somewhat resembles an elephant if you squint hard enough. Fortunately there's no squinting required,...Deep down, Elephant Rock is nothing more than a split rock formation beside a country road that somewhat resembles an elephant if you squint hard enough. Fortunately there's no squinting required, as locals have painted the rock hundreds of times over the years to celebrate birthdays, cultural milestones or draw attention to a cause. I no longer commute past it, but when I did I'd always enjoy seeing new elephants as they appeared and joined in painting some on a few occasions.
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Comment on What are some of your personal misheard lyrics? in ~music
Kilcundas LinkCan't Buy Me Love by The Beatles. I always misheard the line as This had me stumped for years. I genuinely thought it was an awkward way of saying 'well, I wouldn't go to a protest over it'....Can't Buy Me Love by The Beatles.
I always misheard the line
I don't care too much for money
as
I don't care to march for money
This had me stumped for years. I genuinely thought it was an awkward way of saying 'well, I wouldn't go to a protest over it'. Because the difference isn't immediately phonetically obvious, I was never corrected even when playing the song on guitar or singing along with friends. It wasn't until I heard a cover years later where the gap between 'too' and 'much' was moved to between 'care' and 'too' that it clicked, much to my embarrassment as a self-professed Beatles fan.
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Comment on Make new friends here! in ~life
Kilcundas Link ParentI can absolutely relate to this! I try my hardest to be as organised as possible at work and will champion data-informed decision making wherever possible. At home though, I'm the complete...Allergic to personal quantitative data, which IMO sucks the fun out of hobbies
I can absolutely relate to this! I try my hardest to be as organised as possible at work and will champion data-informed decision making wherever possible. At home though, I'm the complete opposite and feel like somewhat of a hypocrite, to the point where I can't bear the thought of managing a personal electronic calendar of any sort (much to the annoyance of my partner!) lest it aggravate my acute Outlook/Teams Meeting calendar anxiety.
I've struggled to let go of tracking my reading (every now and then a Goodreads-Like web app will catch my attention) as I find constantly tracking my progress towards reading goals to completely suck the fun out of what should be some relaxing down time. Sometimes it's nice to just enjoy things without worrying about how effectively you're enjoying them.
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Comment on I am still awake after feeding my newborn in ~talk
Kilcundas LinkFirstly, congratulations on the newborn! I thought I should mention I originally read your post last night on mobile after settling my 9 month old in the middle of the night and struggling to get...Firstly, congratulations on the newborn! I thought I should mention I originally read your post last night on mobile after settling my 9 month old in the middle of the night and struggling to get back to sleep. It gave me a good (empathetic) chuckle.
- I usually give myself 20 minutes to half an hour. I feel like I can tell pretty quickly if I'm not going to get back to sleep, but it's always a nice surprise to be wrong on that count.
- (and 3), My go to fun activity is to listen to an audiobook version of a book that I've read before. This works great because either A). The story entertains me while I can't sleep or B) The story puts me back to sleep. Win-win, although these days I keep my headphones on ambient sound so I don't miss any stirring from the baby.
All the best with your new family member and hoping you can catch up on some much deserved sleep whenever possible.
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Comment on Donald Trump shock spurs Japan to think about the unthinkable: nuclear arms in ~society
Kilcundas Link ParentI think your Wild West analogy is spot on. Tangentially related, it reminded me of an argument put forward in an episode of Revisionist History (podcast by journalist/author Malcolm Gladwell)...I think your Wild West analogy is spot on. Tangentially related, it reminded me of an argument put forward in an episode of Revisionist History (podcast by journalist/author Malcolm Gladwell) exploring gun violence in the U.S. Gladwell argues that America's problematic relationship with gun rights and gun crime may have been in part influenced by idealistic portrayals of the American West in modern media, particularly the TV series Gunsmoke.
Westerns took up a third of all evening television viewing time. If you lived in a major city like New York, you had your choice of 51 different Westerns in a given week. And what were Westerns, well, they were stories about big strong men. The heroes of the top six Westerns of 1962, average six foot four and 210 pounds, white, big strong men.
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I want to figure out what it means that an entire generation of Americans grew up watching a world in which big strong men shot at each other with guns, in the absence of any kind of cultural or moral or psychological ambiguity.
I think as time as marched on, the concept of the West (at least, in it's many idealistic modern interpretations) has become very appealing to a large facet of society. We live in an incredibly complex, interconnected world, so the concepts of simple societies that 'look after themselves' and solve moral issues without getting 'bogged down in the details' are attractive to some.
To give another domestic example, some members of parliament in my country (Australia) were recently chastised for some comments regarding family violence that, shall we say, grossly oversimplified the issue:
"If someone was bashing your sister, you and the cousins went around and sorted it out — nothing to see here,"
"Now, police officers are spending 80 per cent of their time on the beat sorting out domestic violence issues because people can't sort stuff out for themselves, or the government has told them they can"
I'm including this example to illustrate that this line of thinking and idealisation of societies depicted in the Wild West genre is culturally persistent, even outside the U.S.
To return to the original geopolitical discussion that this post has generated, it breaks my heart that we have lost the generation that learned the lessons of the First World War, and those that cemented those lessons after the Second - Not perfectly, of course, but I generally believe there was an overall global push towards a peace that would prevent those atrocities from ever repeating. The current trajectory is putting us straight back on to a path of destruction that collective humanity successfully steered us away from, except as you mentioned with destructive capacities previously unimaginable. And sadly, many, many people are struggling to see what the problem is: In our increasingly complex world, simple solutions and a twisted understanding of freedom and independence are getting harder to argue against, especially when we're all too busy, stressed and uncompassionate to explore the consequences, which unfortunately only empowers Trump and those of his ilk.
I feel almost like Japan reconsidering their stance towards nuclear armament is a geo-political canary in a coal mine. Consensus is turning away from peace even there - and that's terrifying.
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Comment on Why Techdirt is now a US democracy blog (whether we like it or not) in ~society
Kilcundas LinkOn the topic of 'Democracy Blogs', does anybody have any recommendations for blogs along these lines? i.e, either blogs openly discussing the challenges democracies around the world are currently...On the topic of 'Democracy Blogs', does anybody have any recommendations for blogs along these lines? i.e, either blogs openly discussing the challenges democracies around the world are currently facing, or more specifically about the direct impacts from this administration in the United States? (For context, I'm an Australian watching on in horror from the sidelines, so I would definitely be open to perspectives from any region).
I get that the article is playfully challenging the notion that readers may find these posts off-topic, but I think it's particularly important remain informed about the impacts first hand on other fields, industries and institutions, especially while governments and political parties internationally are watching what's happening in the U.S and taking notes. The below quote from the article in particular really resonated with me:
"But right now, the story that matters most is how the dismantling of American institutions threatens everything else we cover. When the fundamental structures that enable innovation, protect civil liberties, and foster open dialogue are under attack, every other tech policy story becomes secondary".
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Comment on Download and transfer for Kindle books discontinued on Feb 26 in ~books
Kilcundas Link ParentThank you very much for the recommendation! I share your thoughts when it comes to the touchscreen and page turn buttons but otherwise the Nomad seems to tick all of the boxes and KOReader also...Thank you very much for the recommendation! I share your thoughts when it comes to the touchscreen and page turn buttons but otherwise the Nomad seems to tick all of the boxes and KOReader also looks fantastic.
With your Boox, do you find yourself using it for purposes other than reading? I'm unfortunately not a great illustrator but I could definitely imagine using something similar for journaling.
(As mentioned in another reply in this thread - my apologies for the very delayed response, I've been quite unwell. I appreciate you sharing those devices!)
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Comment on Download and transfer for Kindle books discontinued on Feb 26 in ~books
Kilcundas Link ParentApologies for the very delayed response, thanks to an unexpected illness (and subsequent ill child) I haven't had an opportunity to try this for myself. If that method works for me this will be...Apologies for the very delayed response, thanks to an unexpected illness (and subsequent ill child) I haven't had an opportunity to try this for myself. If that method works for me this will be fantastic for downloading book samples (something I wasn't able to do with the download & transfer via USB functionality even before it was removed). Thank you very much for taking the time to share and provide those links.
Speaking of which, since this post I have definitely come to terms with not being able to use the kindle store moving forward. The convenience that the storefront provided resulted in a few too many impluse purchases (instead of, say, checking my local library or bookstore), and I definitely have more than enough books on my backlog to satisfy me for plenty of years to come. As mentioned I'll definitely explore the workarounds you have linked to download book samples, which will hopefully assist me in making some thoughtful, informed purchasing decisions... And when I do so, that money can go to a local small business instead.
I appreciate your help!
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Comment on Download and transfer for Kindle books discontinued on Feb 26 in ~books
Kilcundas Link ParentThanks for letting me know, I just double checked with no luck unfortunately. My Kindle 3 was removed around the same time that that model's 3G services were shut down, and I remember thinking it...Thanks for letting me know, I just double checked with no luck unfortunately.
My Kindle 3 was removed around the same time that that model's 3G services were shut down, and I remember thinking it was odd considering that I assumed I could continue using WiFi without any issues (and the support page on Amazon seems to indicate that also).
As it stands, I'm unable to access the kindle store and attempting to register the device results in an invalid username/password error despite double-checking I had the credentials correct and using them to log in on a browser.
Also worth keeping in mind I'm an Australian customer, so I'm not sure if that changes anything. I'll do some more experimenting, but for now it's an entirely offline device - Which, to be fair, I'm not overly upset about.
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Comment on Download and transfer for Kindle books discontinued on Feb 26 in ~books
Kilcundas (edited )LinkAs someone still happily using my Kindle 3 Keyboard from 2011 daily, this was the only method remaining to transfer Amazon purchased ebooks to the device. Previously, I could use the 'send to...As someone still happily using my Kindle 3 Keyboard from 2011 daily, this was the only method remaining to transfer Amazon purchased ebooks to the device. Previously, I could use the 'send to Kindle' option, but Amazon removed this device from my account and as an available selection entirely when it was discontinued.
Ironically, as a result there is no longer any benefit to me purchasing ebooks from their platform, which I still begrudgingly do occasionally for some books I can't find elsewhere... Which I will now likely have to source via piracy if I want a copy on the device I paid for.
I know I'm in the minority here, but if you'll forgive me my old man yells at clouds moment, I just want a device I can repair myself, use entirely offline, filled with books that I own. I won't miss giving Amazon any money, but I do miss the concepts of media ownership and right to repair being the norm and expectation.
Congratulations on finishing it!
I have a soft spot for text-parser games despite never growing up with them and enjoyed putting together a couple of shorter games when I was younger. Would you be willing to share or link to your competition submission? I would love to give it a try (and an honest review, again if you're willing) next time I have some spare time available.