NonoAdomo's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
NonoAdomo LinkMy wife and I have been playing Fire Red and Leaf Green together. While I grew up with the games, she completely missed them so she never played them when they were new. I, however, have played...My wife and I have been playing Fire Red and Leaf Green together. While I grew up with the games, she completely missed them so she never played them when they were new. I, however, have played the Kanto story so much I more or less knew it like the back of my hand, even 25-30 years later. (I'm old now ;_;)
What was interesting was seeing her interacting with this game as someone who knew only the modern pokemon releases on the Switch. The game series has come a LONG way since Gen 1 and I honestly think that the Gen 3 was the right choice for people to revisit. True Gen 1 (Red/Blue) is really REALLY janky. It feels like its held together with chewing gum and bailing wire. Most people have heard of MissingNo, but over the many years people have discovered a myriad of ways of tricking the game to do things it isn't supposed to. For example: Did you know you could get Mew without a gameshark or event trade? Fire Red and Leaf Green gives a lot of fixes to those rough edges as well as the astetically pleasing Gen 3 face lift. I highly recommend it if you are curious about earlier generation pokemon games.
That being said, it has its general design rough edges as well:
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No EXP share makes leveling more of a chore There are people who love this format, but I think that its just busywork for the sake of feeling effort. Modern pokemon games have their issues, but I don't think EXP share is one of them. Honestly it's a non factor with the ease in which you get leveling candy in those games and that makes EXP Share basically irrelevant.
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Gen 1 was super stingy with items. Sure, it makes sense that Rare Candies are infact rare, but TMs shouldn't be as stingy. If I were to make a change, I would say that you get the first one for free in whatever way you acquire it, but then you can spend money to buy it. It just makes everything a chore if you want to build some sort of competitive team and you really like earthquake but you only get the one.
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"Dungeon" environments are an ordeal. On one hand, I like the struggle, but on the other are a slog. Mt Moon, Rock Tunnel and Victory Road are absolutely painful. They are more of a test of patience than anything else. If you dont know, like my wife, you are anxious about how much farther you need to go. If you do know? It's rough. Repels help, but then you miss out on EXP.
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Thank goodness for VS Seeker in Gen 3. Without it, you are just slogging against wild pokemon and thats not fun for anyone. Show up to the elite 4 below Lorelei's level? You originally had to go back to punching onyx in Victory Road. Now you can go and beat up on trainers, getting more XP and also money. 10/10, would recommend
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Flow in this game is an interesting relic of the past RPG designs. Yes, there aren't any floating quest markers or objective lists for you to follow, but the you have to get that info from SOMEWHERE and if you miss the one person that says you have to go back up to Cerulean and head east to the Rock Tunnel, then you're going to have a really hard time understanding what in the world you need to do. It's a challenge that I understand why modern games design left it behind.
On a final note, I chose to do my Fire Red playthrough as a Nuzlocke, since my wife didn't know what she was getting in to and I knew she would be slower. I'll have some thoughts about that next week as I'm preparing for the Elite 4, and I'm hoping this game would be my first officially completed Nuzlocke. Wish me luck!
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Comment on The ethics of buying, playing military, war or games inspired by them? in ~games
NonoAdomo LinkGames of war or inspired by them go back as far as humans have existed. Many games of strategy are brought about by the desire to improve one's military prowess against a future opponent. Its a...Games of war or inspired by them go back as far as humans have existed. Many games of strategy are brought about by the desire to improve one's military prowess against a future opponent. Its a part of existence in the military and frankly? They can be fun to play. Just avoiding them can be fine, but where do you draw the line? That personal choice can be difficult. Call of Duty and Battlefield? Easy miss, but what about board games? Chess is a war game by definition of its history but is seen as a game of high intellect by many.
For me, personally, I think it comes down to how the game approaches the idea of war. War and conflict will never go away, it's an unfortunate side effect of humanity. We can, however, treat the concept with the respect it deserves given the seriousness of the idea.
Let's take Call of Duty as the first example: its literally gameified war. The stories of the more recent titles have been more focused on the machismo essence of war, looking and feeling badass over the gruesome reality. I really dislike these games because of that mentality
Battlefield, at least the old ones, had more of a cog in the machine feeling. You are one of many and wins for your team can be hard fought. But the impact of loss isn't really held to the players attention and its still likes to play with the rule of cool. Rising Storm: Vietnam did this well though, as when players are killed, their sceeen "goes black" as if they just died and thats it. Ive never played it, but watching it on stream was jarring and it did give the impact of "death" when it happened. But at the core you still have a death match shooter game. Still on the "fun" aspect.
Ace Combat is a series that sits on the other side. At first blush, it romanticizes the idea of jet planes dogfighting and blowing each other up. Which is true, it totally does do that, but what it does that many other arcadey war games don't do is have a really strong "war is hell" narrative. Most games have the narrative of the ebbs and flows of war. You hear the impacts of your efforts on the ground, both good and bad. When notable characters are killed, the game often takes a moment to recognize that. It really feels as if it values the human element to war and usually treats it in a healthy manner. It made you think and in the current environment, thats a healthy thing to do. I would not worry about the licensing fee for jet planes in your strangereal fantasy war
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentWord of advice on Octopath 0: its a re-release of a mobile game that has had all of the live service elements stripped out and the content accessible. On one hand this is great, because you don't...Word of advice on Octopath 0: its a re-release of a mobile game that has had all of the live service elements stripped out and the content accessible. On one hand this is great, because you don't have to fight a Gacha system to play and progress, but the game itself is LONG because it has years of live service main and side content to plow through.
What I'm saying is that its likely a slow burn. My wife played it for a bit and got burnt out because it is more grindy than most JRPGs.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentP3R is basically FES with a face lift and some QOL mechanics changes, which means it has more features than P3P (sans Female protag)P3R is basically FES with a face lift and some QOL mechanics changes, which means it has more features than P3P (sans Female protag)
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Comment on Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen releasing February 27th on Nintendo Switch in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentMy thoughts exactly. I don't like to be someone who swoops in to invalidate someone's complaints... but this isn't a remake like Let's Go. This isn't a new content that focuses on Kanto. It's...My thoughts exactly. I don't like to be someone who swoops in to invalidate someone's complaints... but this isn't a remake like Let's Go. This isn't a new content that focuses on Kanto. It's literally just a re-release of an older title that, itself, was a remake of the original games.
That being said, the general public LOVES the original games. Many people in my generation stubbornly refuse to accept anything beyond them. I honestly think they're missing out, but to each their own. I'll happily enjoy Pokemon games as they are consistently at least good and sometimes, believe or not, they're actually great.
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Comment on Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen releasing February 27th on Nintendo Switch in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentYeah, none of them ever did. As far as I am aware, the only Pokemon games to offer a "full" pokedex of that game are the Legends series. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)Yeah, none of them ever did. As far as I am aware, the only Pokemon games to offer a "full" pokedex of that game are the Legends series. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)
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Comment on Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen releasing February 27th on Nintendo Switch in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentI'm so glad I bought mine ages ago. That value is crazyI'm so glad I bought mine ages ago. That value is crazy
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Comment on Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen releasing February 27th on Nintendo Switch in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentThere never was a third version in these remakes. It would have been a much larger dev lift for them to make that knowing that the purists would kick up a stink. Ultimately this answers the...For this kind of re-release, I'd have liked to see a single merged game with all Pokémon
There never was a third version in these remakes. It would have been a much larger dev lift for them to make that knowing that the purists would kick up a stink.
Ultimately this answers the question on if they plan to do RBY or GSC, which the answer seems to be no for now. Its a shame because Pokemon Stadium is kinda pointless without them. I feel like there is a weird technical hurdle they programed themselves into a corner on and don't have much interest in fixing it.
At least they are playing with Gen3 now, which was my favorite gen of Pokemon games. I hope this means there are good things with the Hoenn region coming soon.
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Comment on Norway is a Winter Olympic giant. Why isn't it better at ice hockey? in ~sports.hockey
NonoAdomo LinkWinter Olympics are a in interesting study of what countries focus on both culturally and governmental focus. Norway has its citizens skiing from a crazy young age. This is such a focus that all...Winter Olympics are a in interesting study of what countries focus on both culturally and governmental focus.
Norway has its citizens skiing from a crazy young age. This is such a focus that all their athletic pipeline is focused almost entirely on these efforts. Every cross country event has Norway dominating the podium because majority of their athletic population is focused on it.
In a similar contrast, ive enjoyed watching Canada's version of this being with skating sports. All the athletic kids here grow up wanting to be hockey players and it shows with both the Mens and Womens teams being powerhouses, but the ones who don't make the cut find homes in other similar sports, particularly speed skating where Canada is a perpetual competitor. The only one they aren't heavy hitting on is figure skating and thats because it requires a different growth focus path from a young age.
Then you have the Germans who cornered the market on sliding sports (Luge, Skeleton and Bobsled) in such a way that nobody can really compare without crazy amounts of investment.
I could go on and on but the conclusion is that winter sports are wild.
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Comment on new Date("wtf"); How well do you know JavaScript's Date class? in ~comp
NonoAdomo Link ParentI've learned quite a few languages over the years and JavaScript is by far the most frustrating work of coding I've ever had the displeasure to work with. I actively avoid it whenever possible...I've learned quite a few languages over the years and JavaScript is by far the most frustrating work of coding I've ever had the displeasure to work with. I actively avoid it whenever possible because it's just so nonsensical.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentI did hard classic Fire Emblem exactly once. You have to be a masochist to do that multiple times. I've played all kinds of tactics games on higher difficulty and FE Awakening on hard classic...I did hard classic Fire Emblem exactly once. You have to be a masochist to do that multiple times. I've played all kinds of tactics games on higher difficulty and FE Awakening on hard classic broke me. The opening in particular, having to move specific ways or lose a potentially key character forever was brutal.
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Comment on Non-Logitech replacement for G502 mouse? in ~tech
NonoAdomo Link ParentI went the other way when it comes to gaming mice. I had a Basilisk v3 for years, loved it except that after a while the scroll wheel wore out. I could no longer reliably click the button, which I...I went the other way when it comes to gaming mice. I had a Basilisk v3 for years, loved it except that after a while the scroll wheel wore out. I could no longer reliably click the button, which I use frequently when navigating a web browser. Eventually the scroll itself stopped working as expected and I had to replace it. I got a second one because "Ehh, why not?" and then it developed the same problem again, but faster.
I've had the G502x for a while and it's worked great for me. I've been super happy with it. I haven't had any issues with double clicking crop up yet, which is nice. I think that we all stress our hardware in different ways. I'm apparently rough on the middle mouse scroll wheel/click mechanism. Others must have heavy clicking fingers. Who knows, but it's interesting to see people transition in both directions.
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Comment on US users: how are you watching Olympics coverage? in ~sports
NonoAdomo Link ParentThis is one of the many perks I love about having moved north of the border. I have 100% free coverage of Olympic events. All events, replays last for months afterwards. I rarely watched in the...This is one of the many perks I love about having moved north of the border. I have 100% free coverage of Olympic events. All events, replays last for months afterwards. I rarely watched in the states because it was paywalled behind NBC.
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Comment on Steam Hardware: Launch timing and other FAQs in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentI know PS glyphs, I dont know Xbox glyphs in the same way, so when it says it needs X or Y, I get confused easily. I played elden ring offline on PC because I needed the glyphs.I know PS glyphs, I dont know Xbox glyphs in the same way, so when it says it needs X or Y, I get confused easily. I played elden ring offline on PC because I needed the glyphs.
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Comment on Steam Hardware: Launch timing and other FAQs in ~games
NonoAdomo Link ParentPlaystation controllers have always been fine if you connect them via USB, its the Bluetooth thats been iffy. ...also the lack of glyphs on some titles is really annoying. So many games I had to...Playstation controllers have always been fine if you connect them via USB, its the Bluetooth thats been iffy. ...also the lack of glyphs on some titles is really annoying. So many games I had to mod for so many years just for glyphs.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
NonoAdomo Link ParentZeta gundam is rough. Like, really rough. It doesn't know what kind of show it really wants to be so it spends it's time being as edgy as possible and in the process it abuses every character in...Zeta gundam is rough. Like, really rough. It doesn't know what kind of show it really wants to be so it spends it's time being as edgy as possible and in the process it abuses every character in borderline nonsensical ways just so the show can say "Look how awful they have it!" My wife and I watched it last year in our quest to get through gundam stuff and it kinda stalled after Zeta because in modern eyes it's quite problematic. Maybe we can get to ZZ gundam soon?
That being said, I highly recommend "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin" as it covers Char and why he is the way he is. He's a magnificent bastard, but also this prequel makes him an incredibly compelling character while also giving Sayla great screentime as well. (BTW, "Advent of the Red Comet" is the same thing, but cut up into 30min episodes to fit on TV which kinda messes with the pacing. Go for the one with 6 episodes and enjoy the show)
Others that are great are Witch from Mercury, a completely standalone title, and GQuuuuX, which I would watch a bit more UC to fully appreciate it, as it's an alternate timeline story to what you're currently watching now that asks what would happen if Char just stole the Gundam and captured White Base in Episode 1 of 0079
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Comment on 2025 NFL Post Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Freetalk in ~sports.american_football
NonoAdomo LinkOkay, I'll be the one to say it: A sport's Hall of Fame should leave ego out of the voting. Any voting committee that has ego involved in their decision should be scrapped and reformed. Anyone who...Okay, I'll be the one to say it:
A sport's Hall of Fame should leave ego out of the voting. Any voting committee that has ego involved in their decision should be scrapped and reformed.
Anyone who says a person like Bill Belichick shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame first ballot should have their voting privileges removed. It ruins the integrity of the institution and the legitimacy of history they claim to preserve.
/rant
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Comment on New York City congestion pricing’s unexpected winners: suburban drivers in ~transport
NonoAdomo Link ParentIt's "controversial" because people inherently don't like being restricted on things they could freely do before, even if it's in their best interests. I really hope this brings more investigation...It's "controversial" because people inherently don't like being restricted on things they could freely do before, even if it's in their best interests.
I really hope this brings more investigation and study on implementing this in other cities, but that "controversy" point is fuel for populist leaders. Case in point: Toronto is constantly being shit on by the provincial leadership because they are heavily catering to car driving suburbia. Its the perfect city for this program, but instead we are being forced to rip out speed cameras and defending against attacks on bike lanes all to cater to the car. Maybe someday we can develop a more accessible city that isn't gridlocked.
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Comment on Matt Damon says Netflix wants movies to restate the 'plot three or four times in the dialogue' because viewers are on 'their phones while they're watching' in ~movies
NonoAdomo Link ParentWhen I was still subbed to Netflix, disabling this was a godsend. Youtube does the same BS and I had to disable that there too before it started recommending stuff that my mouse accidentally...When I was still subbed to Netflix, disabling this was a godsend. Youtube does the same BS and I had to disable that there too before it started recommending stuff that my mouse accidentally rested on.
I saw some streamers I like playing Warhammer 40k Dawn of War recently and I remembered "Hey, I liked that game ages ago!" So I got the new definitive edition so I could play around with it. Primarily around the Dark Crusade campaign, as it had a good number of relatively balanced factions.
I'll start with the praise: This game is a good RTS. Innovative for it's time, but a bit dated now. Still holds up relatively well, and I would recommend it if you just want a generally fun RTS experience. All the races (except the two added in Soulstorm: Sisters of Battle and Dark Eldar) are somewhat balanced and reward good game play. Those other two? They're weak and they clearly play in the back while everyone else hogs the spotlight.
But I wasn't here for multiplayer. I was here for the campaign and Dark Crusade has a pretty decent idea for one. You have seven factions fighting over territories for a map (Kinda like the old Westwood Dune games) and if you manage to take out the core stronghold of a faction, you remove their leader and their ability to take more territory on the map. As you take territories, your leader gains an honor guard that accompanies them into battle where the leader starts present (Either an attack you initiate, or a defense you're present or adjacent to) and allows you to have a good "head start" should you amass a strong honor guard.
The problem I have with this comes with the balancing and the whiplash if you play on the harder difficulties. I decided to play on Hard mode, because I knew normal gave a bit of a generous "buff" to your troops to make them a bit more survivable. This made my first campaign as the Imperial Guard quite challenging as the standard issue Guardsman is rather squishy. For me, this made for a fun experience... up until the point where I could just not, for the life of me, break any high defense territories. No matter how well I tried to build everything, I just got overrun by the enemy before I could take out the first of their two bases. Then, I said "Fuck it" and just went to get rid of the enemy strongholds and.... it was calm? Well, after the initial onslaught of whatever bullshit the enemy was throwing at you subsided it was a rather calm, methodical crawl across the map to destroy the last of the enemy forces. Frantic normal missions, calm stronghold assaults. Playing IG in the Eldar stronghold at the end though felt a bit like playing Creeper World and just holding back the tide of enemies while I figured out how to win the game and finish my campaign.
But sometimes you can get attacked. You do have to defend and this is where I have the biggest gripe with the systems. You can't trust auto battle. It estimates based on "strength" on the field but does not realize my strength is the fact that I build up a mass manufacturing base that I get a full strength army in minutes and steamroll my enemies. I can't allow them to have it, it means I lose my valuable honor guard. In my Eldar play through, which I'm about to finish, I have to go through the motions every time just so I do not lose my seer council, which is the strongest unit in the faction when paired up with the leader unit. Whelp, Chaos threw more forces into the meat grinder so I guess I'll spend the next ten minutes watching my team run across the map and blow up their two bases. I even got it down to a science, get a critical mass and "Attack move to A, and then queue up attack move to B" and then go read stuff on my phone (because the game pauses when I alt-tab out)
My conclusion is: It's a solid representation of the world, a good RTS for it's era and a fun playthrough if you want a generally strong RTS, just don't expect it to hold long if you want to do every faction, because it will get repetitive by the time you finish the second one. Maybe Dawn of War 4, developed by a completely new studio, will fix some of these issues? It appears to be trying to build off of the DoW1 formula more than 2 or 3. One can hope, right?