PancakeCats's recent activity

  1. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    PancakeCats
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    I have been playing through Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. I played and loved the third entry in the series as a teenager back in the Xbox 360 days, and having had them sit in...

    I have been playing through Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. I played and loved the third entry in the series as a teenager back in the Xbox 360 days, and having had them sit in my library for years, I decided it was time to give them a proper shake. What I found was a third person shooter than definitely set gameplay standards for its genre for years to come, and has a tone and narrative so absurd I can't help but love it.

    The gameplay of these still holds water, with its slowmo diving and movement being a focus of its identity. Not only does it look cool to dive past a door frame headshotting three dudes in the span of a second, the game rewards you for it by seemingly shrinking your hitbox while in mid air or decreasing the enemies' accuracy. The weapons are varied enough to build out a somewhat distinct set of tools for use in blasting. Surprisingly enough, its the tone and atmosphere of the game that actually keeps me hooked.

    The levels all have this haunting empty and slightly liminal feel to them. A deserted New York in the midst of a blizzard, feeling more like a purgatory for the unluckiest man on the planet than a place anybody has ever actually lived. The only things in it were props to be used, a backdrop for the show in front of you. The characters are all noir caricatures, goons being classic dopes with amusing and moronic conversations, the toxic melodramatic detective with a new overly depressing with every other line of dialogue. The femme fatale who catches the eye of a man grieving from the loss of his wife and young child less than a day ago. The police chief who chains smokes and pops pills every time you have a conversation with him. The graphic novel presentation instead of cutscenes. All of it makes the game feel like a half sleeping fever dream, a personal hell for Max and an entertaining pastiche of the Noir genre for the player.

    Now being about halfway through the second game, I can happily say it only leans further into the absurdity. It plays better than the first, looks better than the first, sounds better than the first. The writing is even more intense shlocky noir, and gives depth to the supporting cast. And the stageplay purgatory vibe still shines through, even in high definition (for 2003). Looking forward to replaying the 3rd again with the context of the full series.

    Simultaneously, I have been dipping back into No Man's Sky after being lured in by the latest community expedition, which splits the players in three factions working toward the same galaxy wide goal. Each faction interacts with the system in unique ways, based on different playstyles of the game. You get sped up progression on a new character to give everyone an even playing field. It feels very Helldivers inspired, in good way because I thought the galactic goals were a key part of the magic of that game. It's been fun revisiting the game for the first time since launch, with so much changed and having been added. Like a pokemon battler for the procedurally generated alien species you find on the planets you explore, which sounds pretty neat if executed well. If I make it to that before burnout that is.

    4 votes

  2. Comment on Reddit will require you to be logged in to use old.reddit.com in ~tech

    PancakeCats
    Link Parent
    Deleting your cookies/cache in your mobile browser also works, if you dont mind not being signed in. I exclusively use reddit for searching for niche answers or technical support and therefore...

    Deleting your cookies/cache in your mobile browser also works, if you dont mind not being signed in. I exclusively use reddit for searching for niche answers or technical support and therefore feel no need to be signed in at all, so it works fine for me. Firefox mobile you can just click the shield on the address bar, wipe the cookies, refresh, and you are fine for a few days.

    3 votes

  3. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    PancakeCats
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    It's not, I think he may be conflating the sun exploding at the end of each time loop with the end of the universe.

    It's not, I think he may be conflating the sun exploding at the end of each time loop with the end of the universe.

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Shrek 5 | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    PancakeCats
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    From a cynical perspective, if it's bad it's a final nostaglia cashout and if it's good they can keep milking it for at least another movie. Waiting long enough for the original kids watching...

    From a cynical perspective, if it's bad it's a final nostaglia cashout and if it's good they can keep milking it for at least another movie. Waiting long enough for the original kids watching shrek to grow up and have kids who they will hopefully take to the new film and implant that love for the IP in the new generation. From an executive perspective i can kind of see it, from a creative perspective it seems a little sad to me. Im a big believer in letting properties die when they have run their course.

    5 votes

  5. Comment on What do you think is the best sandwich? in ~food

    PancakeCats
    Link Parent
    As a lifelong resident of the east coast, I cant say I have had something like that too often outside of some sandwich focused food trucks. The east coast is a large stretch of land with lots of...

    As a lifelong resident of the east coast, I cant say I have had something like that too often outside of some sandwich focused food trucks. The east coast is a large stretch of land with lots of diverse food cultures spread across it, so maybe I just dont live in the part of the east coast those shops are emulating.

    I can definitely say that the style you're describing is delicious and I wish I had more access to that style of shop myself.

  6. Comment on What do you think is the best sandwich? in ~food

    PancakeCats
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    In terms of general sandwiches anyone would know, my top three include a well crafted bacon egg and cheese with a runny fried egg on a biscuit or bagel; a classic italian sub with bonus points if...

    In terms of general sandwiches anyone would know, my top three include a well crafted bacon egg and cheese with a runny fried egg on a biscuit or bagel; a classic italian sub with bonus points if its served hot; and the Philly cheese steak, authentic or otherwise. As good as a cold sandwich can be, I tend to lean towards hot sandwiches in most available instances. I find the flavors are better able to pop but its probably just personal preference.

    In terms of specific sandwiches, there is a delicatessen near me that has a sandwich called the Wildwood, which has smoked ham, muenster cheese, lettuce, tomato, deli mustard, and horseradish served hot on pumpernickel. Its so simple but so well put together it makes my brain light up every single time I eat it.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    PancakeCats
    Link Parent
    This was one of the first games I bought for my pc when I was younger, havent replayed it but it definitely stuck with me. Glad to hear it holds up! I vaugely remember there being themes of labor...

    This was one of the first games I bought for my pc when I was younger, havent replayed it but it definitely stuck with me. Glad to hear it holds up! I vaugely remember there being themes of labor exploitation that I didn't fully grapple with back then as a preteen, but now Im curious how I would interpret the game in an older set of eyes. Did you find anything of substance thematically during your time, or is this a case of foggy nostalgia glasses?

  8. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    PancakeCats
    (edited )
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    Alongside the liberal piton usage that countchocula suggested, make sure you are using chalk. Chalk is temporary super grip, limited number of limb placements, but you can get away with a lot more...

    Alongside the liberal piton usage that countchocula suggested, make sure you are using chalk. Chalk is temporary super grip, limited number of limb placements, but you can get away with a lot more than you might think when you are chalked up. Some tougher spots on the higher parts of the mountain practically demand it, and once I started using it more I struggled less. There is a larger chalk bag you can find in the world, which gives you more uses before refill, but I missed it on my first run so definitely not necessary. Also, I understand turning the survival mechanics off, but some cooking combos can give very good and helpful buffs to your non survival stats, like Grip Strength and overall Stamina. But generally, grip is your best friend, so use chalk, keep your fingers bandaged, and rest often on pitons during longer climbs to keep your stamina in top form.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on Haliey Welch interview (Hawk Tuah) by Channel 5 in ~life

    PancakeCats
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    Im sorry I might be missing something but what is there really to be accountable for there? Her saying something while drunk and it blowing up and going viral? She doesn't really seem all that...

    Im sorry I might be missing something but what is there really to be accountable for there? Her saying something while drunk and it blowing up and going viral? She doesn't really seem all that bothered by it nowadays, nor does that seem like an especially problematic thing to have happen to you. She mentions in the interview that she initally asked the street interviewer to take it down due to embarrassement and when he didnt she decided to profit off of it instead. She also said after going through his channel she didnt really like the questions he asked because they were very invasive and disrespectful of women but I dont think that means she doesn't feel responsible for what she said. I just feel like I'm missing something here, because I don't see the issue with my current context.

    3 votes

  10. Comment on Haliey Welch interview (Hawk Tuah) by Channel 5 in ~life

    PancakeCats
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    I don't see how claiming the original street reviewer was disrespectful to women dodges accountability for the crypto rugpull that was done in her name. To my knowledge the rug pull is the main...

    I don't see how claiming the original street reviewer was disrespectful to women dodges accountability for the crypto rugpull that was done in her name. To my knowledge the rug pull is the main controversy, and is only connected to the original interview in that the scam was only possible from the fame she got from said interview. Is there context knowledge I am missing here?

    Having watched the whole thing, she comes across as sincere and fully admits she got duped by crypto bro swindling & promises, and put her name on something she shouldnt have. But she was even cleared by the SEC and FBI after she fully cooperated and gave them literally everything they asked for, so while yes it is a rebranding to her specific context, I think it's more than fair to have a desire to set the record straight.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes

    PancakeCats
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    Believe me, I wish I could live without a personal vehicle, and I do get where you're coming from, but the U.S. is a pretty varied place and the majority of the country is pretty rural. Being 30...

    Believe me, I wish I could live without a personal vehicle, and I do get where you're coming from, but the U.S. is a pretty varied place and the majority of the country is pretty rural. Being 30 miles from the closest hospital is reality for large swathes of people in the country, and you don't wanna be without a car when there's an emergency in an area like that. But if we take it to a semi urban environment like where I live, there's multiple factors that can make what you describe difficult. A bike might not be physically viable for everybody, whether due to job proximity or health reasons. Moving close to a place of work can be financially unavailable to people, if they can even find something close by. Some places dont have have bus networks at all, let alone a semi functional one. In my state at least you can't rent a car until you're at least 26, and even then you usually need a credit check or funds to even do that. There are a multitude of reasons a car can be both inaccessible and required depending on where you live and what financial situation you are in. I guess a more accurate statement would by my life and options would be dramatically limited without a vehicle.

    4 votes

  12. Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes

    PancakeCats
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    I have no doubt you have experienced the type of people you are describing here, I have as well. But is it not a massive generalization to lump everyone who advocates awareness into the category...

    I have no doubt you have experienced the type of people you are describing here, I have as well. But is it not a massive generalization to lump everyone who advocates awareness into the category of those who are trying to "Gotcha!" others with a lack of awareness on whatever issue they devote attention to? You are assuming a lot about people, mainly that they are ignoring those issues at all, or that they are trying to shut others down to conveniently ignore doing any introspection or avoid receiving scrutiny on themselves. And sure, some people do fall in that category, but I think the users on this forum deserve a bit more benefit of the doubt and good faith engagement than you are offering. I honestly can't say say I saw what you're describing in the responses here, if anything they were more thoughtful and reasonable than my gut instinct would have expected when reading the initial post. It just seems like a lot of bias and preconceived notions to assign to people that you dont really have any idea of beyond what they put to text here, which from what I can see doesnt seem to support that which you are describing.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes

    PancakeCats
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    Exactly, thank you finding the concise way to word what I was trying to express. One of the reasons I love this site.

    Exactly, thank you finding the concise way to word what I was trying to express. One of the reasons I love this site.

    6 votes

  14. Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes

    PancakeCats
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    There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, that much is definite. However, in this case, we are actively aware of where this money goes and to what end, and advocating for others to not...

    There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, that much is definite. However, in this case, we are actively aware of where this money goes and to what end, and advocating for others to not continue to offer support despite knowing the real harm that is evident should not be written off. When you are aware of how evil that powers that be truly are, you'll have to make decisions on what you can live without and what you can't.

    American centric pov for an example, but I know that the automotive industry is harmful to the entire planet and human life, but I cannot live my life in the majority of my country without automotive access. I know that JKR is hugely problematic and wants to legislate certain groups out of existence, and I can live without Harry Potter, and so I chose to not give any money to her or the franchise in anyway. And I see no harm in advocating for others to do the same. We aren't all innocent, and we are all going to have things we decide we cant live without that others may dislike, but I don't see how that lessens the value of advocating to cause less harm in ways where we can relatively easily make the choice to live without. You don't have to listen, but I dont think we should discourage people from speaking up because you can "gotcha!" them on something in their bank account that also supports problematic endeavors.

    8 votes

  15. Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes

    PancakeCats
    Link Parent
    Respectfully, while I don't find your tone to be malicious, I do find it to be rather disrespectful of the perspective of others. You can disagree without explicitly belittling someone's desire to...
    • Exemplary

    Respectfully, while I don't find your tone to be malicious, I do find it to be rather disrespectful of the perspective of others. You can disagree without explicitly belittling someone's desire to highlight things they view as important. I am not trying to attack you here, these are merely the thoughts I had in response to the points you brought up, so I apologize if it comes across more hostile than I intend.

    Personally I would say that any discussion of Rowling is on topic in regards to a Harry Potter related post. Just because you can seperate the author from the work, doesn't mean everyone can, nor should they be required to. Saying it changes nothing to bring these things up is, in my opinion, a very narrow and defeatist view, because people can change over time and not everyone on this site is a monolith of shared cultural knowledge. For example, someone could be aware of her being problematic without knowing the full extent to which JKR actively funds hate and harrasses people who don't deserve it. Just because you deem it unlikely doesn't mean it can't happen or that people should be disinclined to share things they view as important information that more people should be aware of.

    I think knowing more about the creation and creators of the media you discuss is valuable context, but I doubt anyone here would tell you that you are required to be fully aware of everything that could possibly come up prior to engaging in a discussion on a topic. I think it more in the spirit of the site to allow additional context to be provided than reject it as off topic or a digression if someone brings up problematic views of a creator, even if you have heard it a million times. The framing of a discussion can change from post to post, and I believe allowing as much additional context and information around a topic as possible leads to a more vibrant and interesting discussion.

    I understand your fear of being misconstrued and malice tagged, I have the same worries as I type this. However, I have rarely ever seen a post of this nature not be met with good faith discussion, and I feel like this is a rare place on the internet where people do try and see where you are coming from, or at least challenge your comment in a respectful way, rather than simply reporting you for disagreement.

    There are also still plenty of places where fans of Harry Potter can discuss the series and their love for it. Dedicated forums and fansites still exist, and I think it is perfectly reasonable for people on a more general forum like this one to express how a discussion of a topic or creator that is harmful to them or those they love makes them feel. You can ignore it, but to say its not worth bringing up because you have read it before feels disrespectful of other's lived experience. Even in your last example, you bring up being able to discuss Card's works and failures as a human without it instantly devolving to lines in the sand as a positive aspect of your life, but is that not the opposite of what you are advocating for here? Is it not a line in the sand to say you are tired of people mentioning Rowlings failures and that bringing them up on a Harry Potter post is pointless and should be considered off topic. How is that not denying others the same luxury you were afforded with a work that affected your life? Because make no mistake, these works are affecting lives, whether those lives engage with the work or not. Directly funding an author who lobbies for legislation to remove a human being's right to exist in a form they find most comfortable to them IS affecting the lives of those people, and I think it more than valid for those people or those close to them or quite literally anybody who cares, to voice how they feel about it.

    In the end, I echo the sentiment of other comments on this post; if you are tired of hearing about Rowling and Harry Potter, filter it out. If you want to discuss Harry Potter without having to hear about the author, another site is probably a better fit than here.

    26 votes

  16. Comment on Game testers wanted for science fiction game in ~games

    PancakeCats
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    Always down to test out a game, count me in.

    Always down to test out a game, count me in.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on The ethics of buying, playing military, war or games inspired by them? in ~games

    PancakeCats
    Link Parent
    This is an interesting perspective, a certain type of mass market game being subliminal advertising for whatever niche they are aggrandizing. The car example particularly struck a cord, because I...

    This is an interesting perspective, a certain type of mass market game being subliminal advertising for whatever niche they are aggrandizing. The car example particularly struck a cord, because I have been playing a lot of My Summer Car recently, an intentionally hostile lifesim set in 90s Finland where you put together your dad's old sports car, piece by piece, bolt by bolt. And I would not call this game an intentional advertisement of owning and maintaining a car, because it really captures the frustration that comes from owning a car and having to spend a lot of effort and financial investment to keep it running smoothly. However, since putting significant time into it, I have had a semi frequent thought of, "Man I should do this in real life, get a project car and just start working on it." Which is distinctly not something I had ever desired or even thought much about prior to playing the game. So it really isnt a stretch to see someone playing Forza and feeling a desire to have the fancy new car, finances be damned, or playing Call of Duty and becoming the local Gun Guy™. I guess the question is where is the delineation between hobby advertisement through video games and harmful industry product advertisement through video games?

    As an aside, check out some racers from smaller teams! Not every racing game is an expensive car glaze fest, some are like Wreckfest, where you drive old cars and junkers in demolition races and derbies. Or Parking Garage Rally Circuit which is a super tight arcade racer focused on MarioKart style drift boosting and tight courses.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    PancakeCats
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    I have also been playing Mewgenics and enjoying it! Agree that the game limiting your options is a plus, I find it gives the game a quicker pace, a nice flow to it. Despite my initial aversion, I...

    I have also been playing Mewgenics and enjoying it! Agree that the game limiting your options is a plus, I find it gives the game a quicker pace, a nice flow to it. Despite my initial aversion, I actually really like that you only use the cats for a single journey. It helps to keep the amount of rules and abilities in check, forces you to move on from using a set squad of cats, and encourages breeding the real all stars that emerge from the mud. I find it thematically pleasing that the game is commenting on how cruel humanity can be to itself and everything it interacts with, particularly cats, all the while slowly encouraging you to treat them the same through the game design. I love finding a new item or ability, it feels like im almost always seeing something new. Very good stuff all in all.

    5 votes

  19. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    PancakeCats
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    Another big example of small word changes making a big difference on a characters personality can be found in Attack on Titan, with there being a distinct difference between Warriors and Soldiers...

    Another big example of small word changes making a big difference on a characters personality can be found in Attack on Titan, with there being a distinct difference between Warriors and Soldiers that the dubs gloss over and blanket refer to as Soldiers everytime. The reasons that difference matters are pretty late game reveals so Ill refrain from spoiling and settle for if you know, you know.

    Beyond that though, I have found dubs have improved so much since I was a kid/teen first watching anime that my first watch through of most of the newer shows have often been dubs. Usually this is followed by reading the source material then switching to subs if im craving a rewatch even after running through the story twice. But in general, I think localization and VA direction has gotten much better, and/or stays closer to home to the point where at the very least most lines match the subtitles 1-1, like with Violet Evergarden. In general it's far less common for me to find those kinds of discrepancies, which makes it even harder to ignore when they do pop up. Especially when you compare to when i was a kid hearing anime characters say one thing and seeing the subs say something completely different, which was fairly ubiquitous.

  20. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    PancakeCats
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    For me, Cairn is in many ways a dream game made reality. Since i was a kid, i longed for a game that let me climb all these cool mountains and cliff faces int the games I played. I could see how...

    For me, Cairn is in many ways a dream game made reality. Since i was a kid, i longed for a game that let me climb all these cool mountains and cliff faces int the games I played. I could see how it could be done if I were to do it myself, but the games were never built for that so it remained this far off wish in my head for years. Other games have come close, and captured some of the magic I've been seeking, like Jusant, but as Protected said, the climbing felt limited, or to express it myself, very on rails. More an avenue to express the art and story it santed to express, rather than anything mechanically or cognitively demanding.

    Cairn captures that magic i've been seeking, without question. Every wall and climb you do is a fun logic/physics puzzle of moving Aava's body in a way to keep her moving up without straining her too much. As you play on and face tougher and tougher climbs, you learn new techniques to overcome them, just by naturally coming to efficient ways to move and position her. Scouting a route and then on the fly overcoming it, it satisfies some deep primal part of my brain to keep climbing, and keep reaching ever higher. The auto selection for the limbs does sometimes feel like it's trying to kill me, but in the end its just something more for me to overcome with deliberate intent on my movement using the manual selection. (I do not see how you could do these harder climbs without manual selection, its wild to me that the devs recommended keeping it off and just using the auto selection.)

    I also love how my obsession with the game is mirrored in Aava's characterization as a climbing prodigy who has a single minded obsession of climbing Kami, even at the detriment of those she holds dear. "One more climb, to the top of this segment of the cliff, and then I'll rest." But when you reach the top, the elation you feel for having overcome something difficult is replaced with the craving to push yourself further and further. I wont comment too much on Aava's continued characterization, but it does continue to he interesting to me the more she unfolds, the more i see of who she truly is. Every rare line of dialogue she speaks a tantalizing glimmer of who she is as a person, and makes me want to peer even deeper into her soul. And while it hasn't fully crystalized, I think the games themes are going to resonate with me in a big way, if it keeps up its current quality trajectory.

    I would to hear your thoughts as you get deeper in, there are some cool moments I want to discuss with others but its still fresh so I'm trying to give it time.

    2 votes