Ryl's recent activity
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Comment on What are some seemingly silly things in your life that have practical purposes? in ~life
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Comment on What are some seemingly silly things in your life that have practical purposes? in ~life
Ryl Link ParentI've always wanted to try cubing, but I'm terrible at puzzles, even ones with understood solutions like that 😅I've always wanted to try cubing, but I'm terrible at puzzles, even ones with understood solutions like that 😅
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Comment on What are some seemingly silly things in your life that have practical purposes? in ~life
Ryl Link ParentI have a set that magnetizes into a bracelet, but mostly I just keep them in my pocket and/or bag. They take up almost no space so it's easy to carry multiple sets around if I feel like it.I have a set that magnetizes into a bracelet, but mostly I just keep them in my pocket and/or bag. They take up almost no space so it's easy to carry multiple sets around if I feel like it.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Ryl LinkI've been playing a lot of Guild Wars 2 recently, ever since GW3 was announced. You'd think it would be the opposite, that the sequel would make me less interested in what we have now since it'll...I've been playing a lot of Guild Wars 2 recently, ever since GW3 was announced. You'd think it would be the opposite, that the sequel would make me less interested in what we have now since it'll eventually be superceded, but they also announced that they'll keep GW2 up for over a decade at least, and that there will be active development on it. This whole situation is so wild, it's strange enough that they're gonna make a new MMO in the modern gaming climate, but they actually care about preservation as well? They sure know how to get my attention.
As for the game itself, it's the same pretty damn great traditional MMO it's always been. Lots of absurdly long grind projects out there waiting for you to maybe eventually do them all, but no major stat benefits associated with them, which I've always thought was a good balance. Someone can be at their maximum possible combat power a couple months into a new account, so they don't have to feel like a burden, but they can always be getting a new mount or a legendary or something, so they're still excited to keep going.
Unfortunately, this does mean that it is fundamentally a grind game, even if it markets itself as not being one. It's true you don't have to, and you'll still be equal to the other players, but you need a goal to work on while you play, and the goals are all grinds, lol.
It took me a while upon returning to decide which grind I'll be working toward during this stint of playing. In the end, I decided I'd go for legendary gloves, and the legendary staff The Bifrost. Both weren't projects I was up for back in ye olden days, but modern changes have made it a lot more reasonable - you can get the gloves from just doing a bunch of easy fractals with the new quickplay system, and several weapons including The Bifrost now have "starter kits" you can get from your dailies to make them much easier to create. I'm very down for changes that make things easier over time in an MMO, imo it only stands to reason that once the most intense players are done with a piece of hard content, it's made easier for the rest of us to try it out later.
I'm also not entirely alone, because not only have I joined the guild of a streamer I like, EndyD20, but my wife has also decided to play for a while! It's really starting to feel like it's back in the old days again.
I'm sure that after several months, I'll take another multi-year break, like I always do with MMOs. For right now, though, this is really fun!
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
Ryl Link ParentAhh, I was curious why my recent sessions were truly alone instead of with your afk account ominously keeping me company in the background. I hope your life stuff goes well.Ahh, I was curious why my recent sessions were truly alone instead of with your afk account ominously keeping me company in the background. I hope your life stuff goes well.
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Comment on What are some seemingly silly things in your life that have practical purposes? in ~life
Ryl LinkI'm always using a begleri, which, as far as I can tell, is kind of a weird thing for anyone to do unless they're some cool skater or an old greek man, instead of an american woman in her...I'm always using a begleri, which, as far as I can tell, is kind of a weird thing for anyone to do unless they're some cool skater or an old greek man, instead of an american woman in her thirties.
I picked it up in occupational therapy, though. My hands lost most of their strength and coordination after an accident, so I had to build that back up. It's the same thing that got me into putty/slime, lol - it's all tools my therapist gave me to train my hands back then. Plus, I've always been an anxious person, and it's nice to have something to passively focus on.
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Comment on What is your eleventh favorite video game? in ~games
Ryl LinkAccording to an ordered Top 25 I once made, it's The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, and I entirely agree. It's such a gorgeous, endless world to get lost in, in a way that future Elder Scrolls...According to an ordered Top 25 I once made, it's The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, and I entirely agree.
It's such a gorgeous, endless world to get lost in, in a way that future Elder Scrolls games never quite managed again, though Skyrim came close. You can pick a direction, travel that way, set yourself up with a whole life in a random town out of thousands, get to know the layout, work for a local business, etc etc, and then one day randomly decide to leave. Not only will that tiny town be waiting for you when you return, and remember what you did, but if you go far enough away, you won't even have legal records anymore, and can be a new person entirely as far as society is concerned.
I've always found the right to be forgotten as the most enticing part of the fantasy roleplay experience. The idea that you mean everything to one tiny corner of the world then you move and because there's no internet you basically vanished into nothingness. I guess on a wider level it's a sign of a simpler place? And that's a nice thing to experience for a little while.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #9: How optimistic are you about the future? in ~talk
Ryl LinkLike, how optimistic am I about the future of my life, or the world? Because my life is going great but I'm like 90% sure multiple major governments are going to collapse and/or go full fascist...Like, how optimistic am I about the future of my life, or the world?
Because my life is going great but I'm like 90% sure multiple major governments are going to collapse and/or go full fascist dystopia in the next decade.
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Comment on Elon Musk net worth estimated at $1.1 trillion in ~finance
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
Ryl LinkCaves of Qud. It's just such an endless beautiful world, I could and have got lost in it for hours at a time.Caves of Qud. It's just such an endless beautiful world, I could and have got lost in it for hours at a time.
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Comment on Summer blanket recommendations? in ~life.style
Ryl LinkI highly recommend pure linen sheets. Linen is a very breathable fabric that regulates temperature well, especially when it isn't mixed with anything. It's a little pricey but definitely worth it.I highly recommend pure linen sheets. Linen is a very breathable fabric that regulates temperature well, especially when it isn't mixed with anything. It's a little pricey but definitely worth it.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
Ryl Link ParentWhat exactly is the draw of games like Factorio for you, if you don't mind me asking?What exactly is the draw of games like Factorio for you, if you don't mind me asking?
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
Ryl Link ParentI would love to be notified in the future!I would love to be notified in the future!
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Comment on Control Resonant | Story/release date reveal trailer – 24th September 2026 in ~games
Ryl LinkHeck yeah, we've got a date! I'm very hyped for this, the world always needs more Control. I tried Firebreak recently, but it just hasn't got the magic the way I think we're going to have again here.Heck yeah, we've got a date! I'm very hyped for this, the world always needs more Control. I tried Firebreak recently, but it just hasn't got the magic the way I think we're going to have again here.
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Comment on New "old school" gadgets? in ~tech
Ryl (edited )LinkI don't know if it fully matches what you said, but for me, the first thing that comes to mind in the "new old school" category is the Playdate. It's a cute, simple portable console with a crank...I don't know if it fully matches what you said, but for me, the first thing that comes to mind in the "new old school" category is the Playdate.
It's a cute, simple portable console with a crank as one of the input methods, and lots of weird indie games from talented people on it. It even emulates Gameboy now too, which is fitting, because the whole thing is like an alternate-universe version of the Gameboy from a world where it was higher tech and open to anyone to develop for.
It's prohibitively expensive, there's no doubt about that, which sucks. For me, though, it was completely worth it.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
Ryl Link ParentThis would be super useful, I always have to refer back to build videos once every three seconds ;-;This would be super useful, I always have to refer back to build videos once every three seconds ;-;
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Ryl LinkI've been playing a lot of Fear and Hunger 2: Termina recently. I'm normally not into turn based RPGs, since the whole idea of just standing around in a liminal space trading attacks seems weird...I've been playing a lot of Fear and Hunger 2: Termina recently. I'm normally not into turn based RPGs, since the whole idea of just standing around in a liminal space trading attacks seems weird and awkward to me, but this one has proved that the system works in the right context, for me.
I'm surprised it isn't done more often, but the way it uses survival horror to heighten everything is genius. Suddenly you're actually using the items in your inventory that nobody ever uses in these games, because they're the difference between life and death. Life and death feels like an important distinction for a change because saving the game is not done lightly, and you could lose hours of progress. This also means that if you end up in a bad situation but you made progress, you'll probably choose to keep your progress even if it means you now have to deal with the problems that came along with that progress, like having lost both arms and now you're reliant on magic to get by because you can't hold a weapon. In the future, if you want to avoid attacks that instantly dismember, you'll have to take care to choose your fights carefully, use special abilities, status moves, etc.
Basically, it forces you to interact with it the way I imagine devs want you to interact with turn based RPGs, but no one ever does.
The story and characters also have me hooked, especially since you can play as so many different characters with their own specialties and stories. I've beat it once, after 27 hours, felt amazing, and now I'm in my second playthrough as a different character who plays totally differently. I don't think I'll stop til I've been everyone, and even then I'll be back later, I'm sure. I really, really love this game.
I still have trouble with grip strength sometimes, it can be a surprisingly hard skill to maintain. I highly recommend looking up specialized exercises for anything you may be having trouble with, they can be life-changing.