SloMoMonday'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 'Blue dot fever' claims Post Malone, Pussycat Dolls concerts. What's really behind it? in ~music
SloMoMonday Link ParentAlso throw in the fact the modern events are pretty miserable. In the last few years, I only managed one music act but I work in conventions, sports and stage shows when I travel. Beyond the...Also throw in the fact the modern events are pretty miserable. In the last few years, I only managed one music act but I work in conventions, sports and stage shows when I travel. Beyond the endless seas of phones and rowdy crowds, really feels like there no more effort from the organizers side. Concession stands are far less and of worse quality. Similar thing with merch which are mostly crappy blanks with even worse prints. Stewards and security beyond the main seating is lacking and often have no clue how to handle a crowd. Constant software bugs, poor signage and miscommunication everywhere from parking to tick check and dispersing afterwards. Ton of places with seats that are essentially a waste of money for the experience you get. Don't know if its just me or a new trend, but the last comedy show, a hospitality convention and a circus act all had horrible AV.
The only show I have planned for this year is the new run of Rocky Horror Show and not keen to waste time or money anywhere else.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SloMoMonday Link ParentI've not been having the best time getting more intensive F/TPS to play smoothly on the Deck. Roboquest, Deadlink, Deadzone Rogue, Selaco, Void Breaker, Boltgun... I literally can't get a grip on...I've not been having the best time getting more intensive F/TPS to play smoothly on the Deck. Roboquest, Deadlink, Deadzone Rogue, Selaco, Void Breaker, Boltgun...
I literally can't get a grip on it and even games that are fine on regular controllers feel clunky.But at the same time, slower and more tactical games are a blast. The original Dead Space and Resident Evil 2R were a blast to play while travelling.
Also, Voidigo is a blast on local co-op. Highly recommended.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SloMoMonday Link ParentSo far I've found 2 baseball songs. A heart to heart in the cages. And a 50 course baseball dinner.So far I've found 2 baseball songs. A heart to heart in the cages. And a 50 course baseball dinner.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SloMoMonday (edited )LinkI've been on a Rhythm Game kick for most of this year since its easiest thing for me with work has been kicking my ass. Finished up the Rhythm Doctor 1.0 release. It's a one button game where it's...I've been on a Rhythm Game kick for most of this year since its easiest thing for me with work has been kicking my ass.
Finished up the Rhythm Doctor 1.0 release. It's a one button game where it's interesting takes on every 2nd or 7th beat. Sometimes it's by managing multiple rhythms, holding a note, incorporate delays or dealing with a fictional human/pc virus that messes with the game window. Game has a light lockdown-inspired story where you're a remote nurse that needs to stay in synch with heartbeats.
I was a bit sour on where Early Access left off with the Act 5 boss level being an unforgiving and annoying sports song that would fit right into a 2000s Sonic game. Thankfully Acts 6 and 7 picked got back in form pretty quickly with a stage musical love song, a horror/anxiety level and their own Remix 10 right at the end.
Theres also a ton of custom tracks (of varying quality) and a handful of free collab tracks with other games. Some with custom mechanics.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't call this the most approachable game. Even with just one button, it can get pretty unforgiving. Especially if there's a system you struggle with. Progres/performance gates can lock you in place for a long while. And those tough songs tend to be on the longer end or stack multiple rules sets so it just ups the frustration factor for a more casual player.
But I'd say it's highly recommended for enthusiasts. The boss levels do some amazing things with conventional rhythm systems and it's constantly evolving in unexpected ways.
Then there's Bits and Bops. My kid has stumbled on Rhythm Heaven videos and this is the closest thing I could find for her outside of getting the game running on Emudeck. While the average quality in B&B is pretty high, it's still only 16 minigames. Theres also 3 games that seem impossible for me to get a Perfect on for some reason and I have no intention of hearing President Bird sqwak again in my life.
Overall it's a fun experience, especially with kids. Lots of vibrant animations with some silliness sprinkled in. I really hope they're quick to bulk up that library of songs because just over a dozen is hardly enough to keep players coming back and the workshop levels are not very good.
Put a bit of time in Rift of the Necrodancer again. On release the 3 track music/combat/style was fun, but there was a lack of interesting patterns, especially in the lower difficulties. But I think the chart makers on the workshop really ran with the tools because there are some real gems there. It seems like some of that styling has been brought into the collaboration packs.
Of those packs: Friday Night Funking, Undertale, Hatsune Miku and Valhalla have some of my favorite tracks. The other packs like Pizza Tower, Celeste and some v-tuber music are not my taste in this context. I'd also like to see more veriety in the official music. It's all been very "video gamey" music so far and a bit more of a mix could do well in this system. (Uptown Funk is in the workshop and that is a fun chart. Also the Silksong charts are shockingly good).
I'm currently part way through Unbeatable.
I like the main system. I really like the baseball minigame. I like when the story does artsy stuff and it can sometimes feel like a proper punk film along the lines of DOA, Bigger Splash/Rude Boy or Breaking Glass.Its also a game i dread starting it because it's severely lacking in the QoL department. Unreliable save points, long and unskippable dialogue segments, some visual indicators that just lie, tedious navigation and inconsistent... everything. Like last night, the game magically moved me to save slot 2 and I needed to do the whole setup process before I could go back to menu. And when I got to my save file, it randomly threw me 2 hours and an annoying minigame back.
Spent the time since then in arcade mode and will dip into the story when have the bandwidth to put up with the all the crap you need to wade through to actually experience it.
As for the actual gameplay: It's a two track horizontal scroll that folds in from both the left and right. It can get really tricky if you're unfamiliar with a chart and there's a ton of little tricks they can introduce like invisible notes or beats that jump across tracks. I also love the mix of music and some of the soundtrack is on my current rotation.
Lastly, I'm excited for the Dead as Disco early access in a few hours. Got way more time in the demo than I reasonably should and it's an incredible power-fantasy rhythm brawler.
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Comment on I love bioparks in ~travel
SloMoMonday LinkAll of Table Mountain in Cape Town is effectively a giant Bio Park. If you just want to have a nice day trip, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is tucked into the North-Western part of the mountain...All of Table Mountain in Cape Town is effectively a giant Bio Park. If you just want to have a nice day trip, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is tucked into the North-Western part of the mountain facing away from the sea so it's pretty sheltered and not too bad when the wind picks up. There's a ton of endangered plants, a bonsai garden, cultural and medicinal garden, a canopy trail. And it's built in a way where the landscape gradually morphs into fully indigenous fynbos as you get closer to the mountain.
If you go further south, there's Table Mountain National Park which is more hardcore multi-day hikes and camping. But there is the Cape Point area where you can climb a mountain towards a lighthouse and wander towards the narrowest cliff-point in high winds. Great spot for bird watching, tracking down rare plants and potentially falling to your death.
But seriously, Cape Town is just a magical space for bio-tourisim. You can do all the easy tourist sites, a good week of hiking or cycle tours. You could also find a lot of landscapes from the live action One-Piece if that's you thing.
( I strongly recommend doing the hikes or biking with a local group. Partly for security, but mostly because some of these spots can get deceptively treacherous with a constant risk of wildfires, wind and mist/fog.) -
Comment on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price drops to $22.99 USD/month in ~games
SloMoMonday LinkI'm genuinely surprised it wasn't renamed to CopilotBox 360 Pass for Gaming. But in all seriousness, MS seems committed to bleed thier enthusiast customer base. Call of Duty has lost all cultural...I'm genuinely surprised it wasn't renamed to CopilotBox 360 Pass for Gaming.
But in all seriousness, MS seems committed to bleed thier enthusiast customer base. Call of Duty has lost all cultural relevance. Halo Infinite launched with UX limitations that prevented essential features. Bethesda... is doing Bethesda things. Studios were mismanaged and then shut down. Paying the monthly subscription is a tacit approval of whatever MS is doing and just encourages them to not change for the better.
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Comment on The powerhouse of American citrus is suffering a brutal, unrelenting decline in ~food
SloMoMonday LinkSo I remember HLB coming up a lot in South Africa around 2017/8 back when I worked in the Agri space. The attitude back then was to treat infection as an inevitability and prepare accordingly. I...So I remember HLB coming up a lot in South Africa around 2017/8 back when I worked in the Agri space. The attitude back then was to treat infection as an inevitability and prepare accordingly.
I still have a briefing that was floating around back then and it was pretty dire.
The first case of citrus
greening in Florida was detected on a
backyard tree in 2005, and now it is present
throughout citrus producing counties
(USDA, 2016). According to an impact
study by Hodges and Spreen in 2012,
between the seasons of 2006/2007 and
2010/2011, there was a total output impact
of -$4.541 billion. During the 4 years
looked at in the study, the direct impact to
the Agricultural employment sector was
3 940 jobs lost and the total jobs lost
directly and indirectly as a result of HLB
was 8 257. In Brazil, where the first
reported case of HLB was in 2004, a total
of 500 000 trees were officially eliminated
by 2007 (three-year period), and 300 000 to
400 000 trees were eliminated unofficially
(Gottwald et al., 2007). Currently, it is
estimated that 52 million trees have been
removed, equal to a quarter of the countries
citrus hectares.When HLB spreads to South Africa, it will
have a direct impact on our economy, as
well as on the livelihood of farmers and
citrus related industries and their
employees.Given the magnitude of the threat,
collective bargaining and reasoning should
be engaged in between the industry and
supermarkets, along with import country
authorities, to emphasize the eminent threat
of HLB and provide perspective with
regards to the importance and safety of a
carefully and responsibly used systemic
remedy, with due sensitivity towards the
importance of protecting our pollinators.That last part is important because the strategy is to flood everything around potential infection with Imidacloprid which is basically synthetic nicotine. The chemical is a soil drench so shouldn't cause too much (Immidiate) human health issues. But any bugs are getting wiped out.
Thankfully, apart from a brief scare that confused ACG with HLB, there's not been any outbreaks. I think it's largely due to a lot of tighter pest controls after PSHB has been wrecking urban trees for the last few years and that the local environment hopefully being hostile to the Asian citrus psyllid.
But it's scary that all of Florida Citrus is infected. Last I checked, Brazil was sitting at 50% and they were basically moving the entire industry to places that should be safer.
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Comment on An insight into looksmaxxxing/blackpill "ideology" in ~life
SloMoMonday LinkI saw a discussion describing Looksmaxing as the latest "blue-bottle" body image issue. Underneath the jargon, methods and presentation; its all praying on the innate anxiety of not being born in...I saw a discussion describing Looksmaxing as the latest "blue-bottle" body image issue. Underneath the jargon, methods and presentation; its all praying on the innate anxiety of not being born in the right way for the lifestyle they want to live. But this is a MANS issue and not anything like the Pink-bottle ones that also involve addictive and antisocial behavior, eating disorders, invasive/dangerous cosmetic treatments, unattainable (or plain creepy) beauty standards and the like. Both are supercharged by popular media (new and old) and are being weaponized by conman, grifters and the mentally unwell.
Even the name is indicative of being masculine by framing it as something noble and scientific. You're not being vain or insecure. You're "maximizing a key metric that dictates probability of future success". Something objective and scientific. There's a feeling that the public figures are abdicating personal responsibility by saying that they "have to" do it or be left behind. It's something pushed on you by women and the Chads. And then impressionable people suspend agency and follow the leader, simply because its the only path that they have seen to success that they are able to emulate. Beside the odd mail order drug or paywalled content, it seems like entry level Looksmaxing is just inexpensive and sustained self-harm.
It's evident with how a lot of hustle and crypto/stock bros have falling out of favor because interest rates are up and people simply don't have the money or energy to put in any more. Or even how a lot of the red-pill crowd like Tate and Jordan Peterson have all been exposed as the grifters that they are and suffering shrinking relevance.
But this is an impression from the outside looking in. I'm just grateful that the worst things I got sucked into was Toxic Atheism and 2000s Tumblr/FanFic drama and neither caused any permanent damage.
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Comment on Which Linux distro do you use, and why? in ~tech
SloMoMonday LinkBeen using Arch all round since 2021 and recently jumped to CachyOS on my gaming PC. Enjoyed all the customizing and fiddling at first but lately there's no major issues and I don't even have to...Been using Arch all round since 2021 and recently jumped to CachyOS on my gaming PC.
Enjoyed all the customizing and fiddling at first but lately there's no major issues and I don't even have to open the terminal much besides a package install or update.
And not the biggest fan of KDE but its the easiest if other people need to use that pc.
For my workstation is either MATE or xfce. -
Comment on AI populism's warning shots in ~society
SloMoMonday LinkI've been taking a trade-skills night classes with a lot of people straight out of high school (18-20). It seems like more than half of them were high performing students who all elected to put...I don’t know what exactly motivated Altman’s assailants, of course, just as I don’t know what specific thing radicalized Luigi Mangione or Tyler Robinson. But the 20-year-old Molotov-thrower had joined a Pause AI Discord and penned a Substack post on existential risk, writing that AI executives are “sociopaths/psychopaths” and “gambling with your future and the lives of your children… These people are almost nothing like you.” We know less about the second set of attackers, except that they are also young: 23 and 25.
I've been taking a trade-skills night classes with a lot of people straight out of high school (18-20). It seems like more than half of them were high performing students who all elected to put uni on hold to do gig work all day and weld pipes till 11.30pm. And speaking to them, there is a sense that they don't even have faith in high-school exams, so a degree is out of the question. Their experience of education was watching every standard and metric go down the toilet because of LLMs and they could at least make a somewhat informed decision on what direction to go.
Shift that to people in their mid 20's and I can't begin to imagine the absolute dread of making the "smart" choices and graduating into instant redundancy. Many people made deliberate choices to lean into AI, how many positions are actually out there if the technology should at best replace 10% of workers today. And its clear companies would prefer no workers all together. To top it all off, it seems like Sam Altman has a habit of only being right about the bad parts of AI. Massive job losses. Major roll out of disruptive data centers. Resource shortages and outright wars. Bad for regular people. Great for investors though. Can see why they keep giving him money.
Haven't seen much of that abundance come around though. But with this trend, I can see why people are panicking. His vision of the AI apocalypse has already started. Hell the Iran war kicked off with some model painting a girls school as a valid target. No one else is taking responsibility or will be held accountable so it's all on the technology. What's to stop the government from gunning a regular person down and saying that the AI did it. We already have video of ICE murdering two people and there hasn't been a peep about that since.
I've always been vocally anti-AI. Probably started as far back as 2017 when we tried to use early TensorFlow systems for Big Data analytics. And the brunt of my arguments have always been that it doesn't work like a reasonable tool should.
But now its a just another turd in a shitstorm. A data center is drawing more power in an energy crisis because a needless war done on behalf of a rouge nation that has effectively captured the US government in service of overrunning the middle east, that will lead to an even greater migration crisis and be used as fuel for far right movements. The power draw will also put more pressure on the climate crisis that has been ignored for several decades at this point and is already destabilizing agriculture that is going to take a hit because the agri-chem shortage from the above mentioned war. The data center also has water usage and so that's going to drive up two utilities and possibly municipal taxes to treat the waste and service the infrastructure. And if tax/rate-payers are subsidizing this tech, it means businesses are likely forced to increase prices...
It's a very hopeless situation all round and people are going to lash out when there 's no obvious thing to do.
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Comment on Esoteric Ebb | Fully Ramblomatic in ~games
SloMoMonday Link ParentTL DR. It turned into a review. Long story short. Not exactly Disco and far from any of the popular DnD shows or modules. Worth the time if on discount. One friend of mine likend it to a Monty...TL DR. It turned into a review. Long story short. Not exactly Disco and far from any of the popular DnD shows or modules. Worth the time if on discount.
One friend of mine likend it to a Monty Python/Blackadder RPG and another said its like playing Harry from DE, playing a TTRPG. I agree with both.
It pulls a lot of the aesthetics and broad structure of DE. The PoV and map layout/styles. Your stats shaping you thinking/perspective. The investigation story and too patient assistant (its no Lt Kim but a good enough substitute). But I felt it stands on its own and the dev feels inspired while doing his own thing.
Theres an air of sillyness to the whole thing with some easier social commentary. Gender roles, politics, labour/capital, colonialism and race relations, drinking a potion that may have changed your biological sex, revival magic, eating sentient beings, religion, laws... Nothing too inflammatory like in DE but it's nice to see NPCs have opinions on these topics and it's relevant with the state of the wider world. I honestly looked forward to talking to the halfling anthropologist or the orc merchant rep and even the various politicians you cross paths with.
Its definitely not Critical Role, but there are some hints of Dimension 20 with the tone becoming pretty cerebral and introspective at times.
Because it's a very low level game, magic is a situational tool, gear is mostly stat mods/story options and there's "combat" encounters that is more about decision making over dealing damage. And overall I'd say the DnD framework was the weakest part of the game because this adventure hits all of the systems weak spots.
Fundamentally, 5e is a power fantasy engine with 500 ways to kill someone and 2 ways to navigate a conversation.
It feels like a D20 dice allowed for far too much variability and even with boosted stats, there were several times where I just had long streaks of bad to near-hit rolls. Combine that with the other DnD problem where there is very little incentive for specialists over multi-classing and I can see the RPG systems being redundant over multiple games.
I decided to go all in on charisma since this is a more social game, but it felt like I never got any meaningful moments for that skill to shine or a true tests that any other build would fail. And on the flip side, I could reliably gear my way to most other high DC rolls with minimal save scumming.But I can see why 5e would work a lot better as a business decision given how it is the default RPG a lot of people know and its on the back of a game, movie and all the web shows.
Overall, I like it. Reminds me of my style of GMing that is a lot lighter on combat and quests are a web of intersecting interests. It feels a lot lighter to almost being whimsical at times. There is also some amazing failure outcomes and plenty of chances to do cool things with a disaster character that is surprisingly good at their job.
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Comment on I’m traveling internationally for the first time and could use tips! in ~travel
SloMoMonday LinkHaven't done any touring in a while so maybe things have changed, but there were some pretty convincing scams when I used to travel EU. It was actually a lot more convincing than some of the stuff...Haven't done any touring in a while so maybe things have changed, but there were some pretty convincing scams when I used to travel EU. It was actually a lot more convincing than some of the stuff I've seen in the US and East Asia so keep an eye out. Money exchange, tickets for free attractions, fake IPD services... They all used signage that looked pretty official and I hope that was cracked down on.
Besides that. I honestly prefer Europe in summer and 2 or 3 days a place doesn't sound like nearly enough. You could spend a week just wandering around Amsterdam with a small camera and visiting random coffee shops.
Some things I would recommend in Norway:
If you end up in Bergen, take the train going out to Myrdal for a beautiful 2hr route. Wander around for a few hours. Get lost. Find a random shack/cafe/restaurant thing (think it was call Ralliroza). Yes, it looks like a horror movie trap but they have the best crapes and jam so it's worth the risk. Sit by the river for while.Also while it's not a castle, there's the Damsguard Mansion in Bergen which is probably the weirdest historic places I've ever been. Like a hunted house that's a little too effective.
And in Oslo, the Ekeberg Sculpture Garden is an amazing day out.
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Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
SloMoMonday Link ParentI'm trying to decide if its just insider trading to the most extreme degree, someone swapped out the football for an old Speak and Spell or if Tump actually believes that the Iranians have agreed...I'm trying to decide if its just insider trading to the most extreme degree, someone swapped out the football for an old Speak and Spell or if Tump actually believes that the Iranians have agreed because they "have to" in his mind.
Regardless its an objectively a good outcome, but on the level of an arsonist deciding to spare a hospital after burning down the city.
Energy costs are up. Agri-chem is heading for a cliff. And even if Trump is removed today, everyone knows the US is at least 4 years away from another Trump. And this is not even thinking about the hell US policy is putting regular people through, the world over.
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Comment on Releasing 2026: ZA/UM - Zero Parades: For Dead Spies in ~games
SloMoMonday LinkSo I just bought Esoteric Ebb and this came up on my home page. I'm honestly conflicted by the whole thing. Disco Elesium was a massive part of Lockdown for me and had a major impact on how I...So I just bought Esoteric Ebb and this came up on my home page.
I'm honestly conflicted by the whole thing. Disco Elesium was a massive part of Lockdown for me and had a major impact on how I approach characters and writing in general.
Given all the "complications" and toxicity behind the scenes, its feels difficult to get excited for this project. Similar case for Subnautica 2 and GTA 6. I'll probably keep it in my radar, just incase there are positive behind-the-scenes developments.
As for the game, a little suspect of trailers leaning on concept art. Especially with a 2026 release date. I'd expect either a full pre-render announcement or to show of new gameplay, systems and writing. New character looks interesting but I think they need a "straight man" to play off against. Kim was perfrct for the first game but I sustect the character here is more... sane. Also seems to be a harder lean on the worlds technology and "applied politics". I suspect they are dipping into grey areas.
The fist game painted its themes through extremes. Racism exemplified in the hulking Measurehead and unremarkable truck driver. Organizational corruption in the overtly shady union boss and presentable executive. The articulate, professional scab and riff raff dock workers. Cuno. Cuno can go ****************. Madness through Harry and all the degrees others are irrational (bookstore owner, gun thief, mercs with PTSD...).
That game was lightning in a bottle, especially in the middle of the "games are too political" phase of the whole culture war slog.
Though, I do like the main character design and some of the new Pentagon motifs. Also a spy story is perfect for this style and it would be interesting to manage the interests of larger powers.
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Releasing 2026: ZA/UM - Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SloMoMonday LinkI finished Resident Evil 9 and I like the game. But I think I need to be unreasonably critical as fan of the series. To get the product detsils out the way: beat it in just over 11hours on the...I finished Resident Evil 9 and I like the game. But I think I need to be unreasonably critical as fan of the series.
To get the product detsils out the way: beat it in just over 11hours on the Classic difficulty and I think that's with all exploration. In that time I had a single crash and I can't recall any bugs or breaks. It ran flawlessly on Arch Linux through proton, looked pretty good on a 3080 and overall, I'm happy with getting this game at full price.
Only major negative as a product is the lack of the arcade mode post-game. I really like the expanded RE4R combat sandbox and it was not used nearly enough.
On that note, the game constantly left me wanting more. That's better than the game being a drag, but there's maybe 5 gameplay encounters that felt fulfilling to finish. Most of the time the Grace puzzles/stealth segments felt way too streamlined and the Leon combat arenas feel like a step down after the hectic sprawling fights of RE4R. The attention being split between two very different play styles basically stopped either from really excelling.
Theres also one exceptionally brain dead character decision that is so aggregious, it's almost immersion breaking. My guess is that the story team had to swap a puzzle for plot point without really thinking about what that puzzle was.
And my biggest complaint is with the series in general lately. It's a sense that games are way too predictable because they can't help but play by their own rules. I think the scariest part of any Resident Evil game is from early part in this game where (minor spoiler) the normal zombie killing strategy just doesn't work and you're left scrambling. But it barely lasts a few hours because they very quickly load you up with everything you need and if you play competently, you should be good to the end. Throw in constant tutorial guides and ample warnings and it feels like the game was designed to pull its punches.
None of these are deal breakers and there was plenty to enjoy. For me the highlight was the characters. I joked that I like Grace because she reacts like a reasonable person would to zombies. But by the end of the game, she has a significant evolution next to Leon who is really having a bad day.
The enemies have some incredibly over-the-top animations and sound effects while the main villains are incredible in their style, writing and delivery. And Raccoon City is an amazing location. Daylight combat is not common in the series but it's unnerving when the contrast has every building looking like a black hole.
Overall, the game is a competent entry in the series. Not on the level of 2R, 4R or 7 and it might be better value for most people to wait for all the DLC. But it was fun to indulge in some nostalgia for a weekend and I'm hoping we get an announcement for Code Veronica remakes soon (or even Dino Crisis2. I would kill for a proper Dino Crisis 2 remake in RE Engine)
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Comment on In the world of tech, people constantly ask “Could chatbots ever be conscious?” but I feel like asking “Are you?” Take the test! in ~tech
SloMoMonday LinkThis is a fun little experience and it's the exact type of humor I enjoy but rarely see. I really liked the way your page "analyzes" a 5 question, multiple choice test and I'm very tempted to...This is a fun little experience and it's the exact type of humor I enjoy but rarely see. I really liked the way your page "analyzes" a 5 question, multiple choice test and I'm very tempted to print and frame my new certification next to the death certificate for my common sense.
Beyond that, I enjoyed the C-Score story. But I see it as more as a social commentary than anything introspective. Nothing about the world-building seems beyond possibility today. Copycat testing stations. Bullshit new jobs/services that are now in demand. Instantly getting new ads to match your score. Harassment aimed to the out-group.
And for me it speaks to the idea of culture that is desperate for meaning and needing it to be quantifiable. As well as ideas that you can't ever escape certain labels and the lengths people will go to try. I can easily see consciousness guides turning into consciousness coaching and leading to test fraud and crack downs. Pseudo-science and back alley procedures to unlock your consciousness. And its all on top of the fact that having this new technology and information doesn't really make things any better.
I do think the catch-all gradient score for everything from vibes to ASPD could be anything else. A brain virus that dampens emotions. An all powerful super computer arbitrarily grading people. The idea of consciousness here felt more like set dressing.
I did read your story Two Body Problem and that seems more in line with the exploration of the self and being almost too conscious. The existence Mary/Alex experience seems absolutely terrifying to me since I'm hardly able to manage one me, but a double existence almost demands more conscious decision making.
Anyway, really enjoy your writing. Its that cool mix of early Black Mirror and Twilight Zone.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SloMoMonday LinkFinally fixed some Linux driver issues and got down to playing Resident Evil 9. I'm just a massive fan of the series and playing this, it feels like finally getting what Capcom envisioned for RE6....Finally fixed some Linux driver issues and got down to playing Resident Evil 9.
I'm just a massive fan of the series and playing this, it feels like finally getting what Capcom envisioned for RE6. This is probably the second worst game to jump into the series with and I'd recommend the remakes or RE7 if you're new. I think of it as Fast and Furious of video game series where anyone can easily jump in, except for when the series needs to wrap up plot lines.Estimating that I'm about half way through and to sum up my non-spoiler feelings. From the first frame of gameplay, it is stunning and runs smoothly on my mid-level machine. Player movement is a little weird with walk/run speed. You can choose first or third person but I'd stick to the default switching for a first play. Body horror and gore is pretty gnarly and in your face, as well as death animations that are on par with Dead Space. There's two difficulty settings and I do not recommend "classic" if you don't want saving to be a resource (seriously, its easy to forget that there is no auto-save). Old Man Leon still does Leon things in Leon ways and its always a treat to get the one liners or some stupid acrobatics.
Spoiler thoughts
Resident Evil is such a fascinating series and I've loved it since watching my uncle play RE2 gave me nightmares as a kid.In spite of that, I don't think RE was ever good at horror. There is amazing tension. First exploring RCPD, Dinner with the Bakers (and Banned Footage DLC), the Doll House. But its always bite sized because a the progressive gameplay loop makes the players more powerful and eventually you're running and gunning your way through hoards. This game tries to subvert that trend by leaving Grace constantly under-powered. All the grace segments are monster movies. Most zombies she faces have unique characteristics and properties that you are forced to navigate around and leverage.
You learn it pretty quickly when you start with the completely empty hotel level, then move to the hospital "Shadow Ghost" monster and then you are thrown to Chef and all the different doctor/nurse zombies of the Hospital. Some of them flick lights on and off. Others will scream to draw attention. It's a tense puzzle box and its only scary the first time. Because at a certain point, you figure out the game is playing by rules. Until the game makes you aware of the threat, you are rarely in danger. You can see in the animations when creatures are on a script and when the AI is attacking. Some scenarios are very clearly choreographed where it's not too difficult to trace the intended solutions.
Does that make the game bad? No. It's just a shame that the series seems to be inching closer to a vision of horror but can never quite reach it. The game-play for Grace is incredibly engaging and I like her as a character who's got a far more reasonable reaction to the situation. It's a fun change of speed from how the series usually escalates things.
And on the topic of escalations: Leon shows up with the tact and charisma of a live grenade. I don't think he ever acknowledges that there are zombies. He starts in the middle of the outbreak scene in the beginning of The Last of Us. And his reaction is like the suspect he's chasing is just throwing boxes in front of him. Then in his second level, it goes from zero-to-zombie in under five minutes and all he says is "Victors done it again." Coming out of RE4R, its perfect. There's that catharsis of following after Grace and not putting up with any of the bio-weapon crap anymore.
It doesn't mean there's no challenge. Unlike the original zombies or the parasites, these enemies have some crazy animation and attack patterns with a stupidly inconsistent health system. Combat is also a lot more frantic in ways I've not seen in the series before. It feels like I have to strike a balance between being surrounded or being cornered and I'm juggling weapons, ammo and healing (also sharpening an axe in the middle of combat) all on the fly. Throw in hazards and special enemies and blind spawn, it can sometimes feel like Mercenaries mode or playing new Doom. The whole thing of using the chainsaw is a big part of the marketing, but they make you work for it and I wish is was as straight forward as the old Sack Hat.
I mentioned that this game feels like the intent for Resident Evil 6 and even though that is the weakest game in the series, I can't help but compare. There's the constant shifts in gameplay style and story lines, but at the same time you get to have some of the slow intrigue and counter-intuitive door mechanisms. Part of me would have preferred having a dedicated Leon and Grace route and some segments can have a sense of ending too soon (which is a lot better than dragging on too long). The series has had a good run on its DLC so I'm hopeful they can keep it going.
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SloMoMonday LinkI'm on a bit of a food-history/stories kick after I read Ritz and Escoffier (Luke Barr) at an AirBnB. Recently flew through: Provence by Luke Barr Spice by Rodger Crowley The Brewers Tale by...I'm on a bit of a food-history/stories kick after I read Ritz and Escoffier (Luke Barr) at an AirBnB. Recently flew through:
Provence by Luke Barr
Spice by Rodger Crowley
The Brewers Tale by William Bostwick
Frostbite by Nicola Twilley
Its probably one of the best games to show off with if you get the opportunity. You can watch a rapid jump from "Its just one button. How hard can it be?" to "Its just the third level. How is it so hard?". And then you casually FC 1-X while holding a conversation, because that 7-count is burned on your brain.
Also, why am I 60 hours in and only leaning that there are difficulty levels. I probably pushed it up to hard when I first got the game, and forgot. But I could have saved so much grief on 5-X and 1-XN?