Tiraon's recent activity
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Comment on What books do you recommend for someone looking for positive vibes or casual amusement or escape in ~books
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Half-good new Polish Chat Control proposal to be discussed on Wednesday
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Comment on As Internet enshittification marches on, here are some of the worst offenders in ~tech
Tiraon Personally I use it despite avoiding other DRM using services where I can but I am not sure I would actually call it all that good for the customer rather than a best possible version of the worst...Personally I use it despite avoiding other DRM using services where I can but I am not sure I would actually call it all that good for the customer rather than a best possible version of the worst kind of game store platform.
It is still possible to see various friction points(forced game updates for example). Steam is simply very good at smoothing them over for the majority of use cases and providing added value
Less bad(even significantly) than alternatives is not very high bar to clear nowadays in some areas.
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Comment on As Internet enshittification marches on, here are some of the worst offenders in ~tech
Tiraon These can basically all be traced to the imbalance of power between consumer and the companies making these products. And also to the sheer indifference of the average person towards the means...These can basically all be traced to the imbalance of power between consumer and the companies making these products. And also to the sheer indifference of the average person towards the means they use daily in their lives and to the consequences that are indirect and not in plain sight, but painfully obvious under any kind of critical scrutiny.
Windows - I am not even sure what they would have to do to make more people move to(realistically) Linux. They effectivelly stopped making the os for the actual end user with 10 and the effect on their market share is close to zero.
Web discourse - when users on reddit tried to voice some dissatisfaction over the course of the platform the common response from others was - who cares, moderators suck, it doesn't matter and the the inability to let go for a few days.
Dumb tvs are almost impossible to actually buy despite smart tvs adding ever more anti features and most advice comes in the form of non letting them go on the Internet. At best that is delaying action until it is more widely acceptable to force always online on them.
Search was atrocious for a decade now and only lately am I personally noticing more widespread concern over it.
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Comment on Right to root access in ~tech
Tiraon This ties back to the high levels of computer illiteracy among general population. In a world where even something as utterly trivial as installing Linux(or Windows for that matter) at a desktop...This ties back to the high levels of computer illiteracy among general population.
In a world where even something as utterly trivial as installing Linux(or Windows for that matter) at a desktop pc is seen as some kind of black magic that normal person can never understand it is incredibly easy to add a vast range of restrictions on a hw you bought.
Manufactures limit access and add inconveniences because they can. There is no effective legislation against it and most people lack the perspective to know why they should care which vastly limits the options of even those that do care.
Smartphones are not even the worst, though they are probably the most important and ones that massively helped normalize this.
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Comment on You can change ONE thing about a game. What do you change? in ~games
Tiraon Some games have way more than one so in these it would not be as much help but generally modify the games so the player has better control over how they want to play it. So: prefer open save...Some games have way more than one so in these it would not be as much help but generally modify the games so the player has better control over how they want to play it.
So:
- prefer open save system over restricted
- add difficulty options or preferably simply open configuration where reasonable
- don't encrypt memory or add anti mod measures to single player games
Some of these frequently come with games where you can tell the developer had strong vision for them. Mostly this can result in a truly unique game but it is with going over into forcing that vision on the player where they start to lose me.
It doesn't matter how good the designer is they have zero idea about how each individual player would best enjoy the game. Soulslikes generally are from what I can tell especially bad in this regard.
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Comment on What fictional world would you live in, if you could pick any one? in ~talk
Tiraon Well the Culture is posted already so This Used to be About Dungeons - generally just a chill mostly optimistic setting with large variety of magic and for the more thrill seeking person there are...Well the Culture is posted already so This Used to be About Dungeons - generally just a chill mostly optimistic setting with large variety of magic and for the more thrill seeking person there are always the dungeons.
Alternatively Hoard in the Rhivaak Empire - a goverment most of the time kept competent and honest by a dragon Empress that also just lets it just run most of the time. Plus lots of magic.
Alternatively Quill and Still - a different take on social structures and possible incentives.
Caveats are of of course that even in optimistic settings are likely places that are not all that pleasant and than there is the question of language and culture. So a just portaling there, or anywhere, would still be basically playing the lottery.
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Comment on Creative short story writing contest—prize for winner! (2025-01-07) in ~creative
Tiraon Well, I decided to throw my hat in despite not really writing anything for a few years. If anyone wants to throw some constructive criticism my way after it would be very welcome. Of wheat and...- Exemplary
Well, I decided to throw my hat in despite not really writing anything for a few years. If anyone wants to throw some constructive criticism my way after it would be very welcome.
Of wheat and zombies
01 - Ellie "I brought you lunch Tom. I hope you like it." Despite the usual silence from the man working tirelessly in the field Ellie was exhilarated. Tom did not talk much, at all, but she still felt like they started to have a connection. Some of her friends were telling that this was not normal or that she was taking advantage of this simple man but she was trying to help and find out where he came from. And in the meanwhile she was happy."I hope you like it. Would you like me to tell you a story, while you eat?"
"..."
02 - Harriet
"Archie. Summarize the previous days results of the currently active experiments.""Program AG-36-97 resulted in a marginal increase in observed manual dexterity of active DF and DH specimens with several individual ones exhibiting greater ability to parse natural language commands. However there is some potential concern with increased degradation of the aetheric links. Would you like to review Miss Applebaum?"
"Yes, Archie, let's get to it."
03 - Ellie
A year ago"For what it's worth I am sorry Miss Hopkinson. Your father was a good man and we will all miss him."
"Thank you. I should be going." Ellie managed while looking uncomfortably away from the eyes of the solicitor.
"Miss Hopkinson, Elizabeth. I am sorry this is not very professional of me, but do you mind if I hug you?"
Ellie did not even respond, just spread her arms and fallen into the hug with the usually reserved Mister Derring. The moment stretched comfortably or uncomfortably depending of who you were.
"Thank you." And she was gone with a slight gust of wind coming from the opened door while hoping the tears that were begging to pool in her eyes went unnoticed.
The walk back was both faster than normal but also heavier, somehow. Ellie would have almost missed the moment she stepped onto the road to the farm if not for an instinct perhaps. A sliver of movement caught out of the corner of one eye or a slight sound not even consciously registered. A sixth sense.
When she turned around she saw a man, someone you would not really pay attention to on street. Except perhaps as a lonely human in the middle of nowhere suddenly confronted with a bigger person whose intentions they had no way of knowing.
"Eh, can I help you?" Ellie asked in a voice she knew was small.
"..."
As the silence stretched she should have become uncomfortable but instead she started noticing how he did not really seemed to even see her, the way his eyes seemed to shift around not really taking in anything. Maybe she was naive but perhaps there was nothing to fear here.
"Perhaps I can, would you come with me?"
"..." but he started to follow her.
"Do you have a name?"
04 - Harriet
329 days and 14 hours ago, evening at the lab"Starting experiment DF-456."
"After the unfortunate aetheric instability of DF-455 I went back to the base design of DF-454 with the sole change of using aetheric bindings of five fold design."
"Hopefully that will eliminate the tendency of the controller shifting."
"Ahh, what is the status of DF-454, Archie?"
"There is no record of it being removed from storage or undergoing destabilization, Miss Applebaum."
"Good. Right Archie make sure these base parameters for current iteration are archived."
"And now for the molding."
05 - Harold
"Can you come into my office, Harold?""Yes inspector, of course."
"There have been some potentially troubling reports from the local practitioners of Dalling."
"Dalling, sir?"
"Some out the way village north of here somewhere, I'll make sure you have all the necessary information. Now the disturbance is a potentially troubling one. The reports describe an aetheric shifts possibly consistent with binding and anchoring of discrete molds. As there are no licensed crafters there this is something that needs investigating but thankfully it is not at the stage where we would need to bring in special investigators. Which is where you come in. Get on it."
"Yes, sir. Of course sir."
06 - HEH
Harold felt tired. It felt cliched to even think it but that is what it was.
"Or course I have permit detective. The family lawyer assured me that everything was taken care of."
"Lady Applebaum, the permit was specifically for the practicioning of general aetheric arts in the greater Fragoth area. We are in Dalling."
"Where?"
Harold bravely resisted the urge to rub the bridge of his nose.
"It is generally believed to be in the province of Sarath. Which is specifically nowhere near Fragoth. Did you inform anyone that you were moving?"
"..."
"And I mean anyone relevant. Aetheric registry, your family lawyer, anyone?"
"Why? The lawyer said that the permit is universally valid."
"Lady Applebaum, this is not simply a case of incorrect paperwork anymore. One of your creations apparently escaped and for this past year functioned as an unlicensed laborer at a small local farm owned by one Miss Hopkinson."
For the first time since the conversation started Harriet fully focused on this detective, Harold Farraugh? Faurgah?
"Archie are there any specimens missing?"
"I will check Miss Applebaum."
"Yes, experiment DF-456 is not currently present either in storage, the lab or the work areas."
"Tom, apparently appeared out of nowhere on the day Miss Hopkinson lost her father and for the past year worked as a farmhand." Harold seized this opportunity to try to take control of this conversation and move it along.
"Miss Hopkinson was very distraught when we confiscated him, it. While there were no permanent harm done by this incident I already forwarded all the relevant details to the Aetheric Crafters Guild and I was assured that an internal inquiry would be launched. Now Miss Applebaum,"
"Right, right, of course. I'd like to meet this Hopkinson, you said. Can you make it happen?"
Harold just stared despondently at his cup of tea.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Tiraon Dead State: Reanimated - this is a decade old single player turn based strategy game with some base managment and rpg elements. I really like the premise of managing your base during zombie...Dead State: Reanimated - this is a decade old single player turn based strategy game with some base managment and rpg elements.
I really like the premise of managing your base during zombie apocalypse while going out scavenging with a party and the base execution of it.
Unfortunately there are technical problems that really make the game less than it could have been. Extra slow combat, especially on larger maps, randomly stacking or non-stacking items, jankiness omong some.
As far as I am aware there aren't other games that do it without some combination of extra grimdark or the base premise of the game being that it would have been better in universe if you did not play it. I am glad to oblige this and I am only too happy if I catch it soon enough.
There also seems a new release Urban Strife from different developer that is taking its inspiration from it but I am witholding judgement and possible purchase until it is out of early access.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Tiraon Telepath Tactics Liberated - an indie turn based strategy game and a remake of an older Telepath Tactics on a less buggy platform. The core strategy gameplay is pretty solid with destructible...Telepath Tactics Liberated - an indie turn based strategy game and a remake of an older Telepath Tactics on a less buggy platform.
The core strategy gameplay is pretty solid with destructible environments and a good variety of classes but it is also Jank the Game.
The ui would be more suited to a game released in early 2000s and does not offer a very smooth experience. Then there are the randomly generated weapons whose breakability can be turned off by lowering the settings only adding to the cruft in the ui.
Then there is the ability to only save during the start of the turn not for example during or before a cutscene, mission or in shop. That is also not the most user friendly design decisions I have ever seen.
The story and writing exists, I suppose.
If you can tolerate all the jank then it can actually be pretty fun but the amount of that jank is very high.
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Comment on How UI helps you hate breakable weapons a bit less in ~games
Tiraon The more important thing which(at least me personally) would make me not hate these kind of mechanics would be if they implemented in a good way - from a perspective of reducing filler and...The more important thing which(at least me personally) would make me not hate these kind of mechanics would be if they implemented in a good way - from a perspective of reducing filler and increasing complexity in a sane and player time respecting way.
This is incidentally the same for a lot of other filler design. Massively randomized level locked items, extra mazelike levels where it makes no sense, instantly respawning enemies, vendor trash everywhere, just regular trash everywhere...
I don't know about BoTW specifically but weapon durability is overwhelmingly(as far as I know) in one two states - nonexistent or breaking every five minutes(on the longer end) like clockwork.
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Comment on If your games library disappeared, which games would you repurchase? in ~games
Tiraon Zero. I would dedrm what I had on disk and could since I paid for it already, be sad about the rest and be significantly less likely to bother "purchasing" files containing drm. But hypotetically...Zero. I would dedrm what I had on disk and could since I paid for it already, be sad about the rest and be significantly less likely to bother "purchasing" files containing drm.
But hypotetically games from indie developers that could presumably use the support:
- Creeper World series
- Titan Outpost
- Colony Ship
- Defender's Quest 2 (assuming it gets released and does not dissapoint)
- and probably others
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Comment on The day Google killed the Pixel 4a in ~tech
Tiraon It is pretty funny(in a very sad way) how this encompasses several fundamental problems in the way mobile devices are made. About which almost no one(relative to their usage) cares about, probably...It is pretty funny(in a very sad way) how this encompasses several fundamental problems in the way mobile devices are made. About which almost no one(relative to their usage) cares about, probably because it is not flashy enough I guess.
- inability to actually control the phone. Permanently disabling updates, update rollback as the directly relevant missing features out of many
- arbitrary security measures effectively controlled by single company restricting alternatives
- lack of standardization in os hw interfacing restricting availability of alternatives
- lack of standardized batteries(that the company anouncment itself calls consumables)
- related - lack of actually treating batteries as consumables and making them trivial to remove
- unnecessary bloat coming with effectively every phone further potentionally demanding higher unnecessary performance
- inability to install modern os version on older hw. Also synergizes with above point
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Comment on Never forgive them - On digital platforms vs users in ~tech
Tiraon This was a very long rant. There could be another extremely involved discussion about direct, indirect responsibility, the incentive structures that drive them and the same about them but I am...This was a very long rant.
There could be another extremely involved discussion about direct, indirect responsibility, the incentive structures that drive them and the same about them but I am interested here in what would be needed for change which the article does not go into much.
In my opinion there are three broad directions from where change is even possible. Leadership, popular sentiment and external factors, changes by which we are certainly due for but the shape of them is anyones guess.
Popular sentiment could put a floor on how bad things can get. Lets take the laptop example. For that 238$ it would be possible to go buy used business class laptop, put Linux on it and have better experience than what the author describes. It would depend more on location but it is likely possible. I believe anyone to be technically capable of that much if they wanted which is why the societally glorified tech illiteracy is so frustrating.
I consider the second episode of Black Mirror to be the most terrifying horror I saw and taken metaphorically enough we are already there.
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Latest chat control proposal was voted down but only just
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Comment on Microsoft says having a TPM is "non-negotiable" for Windows 11 in ~tech
Tiraon Personally my worry here is what a situation of universally available(or enough that those without could be safely ignored) tpm on the desktop platform under de facto control of one company, or...Personally my worry here is what a situation of universally available(or enough that those without could be safely ignored) tpm on the desktop platform under de facto control of one company, or several companies could lead to.
It is far too easy to imagine remote attestation to simply kill adblockers for just an example if the user wants to use any of the mainstream web. Or just any software that is deemed unwanted.
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Microsoft says having a TPM is "non-negotiable" for Windows 11
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Comment on Chat control is back on agenda, again in ~society
Tiraon https://www.parlament.gv.at/dokument/XXVIII/EU/4730/imfname_11434222.pdf https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control/#WhatYouCanDo -
Chat control is back on agenda, again
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Comment on Mozilla begs courts to allow Google search deal for Firefox to continue in ~tech
Tiraon On hand I consider Firefox to be the best current alternative platform(not as a browser, not even remotely) to the effective Chrome monopoly in the sea of garbage. On the other they made enough...On hand I consider Firefox to be the best current alternative platform(not as a browser, not even remotely) to the effective Chrome monopoly in the sea of garbage. On the other they made enough despicable decisions and pushed enough "modern-design" elements that I am lukewarm about its future.
It would be bad if it could not continue, or had to become even worse to get funding but as far as I am concerned the actual problem is the bloated nature of the web standards and experience and the effect it has on making choices sparse.
From traditionally published books I would add Saints Astray by J. Carey but it is a sequel of Santa Olivia which has a significantly different tone.
Now I am going to recommend some web serials.
This used to be about dungeons - features party dynamics of a five people in a mostly safe world withbinteresting magics. And also dungeons. Moved to Amazon.
Hoard - is a character driven exploration of connections between individuals and a found family story. The harem premise might put people off but the author(also of Gods are Bastards and Only Villains do That, each with very different tone) makes it work.
Soul Guardian - another found family story this time with a high up demon, his rival, a young human witch and a hellhound acting as a family. Has very strong Good Omens vibes. Moved to Amazon.
Heart of Dorkness - an adopted daughter of the goddess of darkness goes on adventures.