Trobador's recent activity
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Comment on Alternative to Spotify? in ~music
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Comment on Listing for GOG Galaxy developer cites Linux as “next major frontier” in ~games
Trobador Link ParentThat sounds like a hardware support question, which is very different! Drivers can be a complicated affair, but most things are suppoeted in the kernel directly. Software usually works regardless...That sounds like a hardware support question, which is very different! Drivers can be a complicated affair, but most things are suppoeted in the kernel directly. Software usually works regardless of distro, so long as the right dependencies are present.
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Comment on Alternative to Spotify? in ~music
Trobador Link ParentFor what it's worth, foobar2000 is available on Mac and it's very well recognized. Highly customizable. I used it for a couple years on Windows and while I prefer simpler, cleaner options today,...For what it's worth, foobar2000 is available on Mac and it's very well recognized. Highly customizable. I used it for a couple years on Windows and while I prefer simpler, cleaner options today, it's the real deal.
If the only thing keeping you on Mac is the software, by the way, maybe we could help with that? There's viable options for all of the things you named. They might not fit your exact need or be your preference, but they could!
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Comment on Alternative to Spotify? in ~music
Trobador LinkWhat I do nowadays is buy on Bandcamp and manage my own local music files. What I can't get on Bandcamp, I, uh, obtain in a roundabout manner. Often through YouTube. It pains me to not support...What I do nowadays is buy on Bandcamp and manage my own local music files. What I can't get on Bandcamp, I, uh, obtain in a roundabout manner. Often through YouTube. It pains me to not support everyone I listen to but I'm not stable enough to spend willy-nilly on media when I can avoid it just yet, and subscriptions lead to waste. Anything other than Spotify doesn't have everything I want to listen to anyway.
I use Sayonara Player on my computer and Musicolet on Android. For tagging, I also use MusicBrainz Picard. I have it set to sort anything it can into artist -> album folders.
I was thinking I need a way to synchronize my collection between both devices, so I may set up Syncthing to do that sometime.
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Comment on Listing for GOG Galaxy developer cites Linux as “next major frontier” in ~games
Trobador Link ParentI hear this a lot about Linux but I've rarely, if ever, seen or heard of software working with one distro and not another, packaging formats aside. It's usually just a question of having the right...I hear this a lot about Linux but I've rarely, if ever, seen or heard of software working with one distro and not another, packaging formats aside. It's usually just a question of having the right dependencies and that can be installed in two seconds.
This is really not much of a concern, I think many devs just aren't familiar enough to know that. The real concerns come with engine development.
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Comment on So I started a clothing brand in ~design
Trobador LinkThis feels like a form of self-promo and I don't know what to think about that on Tildes.This feels like a form of self-promo and I don't know what to think about that on Tildes.
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Comment on Hytale surges to the most-watched game on Twitch, attracting over 420,000 viewers with its long-awaited launch in ~games
Trobador LinkI am a little curious about this game despite it all. My issue with it is how it seems intent on being a 'Minecraft successor/killer' over just being a sandbox game. Minecraft has this unique...I am a little curious about this game despite it all. My issue with it is how it seems intent on being a 'Minecraft successor/killer' over just being a sandbox game.
Minecraft has this unique conundrum : it's not just that everyone plays it differently, it's also that everyone has a different vision of it. And they all think something is wrong with it, but they all think it's for a different reason. Some think adventure content is what matters, others automation, other still the RPG-like aspects, etc, etc... and if you leave them in command, they turn every aspect of the game towards one direction.
You can't make a Minecraft killer if you fall into that. Minecraft is a pure sandbox ; it has to support any playstyle. You can't point it into one single direction or you break the selling points of its sandbox model over any other game like it. That's surprisingly easy to do. And Hytale feels... not like that. I still hope it all works out for them but I expect it'll occupy a different space.
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Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk
Trobador Link ParentI have my reservations about Valve praise ; everyone always seems to omit they're the ones responsible for introducing several major predatory monetization schemes to the market with TF2and CSGO.I have my reservations about Valve praise ; everyone always seems to omit they're the ones responsible for introducing several major predatory monetization schemes to the market with TF2and CSGO.
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Comment on Awesome Games Done Quick 2026, a week-long charity fundraiser featuring speedruns, is live (runs January 4 - January 10) in ~games
Trobador Link ParentLoved the ACVI run as well. Especially since it was Arena, thus not spoiling the story!Loved the ACVI run as well. Especially since it was Arena, thus not spoiling the story!
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Trobador LinkCouple of days ago, I felt like reading a manga about robots that I hadn't read before (this is surprisingly common for me), and as I went looking for one, I ended up on Qualia the Purple, a yuri...Couple of days ago, I felt like reading a manga about robots that I hadn't read before (this is surprisingly common for me), and as I went looking for one, I ended up on Qualia the Purple, a yuri light novel adaptation described as being about a girl who sees all humans as robots. The premise had me confused and curious, so I gave it a try.
The first thing I realized was that this is not a manga about robots at all. The second thing I realized is that it's not about that girl either, and it's about a whole load of stuff I could never possibly have expected.
It's an extremely unique work that involves a good amount of interesting quantum theory and philosophy, with a plot line that, for lack of better words, goes from 1 to 100 really quickly and then keeps going up by orders of magnitude. It intrigues you by introducing you to fascinating sci-fi concepts that had me thinking a ton on my own about the implications, then in the second half... I can't say much without spoiling it, but it goes in a wild direction. I think a comparison could be made to Land of the Lustrous in terms of the emotion evoked by the end (even if LotL is longer, newer and more fantasy).
If there's qualms to be had, there's a few plot points that made me uncomfortable :
Trigger warning
light gore, weird transdimensional quantum child abuse/grooming/pedophilia
It's not out of place with where the story goes (not shoehorned in to fulfil the author's fetish or whatever) and it doesn't take up a lot of the runtime, but it does make you see the character in a different light. Aside from that, it also gets hard to follow the extremely esoteric plot points at times, and I'm convinced the logic of them does not always check out. But the complete package remains an interesting, surreal story (and a short read). Recommend.
I coincidentally started a somewhat similar manga after finishing Qualia the Purple, that being Otherside Picnic. I'm a few arcs in and it's pretty good ; I like the different monsters and how their effects on people are depicted.
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Comment on Reddit overtakes TikTok in UK thanks to search algorithms and gen Z in ~tech
Trobador Link ParentI'm surprised because I've seen more of the opposite, people accusing clearly original content of being genAI. Usually drawings with slight anatomy mistakes getting caught in the crossfire. It...Add to that the people that claim that things aren’t Ai generated, when they clearly are, and you have a recipe for disaster.
I'm surprised because I've seen more of the opposite, people accusing clearly original content of being genAI. Usually drawings with slight anatomy mistakes getting caught in the crossfire. It sucks for new artists.
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Comment on Did anyone play Phantasy Star Online? in ~games
Trobador Link ParentPSO itself is unusual for an MMO. Since it lacks an open-world and is structured around instanced missions, some would describe it more as an MMO-lite; in fact, you could say it's the pioneer of...PSO itself is unusual for an MMO. Since it lacks an open-world and is structured around instanced missions, some would describe it more as an MMO-lite; in fact, you could say it's the pioneer of that set of games considering its age.
I've seen Monster Hunter being described as Capcom's take on PSO, since their structure is extremely similar (and those games are also very playable offline), and you can see the same strands of DNA in lots of modern MMO-lites such as Warframe.
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Comment on Did anyone play Phantasy Star Online? in ~games
Trobador LinkI played a LOT of PSO2 on the Japanese servers some years ago. My first memory of it was discovering it on a small coop game review YouTube channel some time after its initial release. I was...I played a LOT of PSO2 on the Japanese servers some years ago. My first memory of it was discovering it on a small coop game review YouTube channel some time after its initial release. I was really enchanted by it for a bit : having been obsessed with Kingdom Hearts let's plays for a while but having no way to play the actual games since I only owned PlayStation consoles, I really wanted to play something like it. It looked so fun and cool! Plus it was free, looked gorgeous, and let you change classes at any time! Sadly, the Arks-Layer translation patch project either didn't exist at the time or kid me just didn't have the know-how to find it, and I forgot about it quickly.
Then years later, during the Episode 5 period, I randomly discovered it again through a conversation with a kind stranger on Discord, at which point the translation patch was stable (wouldn't break every update), mostly complete and regularly updated. So I booted it up, gave it a try... and got hooked. I think I played over a thousand hours in the first few months and then kept playing regularly (my subjective perspective of regularly, anyway) for at least a year or two. I had the fortune of meeting some decent folk who invited me into their team and helped me through much of the experience, which made a massive difference.
I've never really played PSO1 (something I was thinking of correcting with PSOBB). I am aware PSO2 is quite different from what players wanted out of a proper sequel to it; but I loved it. The combat is fluid and satisfying and fun in a way that I've not seen replicated in other games. I spent most of my time playing a jet boots-only Bouncer/Fighter and I'd sometimes go into high-level free zones I needed nothing from just to go and dance around and kick some big guys for hours at a time. The content is also quite decent, with some really spectacular bosses like the various Dark Falz that you got to do often at any level through Emergency Quests, and decent variety over all. And of course, the fashion is incredible! Some of the best character customization out there.
The game is flawed in a bunch of areas, of course; a lot of content turned irrelevant by ever growing power levels, and questionable balance, particularly with advanced classes (Hero, Phantom, the star-themed one they added later). I also never had much interest in the episodic story, which I hardly ever interacted with. The biggest thing that bothered me in the game were the systems relating to gear, affixing in particular. The grind associated with getting six copies of the same high-star weapon, then a bunch of weapons with the specific affixes you want, the complexity of the system itself that required so much planning and understanding, the pressure to not fuck something up since it was not easy to fix a botched affix, all that to get a good weapon or unit that would then become obsolete a month later. I distinctly remember spending god knows how long planning and grinding over weeks, fighting my own executive dysfunction, to get myself a fully affixed pair of 14-star Atra boots only for a friend to immediately inform me I could have gotten better if I had done X and Y thing. It felt unwinnable.
I gradually played less and less over time as my interest went to other things, and I pretty much quit entirely around the middle of Episode 6; a bit before they added that new star-themed class I mentioned. I never played the global release, but I did go back to the game for a little bit when New Genesis was released and Arks-Layer put out a proxy for overseas players. I didn't stick to NGS for long as my favourite class and weapon type were not in it... and nor was any content whatsoever. Maybe it's gotten better now.
I do miss the game sometimes. I've played other games that filled the same niche, notably Final Fantasy XIV, but they didn't have its awesome combat flow, and I met some cool people on it. Besides, I thought it was really cool to be in a community dedicated to playing a game despite how the developer really didn't care to let them play; even with SEGA's passive-aggressive stance on overseas players on its JP servers, people still went crazy lengths to play this game just out of passion for the franchise. That's cool as hell. There's several logistic problems in the way of it, but I want to go back some day, even if only for a while, and maybe taking a group with me.
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Comment on What video games would you say have the best stories? Feel free to suggest more than one. in ~games
Trobador LinkI really wanted to respond to this thread with something interesting and have been thinking about it for a little bit... but I don't think rating stories as better than one another really works;...I really wanted to respond to this thread with something interesting and have been thinking about it for a little bit... but I don't think rating stories as better than one another really works; video game or otherwise.
It's hard to justify this with a rational argument. I'm most definitely capable of taking a story and saying if I enjoyed it or not, if I enjoyed it a lot or only a little, what I like and dislike about it. But putting a story below another, or even one above all others, is a lot harder. It feels like a disservice to both. Every story ever told has something different to convey. If I were to pick some grand fantasy epic to qualify as the "best video game story" above all the rest, objectively or subjectively, I would feel like I'm designating every other fantasy story, every detective thriller, every slice of life about a bartender making ends meet, every abstract allegory on human connection, every story about some fluffy friendly creature beating up a god for cake, every story that someone else might have loved at some point in time, every story that someone might have needed in their life... as lesser. Not as much worth engaging with.
I apply the same logic to most forms of art including games as a whole ; and personally, I tend to engage with media in a very 'neurodivergent butterfly' manner: I'll hover between 5 to 6 different games in a period based on what I crave and frequently hyperfixate on one thing for days to weeks, with very little control over the process. As a result, I can appreciate and think hard about anything, but I have some trouble pointing out personal favourites in anything. I don't know if that's good or bad! (And for games, it doesn't help that I tend to care a lot more about gameplay than story)
In lieu of all that, I'll just state this: there's only two games with stories that I remember actually crying to. There's Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, the first console game I owned that wasn't Disney shovelware, which made child me cry during its ending, both because it was sad and deeply engaging and because I genuinely believed I wouldn't be able to play it afterwards. And there's Final Fantasy XIV, which was great throughout but specifically made me cry a river during post-Shadowbringers (surprisingly, not at the point where everyone else cried). There are tons of other stories that have touched me in some way, but those are the ones where I have 'empirical proof' of that fact, something I can explain. I don't know if they're the best stories, or my favourites. But they did make me cry.
They're great, in any case. Video games are great. I love all games.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
Trobador Link ParentAnswered you via PM, thanks a million! I can definitely relate with that. So much about myself and my past started making much more sense when I discovered the disorder and started making...Answered you via PM, thanks a million!
even just that knowledge has helped her understand herself a lot better.
I can definitely relate with that. So much about myself and my past started making much more sense when I discovered the disorder and started making connections ; even little things like every school teacher who told me I'm a good student that 'needs to apply himself more', or difficulties maintaining my relationships. It's a bit sad to think about, but it's progress!
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Comment on Backing up Spotify in ~music
Trobador Link ParentIt's the same thing as any form of piracy: given that it lacks the convenience and frictionlessness of legally distributed media, it will not supercede it. If Spotify loses business from this,...It's the same thing as any form of piracy: given that it lacks the convenience and frictionlessness of legally distributed media, it will not supercede it. If Spotify loses business from this, it's their own fault.
Anna's Archive prevents this music from disappearing if Spotify ever goes under or pulls some other idiocy that threatens it ; this is ultimately a good thing.
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Comment on I sell onions on the Internet (2019) in ~food
Trobador LinkThe idea of casually saying something like "I regularly buy auctioned web domains for $2,200 minimum to turn them into businesses as a sidegig ! :)" is breaking me. I have no idea how to react to...The idea of casually saying something like "I regularly buy auctioned web domains for $2,200 minimum to turn them into businesses as a sidegig ! :)" is breaking me. I have no idea how to react to that.
How do you just... do that as a casual thing? How much money does this person have that they can commit thousands of dollars to something that would completely change the direction of most other people's lives and treat it almost like it's a little hobby?
Is it just that I have a bad scale of the money and skills it takes to do this? This is crazy to me.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
Trobador Link ParentGot it, activated it, no issues! Thank you so much :D Here's a picture of the lil' guy. They bounce if you move 'em. It might be very mundane but I'd never seen these spring-mounted decorations...Got it, activated it, no issues! Thank you so much :D
Here's a picture of the lil' guy. They bounce if you move 'em. It might be very mundane but I'd never seen these spring-mounted decorations before, it's adorable!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
Trobador Link ParentI hope you can get some peeps! It did seem really impressive to me; in particular, how you can have game arcade cabinets that run actual emulators and the like. That's so cool!I hope you can get some peeps!
If anything, the condo customization part of it seems really good even if you play solo. Lots of options in the workshop.
It did seem really impressive to me; in particular, how you can have game arcade cabinets that run actual emulators and the like. That's so cool!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
Trobador Link ParentDon't apologize! I'm the one who didn't read the rest. Nothing else particularly jumps out to me so I'd rather someone else have them, but thank you for offering :) Merry Christmas!Don't apologize! I'm the one who didn't read the rest.
Nothing else particularly jumps out to me so I'd rather someone else have them, but thank you for offering :) Merry Christmas!
...please don't tell me they don't do SD card slots anymore? Huh??? How are people expected to store things?