TyrianMollusk's recent activity
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Comment on GOG wants your vote on classic games to bring back with its new Dreamlist tool in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
TyrianMollusk LinkAfter a furious Guild Wars 2 flurry of being buried in the character creation slider mines last week, we're getting our new doll force up to speed so they can take their places as proper...After a furious Guild Wars 2 flurry of being buried in the character creation slider mines last week, we're getting our new doll force up to speed so they can take their places as proper characters. They get to skip to level 60 (thanks to our six-year-old account), and it looks like bonus XP from leveling-oriented new character achievements makes playing them to about 76 pretty breezy, then we have a stockpile of level skips to draw on to hit the cap at 80. We could really just skip directly from 60 to 80, but we do just enjoy playing, so might as well save that resource a little, since it has other uses, and tool around a bit remembering what classes play like without their elite specialization options.
Team new revenant has already become team vindicator and taken up a holding pattern at the Tequatl world boss until they map complete that zone, and team new necro is about to become team harbinger and get released into the wild. The two mesmer-engineer duos will be next to level, and then team hot guardian gets their chance. Have a skin we've been meaning to unlock for my guardian to go get, too.
Would be further along but I lost a chunk of time yesterday debating with someone on Steam vehemently opposed to Steam Input layers. Kinda nice to see someone actually dedicatedly interested in Steam Input configuration (Valve certainly isn't), but sadly they were clearly just there for toxicity and to construct dismissive insults, rather than understand the value layers can bring to games and why Valve needs to make them less buggy. Shouldn't have wasted time on them, even if I wish people would see Steam Input a little more. Tsk, Tsk.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
TyrianMollusk LinkPlayed various small things recently, but my partner and I have been somewhat unreasonably focused on Guild Wars 2 characters recently. We've been playing for years now, and had a stalwart...Played various small things recently, but my partner and I have been somewhat unreasonably focused on Guild Wars 2 characters recently. We've been playing for years now, and had a stalwart commitment to our nine initial characters. Nine covers each class, which basically lets us play anything without having to go through any more character creation, so it was a solid "enough" line to draw. But due to various bundles and holiday gifts, we've had two empty character slots and some premium currency kind of tempting us to take our general enjoyment of playing the game and add some more dress-up dolls--I mean, expand our "ready" core play options, as each character has settled into a main way they play and overall look that we're pretty happy with keeping.
So we've had noses buried in face sliders, look options, and possible names to spread out our doll force with six new characters (five we're each making now, and another for when we'll have another bundled slot to deal with, probably in August), and it's been exhausting locking everything in with looks we're going to be using for likely years, but we're finally wrapped up and getting to actually play again with leveling them so they can get to opening their intended "main" subclasses (the core nine can play all subclasses, so we're basically breaking off six of their #2 builds for the new kids).
At least leveling itself is minimal since you accumulate some things to skip a lot of that over years of play. We've got nine "new character" jumps to level 60 out of 80 from our six-year-old mains, and a host of things that can be used either for special crafting currency or a free level-up, so we can skip any of those last 20 we feel like.
But it's a definite relief to be back to normal playing and enjoying our new dress-up dolls (and getting used to them--very weird for a while seeing all these new faces) rather than waffling over various minutiae we're going to be stuck with for a long time. Not an aspect of the game we enjoy, but like many things, something we have to put up with to play GW2.
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Comment on Steam Winter Sale 2024: Hidden gems in ~games
TyrianMollusk Link ParentI don't know what's crazier, that Storage Inc fans have to build their own sequels or that Tipston also doesn't have workshop support. Still, glad to see another game like this. Storage Inc was a gem.Tipston Salvage - amazing co-op action driving forklifts
I don't know what's crazier, that Storage Inc fans have to build their own sequels or that Tipston also doesn't have workshop support.
Still, glad to see another game like this. Storage Inc was a gem.
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Comment on Steam Winter Sale 2024: Hidden gems in ~games
TyrianMollusk Link ParentNot really off-topic, as poorly as twin-sticks have been doing in the market. Make sure you try the demo for next year's Sektori, too. That thing is crazy, and probably going to sell just as...Not really off-topic, as poorly as twin-sticks have been doing in the market. Make sure you try the demo for next year's Sektori, too. That thing is crazy, and probably going to sell just as poorly as the rest despite its coolness, though NextFests have been helping some niche games find a little more attention.
- Waves -- Free since the dev passed away, but great nonetheless. There's also Waves 2 (also free) which had some neat ideas, but it was unfinished and not all its parts work. W2's "preview" beta has another version with another mode (Grid) that's pretty neat, and it has some different weapons.
- Assault Android Cactus -- This may well be the best level-mastery arcade twin-stick out there, and it's running its usual sale price of ... $5. Don't let the cutesy looks fool you: it's a beast.
- Devader -- Less brilliant or varied but still a gem of a game, full of clever play, weird enemies, and unusual ideas. Sadly, I haven't seen it go on sale in a while, but the dev did drop its price before they stopped putting it on sale, so it's just always pretty cheap now.
- Twin Ruin -- Laser-focused (ie no niceties ;) on simply intense arcade play and sporting a dual color mechanic plus a pointlessly low sale price.
- Devastator -- Another curious twin-stick variation from the great radiangames dev of the Xbox 360 indie arcade days.
- AtomHex -- Falls outside Steam, but it is another great and more than a little cracked gem of the genre that's always way cheaper than it deserves (and shareware, so you can play it a while without forking over the $2 or whatever). If you like color-swapping, this is must-have.
Since you like Crimsonland, you might also want to check out Tesla vs Lovecraft. Didn't really win me over, but might play better for you since it has some notable similarities.
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Comment on Steam Winter Sale 2024: Hidden gems in ~games
TyrianMollusk (edited )LinkI posted a nice list for the Summer sale, and going over things to update this time, it's pretty similar right down to the review counts (... depressing), so I'm just going to focus on one new...I posted a nice list for the Summer sale, and going over things to update this time, it's pretty similar right down to the review counts (... depressing), so I'm just going to focus on one new game that's limping along at 23 rather unappreciative reviews:
Combat Complex -- 30% off: $13.99 (early access)
Twin-stick shooter against various bugs and robots with some basic ARPG gearing/upgrades but a more arcade feel, offering fantastically tight action with probably three key factors:
- Enemies target you but hit each other, so you manage their attacks to help your fighting instead of just staying out of trouble.
- "Frenzy" orb pickups, which act a bit like combo meter fuel except instead of chaining hits for combo, you make frequent choices about whether an orb drop is worth chasing, keeping you close to danger.
- Instant gun switching with overheating instead of reloading, so you fight hard and switch constantly between your three guns (and moments of not shooting for faster movement) to keep any one from overheating while getting the best out of their specific properties.
I play a lot of twin-stick and top-down shooters, and this does a great job mixing the arcade twin-stick feel of high-intensity swarm chewing with tactical top-down dungeon crawling elements, and it's just really special feeling to play, at least if you pay attention. Plus, it's extraction style instead of being a roguelite or static arcade run, so you're always right at the best action while still getting procedural levels to change things up. That said, there's no scoring and a lot of rudimentary parts, so it lives entirely on action quality and the fun of the fight.
Games like this tend to get really underappreciated, and I'd really like this gem to find its players, because it just makes me happy someone is out there making something like this (and I want them to feel encouraged by some $$ interest, dontcha know--my partner and I already bought ours). It's got a demo, so give it a chance to grow on you once it gets past the gentle introduction.
If you don't like words, here's a video (link-only, not a channel) of one mission a few floors past the demo (blame Steam's game recording for creating glitchy sound artifacts that weren't there in play): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa8_m6QuvOg
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Comment on The 2024 Steam Winter Sale is live (runs December 19 - January 2) in ~games
TyrianMollusk LinkIt's so sad how many games need attention so much, and Steam forces us through a meaningless 11-way popularity contest where we're basically voting for nothing. And what even is that "innovative...It's so sad how many games need attention so much, and Steam forces us through a meaningless 11-way popularity contest where we're basically voting for nothing.
And what even is that "innovative game" list?
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Comment on Steam Replay 2024: Discussion topic in ~games
TyrianMollusk LinkThree of the five top controller games in my Replay list don't have controller support. That's a testament to the use I get from Steam Input. I wish someone at Valve cared about Steam Input and...Three of the five top controller games in my Replay list don't have controller support. That's a testament to the use I get from Steam Input.
I wish someone at Valve cared about Steam Input and the people who use it, because it's actually pretty important, and there are a lot of painfully ignored issues.
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Comment on Is anyone planning to play Path of Exile 2? in ~games
TyrianMollusk Link ParentThere are some actual-combat ARPGs creeping forward lately, like top-down shooters Combat Complex, Dreadhunter, CyberCorp, Greyskin, and Last Hellion. I've been wanting ARPGs to go a more gameplay...This game is an ARPG unlike any other, the combat actually matters.
There are some actual-combat ARPGs creeping forward lately, like top-down shooters Combat Complex, Dreadhunter, CyberCorp, Greyskin, and Last Hellion.
I've been wanting ARPGs to go a more gameplay oriented direction for a long time now, but the player community is generally extremely hostile to it. I'm glad PoE2 is looking to go this way, but while I respect that on the surface, I'm very concerned at just how poor their action quality is right now. You can really tell GGG both has little experience with real action and continues to hold painfully arrogant views toward controllers and other styles of play, because as poorly as the game plays on kbm, it's way worse on controller and full of anti-play design choices and just aggressively dumbed down. I really hoped they were going to do better than they did for PoE1 given the talk, but clearly they're still stuck in their old mindsets and not really open to walking the walk or listening.
I'm playing on controller via Steam Input converting to the kbm WASD interface, which is at least less abjectly bad than their built-in controller play, but there are a lot of really unnecessary issues there from their terrible, almost mouse-obsessed kbm UI and various wrongheaded design points they're still stuck on, and there's still the basic issue that even the intended kbm play is noticeably weak/clunky, from the standpoint of good top-down/isometric action games.
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Comment on Is anyone planning to play Path of Exile 2? in ~games
TyrianMollusk Link ParentNote that you aren't really paying for prerelease itself. You have to buy a certain amount of premium currency via the early access supporter pack. So you get full value in currency, and early...I won't pay for pre-release, however.
Note that you aren't really paying for prerelease itself. You have to buy a certain amount of premium currency via the early access supporter pack. So you get full value in currency, and early access comes along with that. You pay nothing extra for early access, and things you spend your premium currency on (like much-needed stash space) apply to both PoE2 and PoE1, so even if you feel you're not getting that value out of PoE2's early access sometime, you have all of PoE1 to fall back on.
That detail changed the "pay for early access" proposition a fair bit for me.
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Comment on Your partner asks for your phone, you refuse over privacy, they tell you they don't trust you. How do you respond? in ~talk
TyrianMollusk (edited )LinkI don't assert privacy over my partner. That would just be weird. We're partners, and there's no intrusion in one of us looking at something.I don't assert privacy over my partner. That would just be weird. We're partners, and there's no intrusion in one of us looking at something.
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Comment on Thoughts on a Democratic postmortem in ~society
TyrianMollusk Link ParentIt's wrong to think votes don't matter just because we expect the state election to go a certain way. That's like saying no one person should vote because their vote won't change the outcome...it’s kind of depressing to think voters in so many states just don’t “matter” for this
It's wrong to think votes don't matter just because we expect the state election to go a certain way. That's like saying no one person should vote because their vote won't change the outcome (someone I know actually makes this argument for why they never vote). People should still vote, because we need everyone to participate instead of just spectating. The fact that you can swing key states by spending millions pushing the right voters to the polls is gross. The stay-at-home votes have way more influence than people realize.
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Comment on Thoughts on a Democratic postmortem in ~society
TyrianMollusk Link ParentWhen almost eight times as many Ds stay home as Rs, you get big percentage shifts all over the place among those who did vote. Hard to say how much switching would even register if some of that...When almost eight times as many Ds stay home as Rs, you get big percentage shifts all over the place among those who did vote. Hard to say how much switching would even register if some of that missing 16% of Biden voters had showed up, but we wouldn't be wringing hands over it like this.
Trump lost votes. I'm not convinced it matters who switched sides to bolster Trump's lower turnout, when that many Ds didn't turn out at all.
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Comment on Thoughts on a Democratic postmortem in ~society
TyrianMollusk LinkNo, they did not. Trump got two million fewer votes than 2020. He did not put up a winning campaign or a winning plan. Getting fewer votes than his previous losing campaign would be a clear...They viewed Trump as being likelier to fix things, with a big bold plan (tariffs, deportations, tax cuts).
No, they did not. Trump got two million fewer votes than 2020. He did not put up a winning campaign or a winning plan. Getting fewer votes than his previous losing campaign would be a clear political disaster to learn from, had the democrats turned up at the polls.
Democrats did not show up, just like they didn't the first time with Trump v Clinton, when it was widely considered "obvious" no one would be insane enough to actually pick Trump for president. Fifteen million "get that guy outta here" votes Biden had that Harris did not see, and those numbers did not go to Trump. They sat on their couches and watched. Again.
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Comment on Elections: ultimately, it’s going to be okay in ~society
TyrianMollusk Link ParentAmericans don't run second big party candidate campaigns for president unless you've won. Anything else, sure, you learn and you run again. But with president, you only get that first chance to be...Americans don't run second big party candidate campaigns for president unless you've won.
Anything else, sure, you learn and you run again. But with president, you only get that first chance to be the R/D candidate. Harris had her chance, and now she's done. Her getting another chance won't even be considered a possibility.
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Comment on Elections: ultimately, it’s going to be okay in ~society
TyrianMollusk Link ParentNo, we need to make it what it was supposed to be, and not the cheap, no-effort exploit it became, where a senator can just declare filibuster instead of people having to actually get up and...Honestly, we need to be rid of it.
No, we need to make it what it was supposed to be, and not the cheap, no-effort exploit it became, where a senator can just declare filibuster instead of people having to actually get up and execute it.
It's pretty true that sometimes someone needs to take the kind of stand that requires something as ridiculous as a filibuster, but the filibuster is supposed to have a very real price in effort, time, and plain old public absurdity. When you take the price away but not the power, it becomes completely broken, and that changed the entire mechanics of how the senate does business.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
TyrianMollusk Link ParentYeah, it does: the group of people who stayed home and didn't vote. It doesn't really matter what we can say about the people that voted and who they chose. Trump got millions fewer votes than...The margins on this loss are big enough that it doesn’t come down to any one “group”.
Yeah, it does: the group of people who stayed home and didn't vote. It doesn't really matter what we can say about the people that voted and who they chose. Trump got millions fewer votes than 2020. Harris just got way way fewer votes than Biden did. So many people stayed home instead of voting. Even though Trump set himself up to lose by running the same disaster as always--and we need to look at his numbers and see that this campaign did not work to win him the election--people did stay home in enormous numbers and he walked away with it despite himself.
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Comment on Humble Choice - October 2024 in ~games
TyrianMollusk Link ParentToo good? A $12 bundle isn't a great deal, especially for the deliberately random array of games they get to go in on these. I got several prepaid months on a Black Friday sale a while back which...That seems like a really good deal - too good to be true.
Too good? A $12 bundle isn't a great deal, especially for the deliberately random array of games they get to go in on these. I got several prepaid months on a Black Friday sale a while back which brings the per-bundle price down to $7.60, and I skip most months because the bundle isn't worth it.
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Comment on Humble Choice - August 2024 in ~games
TyrianMollusk LinkGreat to have a Humble Choice that's finally worth getting for me, though it's amusingly got nothing I'm particularly excited to get. Sifu and Astral Ascent were both games I figured I'd pick up...Great to have a Humble Choice that's finally worth getting for me, though it's amusingly got nothing I'm particularly excited to get. Sifu and Astral Ascent were both games I figured I'd pick up some day when they're cheap, and I wouldn't even buy Gotham Knights, but I've been sitting on a key from a previous charity bundle, which is useless unless I get a second key, because if I were to bother playing it, it would at least have to be together with my partner. Maybe its multiplayer won't get shut down before we try it.
So this bundle sweeps up all three of those nicely, and there are a couple other "sure whatever" tier games in there. Looks like I haven't taken a Choice bundle since early 2023--only three more months left now from a Black Friday 13-month deal so old I don't think it was even Choice yet.
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Comment on Why is ‘left stick to sprint’ so unpleasant in games? in ~games
TyrianMollusk LinkStick-click buttons are an absolute abomination that never should have happened. They're bad for hands, for gameplay, and for controllers. There's not one upside to them. They are just such a...Stick-click buttons are an absolute abomination that never should have happened. They're bad for hands, for gameplay, and for controllers. There's not one upside to them. They are just such a stunningly bad idea.
Nowadays, though, controller makers have finally allowed us a few more buttons to use, and we can remap the stick clicks to something actually viable and erase that mistake, especially since we're crippled anyway and most things won't recognize buttons that aren't already present on the system's standard controller. Having to hard-remap the controller using things that are already there would be even dumber if not for salvaging L3 and R3.
With my current under-buttons, it's been pretty nice having R3 and L3 usable, both for extra functionality options and relief from trying to get devs to stop designing things so badly on stick clicking. Too many devs just don't listen about controller play.
I voted for:
Kohan's on Steam, so that's nice, but I figure the other two have no chance, even though Blur was a masterpiece, and 20 player combat races is something we should have again, outside pirating.
I also added AtomHex and Devader, two top-notch arcade twin-stick shooters, and Assault Android Cactus, which is just weird they don't have on GoG already, being one of the legitimately best twin-sticks out there.