Xuande's recent activity
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Comment on Got my hands on a Steam Frame. Can't use it much for not having prescription lenses yet, but AMA in ~games
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Comment on I want an RPG with reverse leveling in ~games
Xuande LinkSomewhat reminds me of Gloomhaven (and presumably Frosthaven), where the fights start with full resources and then asks the player to pare them down over the course of a fight, losing options in...Somewhat reminds me of Gloomhaven (and presumably Frosthaven), where the fights start with full resources and then asks the player to pare them down over the course of a fight, losing options in exchange for tempo or more powerful 1-shot options. And that tension extends to time spent looting, since the ability to move is tied to these same resources.
But I think the simple answer is that most players don't want challenge in their RPG. They want to either steamroll or at worst have the option to grind/completionist their way to easy mode.
As for replayability, that tends to be found either through robust agency in character skill sets, or in other genres entirely. Players already don't complete games for the most part before considering how long the average RPG is. Even looking at RPGs I've replayed myself over the years such as SMT 3: Nocturne, it often comes with a laundry list of "don't abuse XYZ" since RPGs are notoriously unbalanced and/or buggy. And once I'm bothering to do that, may as well play a game where the replay value for challenge is intended rather than homebrewed.
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Comment on There is no epidemic of loneliness, but there is an epidemic of social scurvy in ~life
Xuande LinkAt some point, lived experiences and trauma overtake the desire to "fix" being socially isolated. And then I'll slowly move towards trying to do something about it, have it eventually backfire...At some point, lived experiences and trauma overtake the desire to "fix" being socially isolated. And then I'll slowly move towards trying to do something about it, have it eventually backfire hard, and go back to not trying for a long time. And so it goes in cycles.
Other than immediate family and occasional forum posts in a couple of places, I'm in a period of not interacting. Covid being a thing certainly didn't help as it discouraged being outside or using public transit in general (and I still wear at least a hospital grade mask when I do, yet have been exposed to Covid multiple times regardless), and my disabilities make it increasingly unlikely to find common ground or a safe environment even if I were to yeet myself into social situations.
So while I agree with the general idea of the article, it doesn't mesh with my lived reality. Making the most of the situation I'm in seems to have healthier outcomes for me than trying to force social progress. I'll find projects to keep my mind busy on other topics, and find what fulfillment I can through those. Not ideal, but better than any alternative I've tried so far. Currently I'm doing a mix of resuming development of a game through replacing all of my placeholder art (EmoteLab + game-icons.net + Card Creator), and a few activities such as tabletop board games and digital async auto battlers that keep my mind occupied.
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Comment on I'm addicted to Slay the Spire and am looking for a new game in ~games
Xuande Link ParentWasn't familiar with that yearly event, having a fairly new account here. A quick look at the rules suggests its more formal/committal than I could do. I appreciate the show of interest though....Wasn't familiar with that yearly event, having a fairly new account here. A quick look at the rules suggests its more formal/committal than I could do.
I appreciate the show of interest though. Health permitting (big if here), I'm hoping to revisit development soon, and I've started looking for sustainable assets to replace my current art - I've tried "placeholder", blank, and "AI" previously. This was originally a prototype for fun that expanded into a large project (>500 cards, competent non-cheating AI player support, etc) and not something I went in with the intent to market to anyone other than myself.
One issue I'd have to solve before considering any sort of playtest is that the middleware I use is not known for its effective DRM, so anyone who had the game could easily claim the project files themselves. I wouldn't mind that as much once I had a build meant for release. But perhaps I'll consider an option such as Steam Remote Play in the interim.
Still thinking about it, to tl;dr the above.
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Comment on I'm addicted to Slay the Spire and am looking for a new game in ~games
Xuande Link ParentThe funny thing is, StS1 didn't especially grab my attention. While I like a finely tuned and difficult game, I also like exploring new gameplay concepts, and StS1 felt stale to me even back...The funny thing is, StS1 didn't especially grab my attention. While I like a finely tuned and difficult game, I also like exploring new gameplay concepts, and StS1 felt stale to me even back during its Early Access. I've sunk more time into StS2, but a major part of that is the co-op play, bringing a new player through the Ascension 10 challenge on each character.
As for a card game that stands the test of time? I find they largely don't, which is why I've spent so much time jumping from one to another since the 90s. But the journey to get to the point where the balance falls apart, or die off for reasons unrelated, or get ruined by the trappings of multiplayer metagames, etc is fun. Looking over my Steam list specifically, I'd be hard pressed to recommend any deck builder not already mentioned for you.
But looking did remind me of Prismata, a now free-to-play game that has "cards" but plays more like a turn-based RTS would, where the available "card" supply is different every game (like the tabletop game Dominion kinda), but instead of building a deck you're doing RTS-style openings of developing economy while also threatening the opponent's economy until one side loses all their cards. I'd strongly suggest avoiding PvP as there's a massive skill gap issue with it, but playing against the provided bot support is good fun until your skill exceeds the best bots. Many players never get that good since its a complex game.
I've alluded to this in a few other assorted Tildes threads, but I've got a history of being burned when I get too invested in gaming communities, and it motivated me to start making a deckbuilder game of my own a few years ago. I'm considering the idea of making a thread asking for help on Tildes, because what I've made so far is a complete, functional, and diverse game but one that needs major help with things like UI and art assets before I'd feel comfortable distributing and/or selling it. In the past I've done playtests over Discord streams, but since I'm done with Discord as a platform that's not the easy solution it once may have been. I'm still mulling over whether its a good idea or not to resume development...
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Comment on I'm addicted to Slay the Spire and am looking for a new game in ~games
Xuande Link ParentIratus often goes on sale via bundles on key sites such as Fanatical. I did not like Iratus during its launch period, it played like a poorly balanced and rough around the edges version of Darkest...Iratus often goes on sale via bundles on key sites such as Fanatical.
I did not like Iratus during its launch period, it played like a poorly balanced and rough around the edges version of Darkest Dungeon, a game that I already had issues with. Can't speak to its DLC though.
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Comment on I'm addicted to Slay the Spire and am looking for a new game in ~games
Xuande LinkThat particular set of criteria is hard to meet. StS is unique in the market for having a huge amount of time dedicated to balance in development, particularly by singleplayer standards. The rest...That particular set of criteria is hard to meet. StS is unique in the market for having a huge amount of time dedicated to balance in development, particularly by singleplayer standards. The rest are doable, but tricky in combination with being difficult. Still, here are some suggestions a bit off the beaten path:
Grail: Recently released online deckbuilder auto battler that has both PvE and PvP fights, where the goal is to win 6+ rounds before losing 4 rounds. There are some balance issues (disclaimer: I'm probably their top player by overall winrate), but it takes time before they're evident. Doesn't support a controller natively, but all that's needed is mouse movement and left/right click, and very rarely Ctrl, things that I'd be willing to tolerate Steam Input on controller to handle if I had to. I've been sinking a ton of time into this recently because it has a lot of similarities to a game I've been solo developing over the last few years.
(AI Art) Mori Carta: I'm highly experienced at card games, probably approaching 10k+ hours in them across all subgenres. I have yet to win a single run on the full difficulty mode of Mori Carta in 25 hours of play, though I have gotten to the final boss several times. This game taxes your ability to survive early while finding a way to outscale late game, and its very difficult to do both. Genre is deckbuilder auto battler, where you build a deck and combine it with the enemy's deck, drawing one card at a time and deciding between two consequences via swiping left or right, but it uses standard mechanics like HP, Energy, Attack/Block, and so on.
Chrono Ark: I got burnt out on this during Early Access when they started focusing on story, but its a well regarded game with a decently high level of difficulty (play on Expert ASAP), and is arguably best played with controller. No comment on the DLCs or their pandering, but the base game doesn't have as much of that. This is a team based deck builder with otherwise pretty standard combat, where the focus is on distributing level ups to the team, drafting cards/stat bonuses, and managing equipment bonuses. There's a moderate focus on story and alternate paths/secrets.
Touhou Lost Branch of Legend: StS clone that borrows from a MtG-style mana system, but the production values are high and balance is decent, though not as balanced as StS long term. There are a lot of modifiers to customize difficulty (~7 ascensions paired with 4 difficulty settings, plus mods akin to the Custom/Daily options in StS), and there are five characters which each have two starting deck/relic options. While technically still under development, the pace is glacial at this point and I'd consider it complete as-is. Supports controller, though I have no experience using one with this game.
Dream Quest: This is to StS what Magic Survival was to Vampire Survivors, the game most forget about when thinking about what popularized a genre. There's an unfortunate amount of metaprogression (which can be bypassed through save editing), but even when that's taken care of, winning a full run is quite difficult with most of the characters. Features art from the developer's daughter, so don't expect much there. Doesn't support a controller natively, but only needs mouse and left click, so Steam Input can cover it.
Second Second: Also on mobile, but doesn't natively support a controller. This is a niche title that is a bit unclear at first mechanically, but that I happened to like. Plays out over a timeline, and your card plays cost varying amounts of timeline. This game was an experiment in procedurally generated AI/decks, and while it didn't fully succeed there, there's a lot of difficulty customization available.
I'm surprised to read that Monster Train as a series clears your bar for difficult, as I found that lack of difficulty was the major flaw with those games.
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Comment on SteamDB joins Nexus Mods in ~games
Xuande (edited )Link ParentNexus is on my personal "do not use" list and yes, I am annoyed that a site that took donations - not money afaik, but they did request Steam game donations and even the Nexus Mods article linked...Nexus is on my personal "do not use" list and yes, I am annoyed that a site that took donations - not money afaik, but they did request Steam game donations and even the Nexus Mods article linked to states this if you don't believe me - is being sold to Nexus. Can't avoid every target of enshittification, but like steam250, I expect steamdb will degrade in usefulness over time and I'm certainly not going to toss any further keys its way under their new ownership.
Ah well. Guess its back to overpopulating my Steam wishlist and scanning new releases manually again.
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Comment on Meta agrees to heavy restrictions on teen users in major lawsuit settlement in ~tech
Xuande Link ParentI suppose my mind is blown that the "average" American is considered to make at least 70k/year if 7k represents less than 10%. Are there any recent sources for this claim, because I'd love to read...I suppose my mind is blown that the "average" American is considered to make at least 70k/year if 7k represents less than 10%. Are there any recent sources for this claim, because I'd love to read up on it if true.
From what I'm aware of, perhaps the median income is somewhere around there, but it feels like "average" or "middle class" is less of a demographic over time. Instead, there's a K-shaped economy where the well-off get richer and the not well-off struggle by until the next major world event shakes things up.
My immediate family of two (kids no longer living at home), with one person working multiple jobs and the other on disability (me), doesn't clear that 70k bar combined. And if anything, we're concerned about that income dropping as companies look for more reasons to cut staff.
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Comment on Are others finding themselves spending less and less time online? in ~tech
Xuande LinkI'd like to feel this way. I certainly enjoy my time online less than I used to and feel like "capitalism", for lack of a better term, is catching up with the internet experience. But...I'd like to feel this way. I certainly enjoy my time online less than I used to and feel like "capitalism", for lack of a better term, is catching up with the internet experience. But unfortunately, I don't really have a viable Plan B to fill the time.
Combine disability, lack of excess income, and a desire to constantly keep my mind busy, and that means I end up spending the majority of my time attempting to find things I want to read or watch that I haven't already read or watched (as I glance over at the VOD I've already seen a few times playing on my second monitor.) When I feel up to it, I keep my mind busy with intellectual games or coding with middleware, but there's still a lot of time when my hands aren't up to that, or I'm mentally stressed enough that I resort to passive internet consuming.
But I've never been one to let algorithms dictate what I choose to consume, at least to the extent that it can be helped. Which is probably why I resort to repetitive consumption, since I'm only aware of the things I've seen linked or found myself, harder to do in this post-SEO internet.
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Comment on Order of the Sinking Star | Release date announcement in ~games
Xuande Link ParentI care about accessibility in gaming for myself, others I know, and the general populace. Regardless of political connotations, that's going to affect my interest level, and he's demonstrated...I care about accessibility in gaming for myself, others I know, and the general populace. Regardless of political connotations, that's going to affect my interest level, and he's demonstrated enough in past works to show me he doesn't want my business.
Looking at the rest of this thread so far, its clear that some people feel strongly enough in the other direction that they need to justify their hobby to those that disagree, enough to get confrontational about it instead of agreeing to disagree or moving on. Didn't know this specific developer created such reactions, and for that I'm thankful that the thread is properly tagged so I don't stumble into unexpected drama as often moving forward.
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Comment on Firefox for iOS now has a native adblocker in ~tech
Xuande Link ParentMeanwhile, the worst we did was write programs to spam files into the project submission folders of classmates, which got to the point that the folders couldn't even be opened anymore. Really...Meanwhile, the worst we did was write programs to spam files into the project submission folders of classmates, which got to the point that the folders couldn't even be opened anymore.
Really though, much of the time was spent LAN gaming, at least while that was acceptable. That's when I got some of my early modding experience with games such as UT99, when up to that point I had only been writing my own Q-BASIC or TI-XX games from scratch or modding old stuff like Nibbles. I'd write forks of existing mods and test them out in class.
I still write gaming stuff via middleware such as RPG Maker today, but given my limited resources I don't get to share my stuff with a larger audience. Lacking a complete skill set to make a marketable product is probably why I enjoyed modding so much back then, since I could borrow from existing infrastructure and player base. Making a good UI is beyond me, and I have neither the physical function to become an artist, the funds to pay artists (haven't yet found free/cheap options that meet my existing needs), or the desire to market AI generated art.
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Comment on Firefox for iOS now has a native adblocker in ~tech
Xuande Link ParentStill not long enough ago. Roughly 25 years ago, I recall getting a school PC infected by an ad banner that never got clicked, that ran malicious code just for existing. It was at the bottom of a...Still not long enough ago. Roughly 25 years ago, I recall getting a school PC infected by an ad banner that never got clicked, that ran malicious code just for existing. It was at the bottom of a page for a browser game a few of us played, Utopia I think? Some kingdom management game where groups of ~20 players would face off against others.
Luckily, thanks to a combination of know-how and figuring out that admin access could be granted by the login "1" and password "1" (as well as a bunch of similar combos), I was able to clean up that mess without getting noticed.
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
Xuande Link ParentExcuse me for rambling, as I'm going to reply in the order that the thoughts came to me: On a base level, this makes sense. It doesn't gel with how I would expect or want it roles reversed - if...Excuse me for rambling, as I'm going to reply in the order that the thoughts came to me:
On a base level, this makes sense. It doesn't gel with how I would expect or want it roles reversed - if I'm having a bad experience I am either looking for advice or using my talking as a coping mechanism, as opposed to looking for emotional support or empathy. So I struggle to see things from that angle because its a type of caring that I've barely been exposed to in my life (long story, not a pleasant one) and thus don't expect from or know how to react to it when it does happen.
Point 3 is key though, and is the thing I most find myself trying to remember in the moment. Asking for clarity when the other person thinks their perspective is already clear helps head off the confusion I often run into. Of course, its hard to ask when I think they're being clear from my pov (when actually I've got it wrong), but it does work.
Often times with Point 1, I struggle with common "small talk" situations because they are reminiscent of a trauma I've experienced, and my brain defaults to self-defense mode trying to summarize or tune out details. Then later I'll find there was an important detail I needed to catch and couldn't/didn't because I was trying to avoid the alternative, which in my case can lead to gag reflex->hyperventilation (panic attack).
I do appreciate the effort you put into both probing and replying in-depth here. My prior experiences in exploring issues like these online is that people tend to jump to incorrect assumptions/conclusions from their very different experience, and it ends up making one or both parties look like they're acting in bad faith.
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Comment on Invite request spam problem - vet through other social media? in ~tildes
Xuande (edited )Link ParentThis, I went a step further and claimed a referral posted openly since I don't have any sort of social media networking going on. It was easier than trying to put an email together to Deimos that...This, I went a step further and claimed a referral posted openly since I don't have any sort of social media networking going on. It was easier than trying to put an email together to Deimos that might or might not be read, especially given the alternative of lurking Tildes since there's no paywall here, unlike certain other forums and Discord are to those without an account.
Also for those who aren't aware, newer users don't
seem to get invitesget invites until a new set are sent out, so its only the users who have been here in a non-lurking capacity who may have codes to give out. -
Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
Xuande Link ParentI've read this book actually, probably still have a digital copy sitting around on an older phone somewhere, because that's one of the first things that gets suggested to me when I bring the topic...I've read this book actually, probably still have a digital copy sitting around on an older phone somewhere, because that's one of the first things that gets suggested to me when I bring the topic up. I'd have to reread it to remember why exactly it didn't work for me though.
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
Xuande Link ParentWhile its a difficult topic for me, I mention it in the event it might be helpful to others and/or myself. So whatever you want to share here, in private message, or otherwise is fine - the worst...While its a difficult topic for me, I mention it in the event it might be helpful to others and/or myself. So whatever you want to share here, in private message, or otherwise is fine - the worst I would do is politely decline further conversation, or break from the conversation if I'm unable to cope with it. If I ever delete messages on Tildes or elsewhere, this is usually why, and I mean nothing personally by it.
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
Xuande Link ParentIf it is applicable from the perspective of someone who is autistic (among other things) and doesn't involve masking or trying to project a fake kind of emotional support, then sure. But I imagine...If it is applicable from the perspective of someone who is autistic (among other things) and doesn't involve masking or trying to project a fake kind of emotional support, then sure. But I imagine that rules out most otherwise helpful suggestions?
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
Xuande Link ParentSo, I do this behavior a lot in an attempt to relate to the person expressing a difficulty, and it does often come off as you describe it despite that not being my intent. But thanks to my unique...So, I do this behavior a lot in an attempt to relate to the person expressing a difficulty, and it does often come off as you describe it despite that not being my intent.
But thanks to my unique mixture of lived trauma and mental disabilities, I've never figured out how to properly improve on this, and I'm intentionally socially isolated enough that its unlikely to improve. I've had it described as having "sympathy, not empathy" but I don't experience emotions on a level that most neurotypical people seem to, and so the closest I can come to engaging in a conversation short of passive listening is to try to relate what I'm being told to my own lived experiences.
And it really sucks! But whenever I attempt to come out of my shell a little more, it inevitably backfires.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that its easy to misread intent, especially in a world where there are a lot of people operating on bad faith. It often feels like I'm speaking in a different language, unable to properly understand or communicate to the other party.
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Comment on GOG confirm they are working towards GOG Galaxy on Linux in ~games
Xuande Link ParentFor anyone who would want to learn more: Elecom mouse via Amazon I believe this is the model that I've been using for several years now, frequently goes on sale though I think its worth full price...For anyone who would want to learn more:
I believe this is the model that I've been using for several years now, frequently goes on sale though I think its worth full price to the right user. Works well in either hand, and is lightweight without being too fragile or too imprecise. I'd say the main weakness is a lack of signal strength outside of short distances (~15 feet with line of sight, ~5 without) on the 2.4 ghz model. I'd also prefer if the mouse click buttons were a tad closer to the rest of the device, since it can be uncomfortable to hold in the same hand for longer sessions.
I've yet to find a better hand-controlled device for when my hands are unable to use a conventional or vertical mouse, though don't expect precision/speed on the level of those.
Coming from the original Vive as my point of reference, the idea of lenses confuses me too. Do people not share these devices?
I get that for some price isn't a concern, but the idea of buying a prescription lens per expected user comes off as very expensive for a device that's already pricey for my fixed income budget. I've heard of buying blank prescription lenses, but this doesn't solve the problem for those with larger heads/glasses, and I'm personally not able to use contact lenses as a workaround. My best hope is in getting away with not using glasses at all since my prescription is around -2, but that won't work for the rest of my group who have much stronger prescriptions.
Not that any of this is likely to matter considering I played honest with the lottery and therefore am waitlisted, but I'm hoping there's a better answer by the time my turn comes up.