Xuande's recent activity
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Comment on GOG confirm they are working towards GOG Galaxy on Linux in ~games
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Comment on GOG confirm they are working towards GOG Galaxy on Linux in ~games
Xuande Link ParentIts not a move I plan on making in the short term - my thought was that eventually Steam Frame would release, I'd get one when it was in stock (relapsed VR user from the original Vive, but decent...Its not a move I plan on making in the short term - my thought was that eventually Steam Frame would release, I'd get one when it was in stock (relapsed VR user from the original Vive, but decent chance I can't afford it at launch), and use that as a means of getting used to operating in Linux again and go from there. I have a little experience using VMs, but for the most part I haven't touched Linux based PC OS in the last 20 years.
I'll pass on listing out everything, but to give some examples, I use several programs to help me with accessibility. I use a combination of DisplayFusion and Keymapper to have custom keyboard hotkeys for functions like mouse inputs, f.lux and built in Windows color changing features to help with colorblindness and light sensitivity, various niche mouse firmware (Elecom handheld trackball mouse, an air mouse, and a Logi vertical mouse who's software glitches out frequently on Windows), and so on.
I also have an extensive Steam and non-Steam game library that I'd have to vet. I'm mostly not doing online/multiplayer stuff affected by kernel level anti-cheat that won't run on Linux, but I do have some that would be dealbreakers if they didn't work, like the RPG Maker series of products that already run into performance bottlenecks on Windows (due to half-baked mobile support restricting it to single-core processor use.) I've also heard that Linux and Nvidia generally don't get along, and due to the pandemic I've been stuck with a prebuilt using a 3070, which meets my current needs well enough that I don't want to replace it anytime soon.
Basically, thanks for the offer, but I'm too early in the process to benefit from listing out everything. I also need to do due diligence in deciding what flavor of Linux to research.
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Comment on GOG confirm they are working towards GOG Galaxy on Linux in ~games
Xuande LinkWhen GOG Galaxy first became a thing, I assumed it was to get certain publishers on board with their platform, specifically publishers who require the DRM it could provide for their online or...When GOG Galaxy first became a thing, I assumed it was to get certain publishers on board with their platform, specifically publishers who require the DRM it could provide for their online or games-as-a-service product. As such, I've never used GOG Galaxy because the main upside I see from GOG is having DRM-free games without the need to bypass anything. Steam doesn't require DRM, and by default offers DRM that isn't terribly restrictive and could be bypassed in the event it collapses as a platform somehow.
So for those of you excited about this news, what's the consumer reason to like GOG Galaxy over either not using a launcher (which is what I do when I used to buy games there) or using a third-party alternative launcher?
I'd love to make the jump to Linux one day when life is stable enough for me to deal with all the routine-breaking leaving Windows would cause, but I also use a lot of niche software and have long ingrained habits that will be difficult to break or relearn.
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Comment on What pre-NES games do you still recommend today? in ~games
Xuande Link ParentCorrect, it was out first. Rather than name more contemporary comparisons (ShellShock Live, Gunbound come to mind), I thought I'd name the older title in Scorched Earth that's probably best known...Correct, it was out first. Rather than name more contemporary comparisons (ShellShock Live, Gunbound come to mind), I thought I'd name the older title in Scorched Earth that's probably best known for pushing the genre forward.
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Comment on What pre-NES games do you still recommend today? in ~games
Xuande LinkI don't have strong opinions here unless you'd count Famicom as "pre-NES" which it technically is, but probably not what you meant. Much of my early learning about programming was from messing...I don't have strong opinions here unless you'd count Famicom as "pre-NES" which it technically is, but probably not what you meant. Much of my early learning about programming was from messing around with a PC that had Q-BASIC support along with open source code for Gorillas (banana throwing game in the mold of Scorched Earth) and Nibbles (snake), both of which were competent games for their time.
What I'll offer instead is a Youtube channel that's under the radar and does a great job of covering mostly Japanese-exclusive games from the early eras, including some from the very early days like Epoch's attempts at a console: https://www.youtube.com/@RndStranger/
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of July 12 in ~games
Xuande Link ParentThere are absolutely stat-based mechanics, but they're of the "Do you have X amount of Y aptitude? Then you can make this choice. Is your relationship with this person X or higher? Then you can...There are absolutely stat-based mechanics, but they're of the "Do you have X amount of Y aptitude? Then you can make this choice. Is your relationship with this person X or higher? Then you can make this alternative choice. Is neither true? Well, there's this less desirable third choice you can make!" variety. Basically it needs to be believable that your Brante would be able to make the choice that you the player want to make.
It is possible to die, but there is a "lesser death" mechanic explained by the plot that allows the player to play on through most types of "lesser death". There are of course ways to permanently die before the ending, or to run out of "lesser death" opportunities and be forced to die for real, or to die in the ending itself...but these deaths make sense within the plot and aren't the level of cruelty of a typical CYOA death from choosing the wrong side of go left/go right.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of July 12 in ~games
Xuande Link ParentI have played it, and its extremely good at what it sets out to do, which is to set up a story of flawed ideals where the player character can't succeed at everything - and trying to be everything...I have played it, and its extremely good at what it sets out to do, which is to set up a story of flawed ideals where the player character can't succeed at everything - and trying to be everything results in ending with nothing. There's hard moral decisions to make, and three main branching storylines (Noble/Commoner/Priest lots) with enough to see to at least justify those three playthroughs, with several more needed if you want to see everything.
After the first two chapters where you learn about the world and set up your character's set of relationships and aptitudes, the rest of the game is about making those tough decisions, being locked out of choices you'd like to make but can't because you didn't raise your Brante to be capable of making them, and ultimately having to live with what you can accomplish.
Note that there are no skill rolls or any luck-based mechanics here like a Disco Elysium type game, so you will either be able or not be able to take certain actions as they are offered, and this did upset some players. Their second game looks to improve upon this by adding extra limited resources (Sanity, lineage-based power) that the player could use to bypass these locks at a heavy cost.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June 2026 in ~games
Xuande Link ParentI would suggest making this clearer in future threads then, because its possible to interpret your intent differently, as I apparently did despite reading the original post multiple times. Maybe...I would suggest making this clearer in future threads then, because its possible to interpret your intent differently, as I apparently did despite reading the original post multiple times. Maybe that's my fault for not reading the history of previous linked threads before deciding to contribute?
Because I probably wouldn't have posted at all had I understood this intent beforehand, as someone with significant anxiety when it comes to anything social. When I do decide to post at Tildes (rarely), its because I feel like I have a unique insight, or in this case because it was a chance to make someone else's day at little cost to myself.
Regardless, intent noted for the future and sorry for bringing up a dispute in an otherwise positive thread.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June 2026 in ~games
Xuande Link ParentAssuming these are US region codes, I'll put in a request for Gal*Gun Returns because it'll help make a future purchase cheaper - I'm hoping to eventually get a Steam Frame to get back into VR and...Assuming these are US region codes, I'll put in a request for Gal*Gun Returns because it'll help make a future purchase cheaper - I'm hoping to eventually get a Steam Frame to get back into VR and I hear one of the GG games is decent in VR, if one can get over the admittedly bad theming.
I'm also going to post these older, US region Steam codes publicly because I'm not sure about whether they're valid at this point, so feel free to try to claim any or all of them, by removing the "7" from each code:Nevermind, noticed after posting that the TC doesn't want public codes posted. Incidentally, why is this a thing? I'd rather see codes go to use regardless of the claimant, and its easier on me not to have to monitor for replies/DMs.
I have possibly expired codes for Iratus, Astrea, and Embr. Can't promise they'll work or that I'll give a timely reply, but feel free to ask.
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Comment on What are your favorite custom games? in ~games
Xuande Link ParentIf you want to name drop, I went by "lunar2" in the Wesnoth community, the mods that credit that alias are referring to my contributions back then or are projects I made solo. Not active there...If you want to name drop, I went by "lunar2" in the Wesnoth community, the mods that credit that alias are referring to my contributions back then or are projects I made solo. Not active there anymore and haven't looked around in several years at this point, but I know when I last checked that the modding scene is still thriving.
Certainly, there's a lot of things I'd still want to mod! And I have the time for it, but a few things get in the way that I don't have easy answers to. Most games these days are built on an engine like Unity/Godot/UE/etc and my programming knowledge is essentially self-taught/high school level. I've also got issues related to my health, such as having to limit my hand use due to carpal tunnel + de quervains.
There's a ton more I could say, but to keep it shorter I'll give two examples of more recent modding:
The live/asynchronous multiplayer auto battler genre as a whole. I've really wanted one to exist that has the depth I want, without the accessibility issues (fast timers, colorblind) and without being ran by scummy elements I don't want to support. Instead of modding, I made my own. And while the current result of that is a game that I find quite fun, its also one limited by my own limitations - I don't know where to begin to make it functional online (its local multiplayer + AI currently), I can't afford nor draw my own art (and free assets I've found so far are limiting for a game with >600 cards, meaning I have the unenviable choice between no art at all, genned art, or art that barely matches what the card says), and so on. Since I have essentially no networking in any sense of the word, I feel stuck, and tend to revisit it a couple of times a year when I get an idea that I am capable of implementing.
Games like Slay the Spire 2, Brotato, etc that offer open modding. In this case, the simple answer is that others are capable of adding content a lot faster than I am, so I don't bother. I looked at StS2's documentation recently and figured I could make it happen given enough time, but then I look over at Steam Workshop and see that others have already done so much, so instead I wait for their projects to finish and save myself the trouble.
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Comment on What are your favorite custom games? in ~games
Xuande LinkI miss those days, but age, disability, and an obsolete skill set combine to make me mostly retired from modding in custom games into games that allowed for it. While I've got a lifetime of making...I miss those days, but age, disability, and an obsolete skill set combine to make me mostly retired from modding in custom games into games that allowed for it. While I've got a lifetime of making my own hobbyist games that never go anywhere, its better for me when I can take an existing framework and prototype ideas quicker.
Focusing specifically on projects people might have heard of, I did a lot of dabbling with Unreal Tournament (1999), most notably my own fork of the SiegeUT mod that was about constructing buildings to defend a base or to supply teammates to attack enemy bases. I implemented basic AI support so it would engage with making and using buildings itself, and added more things to build, more weapons, etc. Only much later did I find out that there were other, better known forks of the mod, but it was still a good learning experience.
But the thing that's likely most enduring today is Battle for Wesnoth. I wrote a lot of standalone mods back in the pre 1.0 days (~2004-2006), some of which still endure today (Great Race, possibly others) many versions later thanks to others porting them for me, without me even requesting it. I also took part in the first DotA-like custom game developed there (DotW) as the main person gathering playtesters and making balance adjustments based on feedback and my own play experience. Wesnoth helped me get through a tough time in life where everything was falling apart, and some of my experimental ideas carried through to other players' Wesnoth projects, like the wave survival genre.
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Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech
Xuande Link ParentFor reference, Tildes is as close as I get to participating in social media these days, though I've been a longtime user of message boards who has tapered off as I get older and less tolerant of...For reference, Tildes is as close as I get to participating in social media these days, though I've been a longtime user of message boards who has tapered off as I get older and less tolerant of aggressive posters.
Back when I tried posting at ResetEra, I got ran off the site by having nasty accusations like having "blood on my hands" because I chose to share my personal experience with mental health as someone who has and is living with several conditions myself, and I find that those who don't have and don't spend time with those who do can have a warped view of what's going on. Suffice it to say that I stopped going and have a rather negative opinion of moderation there. Others also had issues with moderation and went on to places like MetaCouncil, which seems fine enough but is noticeably less active.
I haven't really found a proper outlet for open discussion myself, Reddit->Discord seems to have cannibalized most of the desire for message boards, and I've deleted my accounts at both places. Reddit is too hiveminded and Discord too fast/FOMO. Tildes is fine, though I find that the culture here varies greatly by topic, and the lack of an ignore user feature keeps me posting less than I might otherwise.
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Comment on Nova Launcher: An update in ~tech
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Comment on Nova Launcher: An update in ~tech
Xuande Link ParentRecent convert here, is there a way to disable double swipe down -> search? I used to have that gesture open the app list on Nova, and here it opens search without a way to change that behavior...Recent convert here, is there a way to disable double swipe down -> search? I used to have that gesture open the app list on Nova, and here it opens search without a way to change that behavior that I've been able to find. The gesture settings I can see are single swipe up/down, swipe right, double tap, and home.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Xuande Link ParentFrom an accessibility standpoint, once a "turn based" game includes mandatory timed button presses, its not a "turn based" game anymore, let alone an evolution of the formula. Thankfully, Steam...From an accessibility standpoint, once a "turn based" game includes mandatory timed button presses, its not a "turn based" game anymore, let alone an evolution of the formula. Thankfully, Steam now has an accessibility features tab, but that's a relatively new feature that didn't prevent Steam's own curation tools from repeatedly pushing the game towards me at the time, because it knows I like "turn based" and the top user tag is "turn based combat" with a long way down until the first tag indicating real-time components.
Its fine to have opinions that differ from the mainstream. That's usually what causes me to leave a review, when my opinion or issues with a game weren't being represented well by existing Steam reviews. Of course, I don't go out of my way to buy games I already know I'll dislike (CO:33), but a lot of advertising around the game was misleading so I could see players having a disconnect between what they thought they were getting vs what the game actually is.
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Comment on Why are 38 percent of Stanford students saying they're disabled? in ~life
Xuande Link ParentSimilar spot here (legally disabled on various fronts, took a long time to get any support on said fronts, still far away from being self-sufficient), thanks for saving me from a painful article...Similar spot here (legally disabled on various fronts, took a long time to get any support on said fronts, still far away from being self-sufficient), thanks for saving me from a painful article read and thanks to those who upvoted your post.
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Comment on Overwatch 2 now: how does it look to you? in ~games
Xuande Link ParentThanks, though I'm aware and don't see fit to trust anything from the Storybook Brawl team. While FTX/LSV/Crypto were major negatives from SBB, they weren't the only things going poorly with SBB...Thanks, though I'm aware and don't see fit to trust anything from the Storybook Brawl team. While FTX/LSV/Crypto were major negatives from SBB, they weren't the only things going poorly with SBB (balancing, community PR, and other things I've tried to memory hole.) I've seen and in some cases played a few of the attempts to replicate what was good about SBB, but there's always something bad enough to drive me away within a few months. I'd rather not go into it in further detail publicly, but to anyone reading who is familiar with SBB's scene, my alias here is not a coincidence and there's tons I could say privately on the topic.
Instead, nowadays I've been developing my own take on the genre, off and on over the last few years, which started as a "what-if" experiment and ended up grabbing my attention enough to expand massively. I have a functional game with AI and local multiplayer support, but due to various reasons don't have what's needed to take it from a fun project into something I can distribute and feel good about. The premise is "What if the player had RPG-like stats, drafted cards and stat gains, then played their deck War+jRPG-style against random players until only one player had lives remaining", and while the content is definitely there, its lacking in most of the other aspects that make a game worth playing to most (presentation/UI, budget, art, onboarding, social network for the skills I lack, etc.)
Far as recent auto battlers go, I'm probably going to try out Vivid World that released on the 5th. It seems to be focused on co-op relative to Vivid Knight and that might be a fun twist. I'm also aware of Turnbound releasing later this month, but like most inventory/backpack management games its too clicky for me to play comfortably.
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Comment on Overwatch 2 now: how does it look to you? in ~games
Xuande LinkThe OP lists out most of my reasons nicely, as someone who dropped roughly halfway through OW1's lifespan: Blizzard as a company no longer meeting the scale of "how essential is their product" vs...The OP lists out most of my reasons nicely, as someone who dropped roughly halfway through OW1's lifespan:
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Blizzard as a company no longer meeting the scale of "how essential is their product" vs "how awful is it to support them" for me personally.
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Community toxicity, something I have zero tolerance for anymore.
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Every change I'm aware of that OW2 made is a negative for me.
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I'm getting old and disabled enough that playing a FPS competitively (which I'd have to do, I'm not casual when it comes to my hobbies) isn't viable even if I wanted to.
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In general, what the community and/or developer team want for balance is at odds with what I'd want, which made the meta less enjoyable over time (I had quit by GOATs but would have loved a meta like that, and I recall being annoyed by the Symmetra rework, role queue, and the idea of a 5v5/1 tank format when my preferred role was tank.)
Really though, I'm done with the company. Otherwise, Hearthstone Battlegrounds surely would have ate up a lot of my time as someone who really wants and can't find a viable multiplayer auto battler that fits my needs, but I was well clear of HS before that came out. Instead, I've experienced several others only to find that they're either ran by people I can't support, or they gatekeep me via timers too aggressive for my APM. There's a lot more I could say if it weren't veering off-topic...
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Comment on Who’s playing Blood on the Clocktower? in ~games.tabletop
Xuande LinkHaven't played as its been a long time since I've been capable of a mafia-like social game for many reasons, but I'll mention that Demon Bluff...Haven't played as its been a long time since I've been capable of a mafia-like social game for many reasons, but I'll mention that Demon Bluff (https://store.steampowered.com/app/3522600/Demon_Bluff/) seems like this game if it were in the framework of singleplayer, solving who's evil at a given table. The playtest is generous, and went a long way towards getting me interested in the planned Q1 release.
I used to enjoy watching internet video mafia, but those days are past and when I was recently exposed to BotC for the first time - a charity event ran by players from the recent UK Genius Game season - it seemed overly complex to learn through observation.
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Comment on Is Tildes protected from malicious actors, aka paid trolls, aka bots? in ~tildes
Xuande Link ParentI rarely post, and consider myself fortunate for having gotten access to an account here in the first place - networking is a key skill that I lack. So when I do decide to make an effort post,...I rarely post, and consider myself fortunate for having gotten access to an account here in the first place - networking is a key skill that I lack. So when I do decide to make an effort post, it'll often be long, and in an area where I feel like I have expertise.
And half the time I feel like posting was a mistake, because the voting system here can be a magnet for anxiety, even if its not as harsh as somewhere like Reddit, Discord, or other social media adjacent sites. But I feel more comfortable trying here, because there's less open hostility when people disagree.
For 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 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.