arqalite's recent activity
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
arqalite LinkI'm building a finance and personal goal tracking app for my partner. It's currently codenamed "Lifesync" and I have a usable demo here. I am very much a backend developer so UI work is a bit...I'm building a finance and personal goal tracking app for my partner. It's currently codenamed "Lifesync" and I have a usable demo here.
I am very much a backend developer so UI work is a bit tough for me, but I'm having fun getting animations working and stuff. The browser drag and drop API is horrendous though, it's a miracle stuff works.
I'm taking a break to play through and finish CONTROL Resonant right now, but after that I want to go on a bug squashing session as my partner identified a few issues. Then I want to add a new page dedicating to mortgage tracking, since he wants to see how many months he has left, the principal and the interest, and how those change when paying in advance.
For the foreseeable future it will be a tool built for his use and preferences, but I do want to open-source it at some point should anyone else find it useful.
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Comment on Control Resonant PC performance review – beautiful tech, scalable visuals, and optimised settings in ~games
arqalite Link ParentYeah, I'm definitely checking ProtonDB every time and looking at Linux gaming communities before buying. I do have a Windows machine for the worst case scenarios anyway.Yeah, I'm definitely checking ProtonDB every time and looking at Linux gaming communities before buying.
I do have a Windows machine for the worst case scenarios anyway.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
arqalite Link ParentI did Central, I just wasn't able to complete the Resonant mission in the Park because I got killed too fast. I finished West Incursion and I'm level 5 now. I'll go fetch that artifact from the...I did Central, I just wasn't able to complete the Resonant mission in the Park because I got killed too fast.
I finished West Incursion and I'm level 5 now. I'll go fetch that artifact from the vendor and give it a second try soon.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
arqalite Link ParentSame here. Not really spoilers but still The Artist was a bit confusing at first (first boss syndrome, mostly) but once I learnt the attack patterns it was fine. For the Deserter I just ran around...Same here.
Not really spoilers but still
The Artist was a bit confusing at first (first boss syndrome, mostly) but once I learnt the attack patterns it was fine.
For the Deserter I just ran around and waited for his attack where he slams himself on the floor, that gives you plenty of time to deal damage; also he's very slow with some attacks.
By the time I got to the Dancer I was so overleveled that I killed her too fast and I didn't get to properly enjoy Obsessive Compulsive Order (my favorite OST track, was also in the trailer) in its natural environment ðŸ˜
I expect to get destroyed by the Mold Resonant though considering how tough the Park is. We'll see.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
arqalite LinkAlso on CONTROL Resonant like a lot of folks here. I've taken it a bit more slow, combing over every nook and cranny of Altered Manhattan to make sure I don't miss anything (and I still found out...Also on CONTROL Resonant like a lot of folks here.
I've taken it a bit more slow, combing over every nook and cranny of Altered Manhattan to make sure I don't miss anything (and I still found out online I did miss some stuff I will immediately go find tonight).
I did make a minor error going into The Park at level 4 and was steamrolled by the Mold. I was confused how to get strong enough to beat them because I already did all the World Feats, found all the accessible crates and the random encounters in the other areas were too sparse.
Then I realized the West Incursion Zone is actually reachable (I thought I needed the gravity abilities to get to it) and that area is level 3-4 and it all made sense. The Resonant there is down, all the World Feats reset, all is good. Today we slaughter some Hiss and get strong enough for the Park.
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Comment on Announcing the eighth annual Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo)! in ~tildes
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Comment on Control Resonant PC performance review – beautiful tech, scalable visuals, and optimised settings in ~games
arqalite Link ParentAgreed. What's also disappointing is that the prerelease FAQ said the game will be Steam Deck compatible but Valve granted it an Unsupported rating after the release, so that was a lie. And...Agreed.
What's also disappointing is that the prerelease FAQ said the game will be Steam Deck compatible but Valve granted it an Unsupported rating after the release, so that was a lie.
And reports online say it performs poorly on the Steam Deck.
I'm playing on a Ryzen 7540U laptop so I usually go for Steam Deck approved titles because I know they will more or less run on it.
Resonant is playable on my machine thankfully, but on Handheld preset with everything turned off.
So I suspect "game runs under Proton" turned into "game is Steam Deck-compatible" at some point and they removed it as soon as they realized it.
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Comment on Control Resonant PC performance review – beautiful tech, scalable visuals, and optimised settings in ~games
arqalite Link ParentSame here, FSR seems to really struggle, so I opted to just play on low settings at native resolution.Same here, FSR seems to really struggle, so I opted to just play on low settings at native resolution.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
arqalite LinkCONTROL Resonant is out right now (with a 93GB launch hotfix lmao); so hyped! Anyone else planning on playing it this weekend? Would love to share opinions and theories on it.CONTROL Resonant is out right now (with a 93GB launch hotfix lmao); so hyped!
Anyone else planning on playing it this weekend? Would love to share opinions and theories on it.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
arqalite Link ParentYeah, they're quite different from the original games and I'm hoping Legacy of Atlantis will still keep the current formula instead of trying to go back to the original gameplay ideas.Yeah, they're quite different from the original games and I'm hoping Legacy of Atlantis will still keep the current formula instead of trying to go back to the original gameplay ideas.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
arqalite Link ParentI haven't played either of the Death Stranding games; what do you think of them so far? I've always considered playing DS1 but I never pulled the trigger on it. With Resonant coming in 2 days I...I haven't played either of the Death Stranding games; what do you think of them so far? I've always considered playing DS1 but I never pulled the trigger on it. With Resonant coming in 2 days I probably won't pick it up now, but I could do so after I finish Resonant.
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Comment on There is no epidemic of loneliness, but there is an epidemic of social scurvy in ~life
arqalite Link ParentYeah, Raise Moon's gimmick is quite fun, no more searching, just drawing over and over. And Starter Squeeze is quite the card. I loved Qli back in 2015 (to be fair I loved all the Duelist Alliance...Yeah, Raise Moon's gimmick is quite fun, no more searching, just drawing over and over. And Starter Squeeze is quite the card.
I loved Qli back in 2015 (to be fair I loved all the Duelist Alliance era decks), it really does need some modern support but Konami doesn't seem too interested. Enneacraft does at least call back to them ever so slightly with the pay 900 to search effect (and Deftero being also pointy like Scout).
Surprised to hear the locals crowd is that young; the vast majority of players here are over the age of 21. Kids are vastly more interested in Pokemon here.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
arqalite LinkSince I last posted here, I have 100%'ed both Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. I have no words to describe how much I loved this trilogy, it just encapsulates everything I...Since I last posted here, I have 100%'ed both Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
I have no words to describe how much I loved this trilogy, it just encapsulates everything I could possibly want from a single-player game.
Rise was so incredibly tight and polished, no complaints. While Shadow has some warts, it just is so much larger and comprehensive than Rise that I love it just the same. Hoping Legacy of Atlantis will improve on the existing systems, I honestly do not want much of the mechanics to change and would be entirely fine with the original reimagined with the systems already in place.
Now a short break until Thursday, when Control Resonant drops, I am so ready.
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Comment on There is no epidemic of loneliness, but there is an epidemic of social scurvy in ~life
arqalite Link ParentI do sometimes post about my work on various YGO related software on here but it's been a while since I did anything new on that front. I brought Enneacraft to a regional last weekend, mostly...I do sometimes post about my work on various YGO related software on here but it's been a while since I did anything new on that front.
I brought Enneacraft to a regional last weekend, mostly wanted to vibe and catch some people off-guard. Went 3-3 so I call that a success.
Fire King is my favorite deck of all time so I'm still playing a lot of it, alongside some Ryzeal and Gem-Knight.
I don't have anything that keeps up with the meta though, not a fan of neither ROLAD nor Elfnote, and while I love playing Sky Striker and Branded, I just didn't see any success with them these past few months. So I'm living the rogue life until December, when I plan to build both Trirealm and Raise Moon.
What about you? What have you been playing?
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Comment on There is no epidemic of loneliness, but there is an epidemic of social scurvy in ~life
arqalite (edited )Link ParentI do play casual Commander, with the Ashling precon; I need to grab some upgrades to match everyone else's decks though. Riftbound is also fun but it coincides with the YGO days so I have to pick,...I do play casual Commander, with the Ashling precon; I need to grab some upgrades to match everyone else's decks though.
Riftbound is also fun but it coincides with the YGO days so I have to pick, and I'd still choose YGO every time.
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Comment on There is no epidemic of loneliness, but there is an epidemic of social scurvy in ~life
arqalite LinkAs someone struggling with social cues and often getting the impression that I just "can't socialize right" (whatever my brain thinks that means), going out and spending time with new people was...As someone struggling with social cues and often getting the impression that I just "can't socialize right" (whatever my brain thinks that means), going out and spending time with new people was and still is terrifying.
But picking up a trading card game (Yu-Gi-Oh!) and showing up to weekly tournaments has been largely beneficial, even if I, like @zazowoo, have not managed to get past the acquaintance stage with anyone there. We're still having a good time for 4-5 hours once or twice a week, so does it really matter?
I do still get into phases of "do I really have to show up?" and when the metagame is less fun (as it is right now, the latest balance changes are not enough to resolve the issue of the player going second not having enough tools to win) that gets accentuated because I don't want to play a game if I'm not having fun with it. But still, going to locals and hanging out can still be fun even when the game is trash.
(As a side-note, the Harper's article on the rise of gooning linked in this article was a fascinating read. NSFW, of course.)
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
arqalite Link ParentThe JSON object looks like this: { "ActivityType": "PushMessageSeen", "ActivityDetails": [ { "ActivityItemType": "Message", "ItemName": "30 Settembre - inizio piano", "ActivityUtcTime":...The JSON object looks like this:
{ "ActivityType": "PushMessageSeen", "ActivityDetails": [ { "ActivityItemType": "Message", "ItemName": "30 Settembre - inizio piano", "ActivityUtcTime": "2023-09-30T08:38:22+00:00" } ... ] }So each entry is just the name of the push notification campaign and the date the notification was sent.
They claim them as "seen" but I'm unsure if that just means that the OS displayed the push notification, or if it's marked as seen if I click or swipe it away (I do hope Android does not report back to apps if notifications are swiped away but who knows at this point).
For in-app advertisements and offers, they do separate between an impression, a click, and a sale/redemption.
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
arqalite LinkFollowing up on my other comment, I have received the data from the GDPR request I made. Took 28 days on the dot which makes me think they have an automation that sends the data after that time...- Exemplary
Following up on my other comment, I have received the data from the GDPR request I made.
Took 28 days on the dot which makes me think they have an automation that sends the data after that time has passed, with the 2 days as a buffer to avoid getting into trouble.
I received 26,495 lines of JSON, most likely a sanitized database dump, containing the following:
- Account and identity data
- Loyalty card and points history
- Purchase history
- App telemetry
- Advertisement and offer exposure
- Push notification activity
- Marketing segmentation and churn classifications (more on these later)
- Inferred preferences and demographic attributes
- Device and third-party identifiers
- GDPR consent history
- Data request logs (so they keep track of when and how you request the data)
Here's the notable findings:
- This object in the account data section:
"ThirdPartyIdentifiers": [ { "SystemType": "VMobExtID", "Identifier": "EXT-9mmtle" } ]- Seems to link to a marketing platform named VMob and I am curious what data is shared with them considering they have an identifier.
- I've been added to some marketing and experimentation groups:
- CRM-Churn - Romania_Churn_TestGroup_80Percent
- Sample Group - Exclusive offers 2
- Segment - TestControlGroup
- Segment - Exclusive Offers B
- Inferred Segment - Exclusive Offers D
- Inferred Segment - NoN_EE_Users
- I'm in the product preference categories 1, 2, 6, 10, 11, and 12. They are unlabeled so I don't know what they individually mean, but I can generally guess what they are based on what I know I ordered from them in the past.
- They keep detailed logs of every single ad, push notification and offer that I have ever seen, clicked, or interacted with - assuming this is only in the app, but they don't specify where the ad was ran.
- Some offers still have
isActive: truedespite being expired, which is interesting.
I have sent their DPO a follow-up email asking some clarifying questions about the segments and groups and what tests were ran on my account, alongside more information about their data sharing with VMob; don't expect to get much detail but it's worth a try.
If any of you want more detail, feel free to ask, I skipped over a lot of less interesting stuff.
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
arqalite Link ParentTurns out they probably have an automation that sends the data after exactly 28 days, which is interesting. I received a large JSON file and will parse it soon to see what McDonalds in the EU does.Turns out they probably have an automation that sends the data after exactly 28 days, which is interesting.
I received a large JSON file and will parse it soon to see what McDonalds in the EU does.
Oh no, October arrived too fast, I hadn't decided what to commit to yet!
I think I'll try music again, I haven't written anything in months, and I did start to feel the urge to create.
The only issue is that I no longer have my music software set up, so I'll probably dedicate this weekend to that. I also want to challenge myself to work with Linux-native software only, this should be a nice constraint and I'll also get to skip setting up Yabridge and all my VSTs again.
I'll start simple - write a 2-track single. I've been enjoying a lot of Solence and Autumn Kings lately, so maybe some electronic rock would be fun to explore? Although knowing me, I'll find my way to house and hip-hop beats very quickly so I'll have to pull myself out of the comfort zone. We'll see!