BeardyHat's recent activity
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Comment on What does your computer setup look like? in ~tech
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Comment on What does your computer setup look like? in ~tech
BeardyHat LinkWhich one? Desktop/Server LARGE executive desk (had to take half an inch off the bottom of the feet to get it in the door) absolutely covered in mini-painting accessories and set aside projects....Which one?
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Desktop/Server
LARGE executive desk (had to take half an inch off the bottom of the feet to get it in the door) absolutely covered in mini-painting accessories and set aside projects.
27" 1080p 165Hz monitor
24" 1080p Dell Ultrasharp
Keychron low profile mechanical keyboard
Cheap Logitech G-Series mouse
Mini-ATX case hidden near the desk, Mid-Range gaming specs -
Laptop
Lenovo X1 Nano
Usually sitting on the arm of the couch
Razer Core X eGPU hooked-up for gaming -
HTPC
Connected to 55" TV in the Den/Family Room
Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Combo
Wireless Xbox One Gamepad
Mid-Range gaming specs from about 5-7 years ago, still works great, been playing Dead Space Remake on it -
HTPC 2
In my basement, connected to an older 45" TV
Low-end Specs, my kids play games on this one.
Same wireless Keyboard/Mouse combo unit as the HTPC 1 -
Gaming Laptop for Kids
Mid-range specs from 2015
Sitting on a box with a controller connected to it
Mostly plays Minecraft, Subnautica and Lego City
I've been a PC gamer for 30+ years now and just have a tendency to keep my old hardware and repurpose it. Also, working in IT and having a general love and interest in computers, people tend to just give me stuff, so I have a lot of PC's. These are just the ones that I generally futz with on a daily basis, but there are quite a few more throughout the house being used for different purposes.
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Comment on Parker Solar Probe about to fly into the Sun corona for the first time in ~space
BeardyHat LinkAwesome, thanks for posting! Hadn't even heard of this probe before.Awesome, thanks for posting! Hadn't even heard of this probe before.
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Comment on Holidays mental health thread in ~health.mental
BeardyHat LinkI'm doing pretty well, actually. My depression switch, which was on "Depressed" for the past month or two has finally switched back to "content" and I'm generally feeling pretty alright. I'm...I'm doing pretty well, actually. My depression switch, which was on "Depressed" for the past month or two has finally switched back to "content" and I'm generally feeling pretty alright.
I'm excited for the gifts my kids will receive from my family--my wife and I aren't getting them anything this year, as they'll be getting gifts from each set of grandparents, as well as at least 2 out of 4 uncle's, 3 of 5 Aunts and several cousins--and I'm looking forward to hanging out with both sides of the family on Christmas Eve and Christmas respectively.
Only thing that really gets me down and irritates me is the inevitable political talk. My Brothers and Sisters in-law start talking politics eventually and it ends up being a very tedious cycle; we all agree on issues, it's just not paving any new ground and it's not very interesting, especially with my BiL binging on news and just ranting most of the time.
Other than that, my kids will be on break soon and I'm looking forward to some much needed sleeping in.
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Comment on Anbernic RG34XX now on sale in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentHey the RG405m is metal and plastic with some circuit boards, maybe this is the one!Hey the RG405m is metal and plastic with some circuit boards, maybe this is the one!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentI have been hitting all the shrines I've found, as I'm guessing they're teleport points later in the game (no idea, I've managed to avoid any knowledge of the game), but I had no idea about the...I have been hitting all the shrines I've found, as I'm guessing they're teleport points later in the game (no idea, I've managed to avoid any knowledge of the game), but I had no idea about the birds! I had seen them following me while I was exploring the plains and thought it was a nice bit of detail, but had no idea they're useful.
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Comment on Anbernic RG34XX now on sale in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentYou can sort-of do this with an Android based handheld. I picked up an Anbernic RG405m in August, with my primary goal being pocketability, which it absolutely is. There's no portmaster on it, but...You can sort-of do this with an Android based handheld.
I picked up an Anbernic RG405m in August, with my primary goal being pocketability, which it absolutely is. There's no portmaster on it, but it does have decent battery life, it has Android ports of PC games (I've been playing a heavily modded KOTOR 2) and you can run DOSBOX on it (I've been playing Normality and a bit of Might & Magic: World of Xeen on it).
It's not perfect and takes some tinkering, but it's slightly smaller than my phone and so it comes everywhere with me. Though I did just buy a TrimUI Brick, as I'm a huge fan of small, vertical handhelds.
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Comment on Anbernic RG34XX now on sale in ~games
BeardyHat LinkHonestly have never found the AGB form factor terribly appealing, a bit too chonky and I prefer vertical handhelds by a wide margin. Still, this one looks nice and I watched Russ' review yesterday...Honestly have never found the AGB form factor terribly appealing, a bit too chonky and I prefer vertical handhelds by a wide margin. Still, this one looks nice and I watched Russ' review yesterday and the attention to detail on this is pretty impressive.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentOh, I do like it. As mentioned, I've played 30-hours of it in the past and being me, that's definitely not something I'd do if I hated it! I played Thief back on release (and been meaning to play...Oh, I do like it. As mentioned, I've played 30-hours of it in the past and being me, that's definitely not something I'd do if I hated it! I played Thief back on release (and been meaning to play The Black Parade) and the first Dishonored felt like a revelation at the time.
I think honestly, I'm just going to play it as I played the original Dishonored, which was kind of a "fuck it" mentality. I actually restarted D2 a couple of months ago, but got annoyed in the first level, escaping the palace when I kept getting caught and forcing myself to reload over and over to do it "right." That burned me right the hell out, so this time on my escape, I'm trying to be stealthy, but in the parts where I've been found out, I'm saying fuck it and killing the guards chasing me. I'll usually give it one or two tries, but after that if the game becomes me waiting in a dark corner for 5 minutes, I'm not interested in playing that way.
As for the GPU stuff, it's actually a known issue with AMD cards. I may try and disable the integrated graphics in the BIOS, if that's possible, but at the same time, I'm not interested in compromising the core functionality of my laptop and eGPU combination, which is why I haven't tried yet. The beauty of the eGPU solution is that I can simply unplug my laptop and move around the house with it; if I need to shut it down and go into the BIOS every time to reenable the onboard graphics (if that's even possible on my machine) if I want to unplug the machine and move it, it's too much of a compromise, especially when I have other options for playing the game.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat (edited )LinkI'm jumping back into Dishonored 2 and restarting the game. It's been several years since I played about 30- hours and never completed it, but I'm finally feeling ready to go back, I just hope my...I'm jumping back into Dishonored 2 and restarting the game. It's been several years since I played about 30- hours and never completed it, but I'm finally feeling ready to go back, I just hope my mood holds and I can see it through this time.
One disappointing issue is that it refuses to launch on systems with AMD switchable graphics. I have a 6650 XT eGPU for my laptop and the game just flatout refuses to launch; this is apparently a Bethesda issue and with the death of Arkane, will probably never be fixed. It's pretty unfortunate, as I don't particularly want to play it on my Steam Deck.
I've also been playing Shadow of the Colossus for the first time on PS3, having known nothing about it other than it's a good game. So far I've felled three Colossi and I must say, this game has a very strong, "Are we the baddies?" vibe to it. Being commanded by a booming disembodied voice to go kill these rather (aside from their size) unthreatening looking things and then absorbing dark energy and passing out afterwards; yeah, I'm definite the villain in this story.
And, I also feel guilty. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has gone into Early Access on Steam; or maybe I should say been dumped into Early Access, having run their Kickstarters into the ground over the past ten years they've been asking for funding. My friends, who I introduced to Everquest back in 1999 are all about it, having bought it (for $40!!!) and been playing it since its release three days ago. I watched them Stream on Discord on Saturday and immediately started making fun of them for both still playing Everquest and now playing this game which is a carbon-copy rehash with no (apparent) new ideas to add to the genre; it even uses the same level-up noise from Everquest. Anyway, I continued to make fun of them via Text on Sunday, saying if they bought me the game, I'd play it for at least 5 minutes and well, now they've purchased the game for me.
True to my word, I put at least 5 minutes in, having now played 71 minutes and I must say, it's mediocre and buggy as hell. Performance is absolutely pitiful. It runs like dog doo-doo on both my laptop and my Deck because it's hitting the processor so hard that it causes overheating and throttling, barely maintaining 20FPS with graphics that look barely better than Everquest in 1999 and certainly worse than Everquest 2 from 2004. And, as I mentioned, the gameplay is the same from EQ back in 1999. Kill a few creatures, rest for several minutes to get your health and mana back, rinse, repeat. They even have the grouping requirement where you'll spend hours just looking for a group and then sitting in the same spot for several more hours, killing the same mobs over and over again.
I get the charm. I was once 15 and loving Everquest for how new and novel it felt at the time, but that time has passed and I have better things to do with my time now. I feel bad that my friends bought me this game and want me to play with them because it's just such utter trash; good for them for liking it, but I was content to just make fun of them and not participate. At any rate, I know what this game is and how it plays and at this point, I put my 71 minutes in and I'm all done. Silly game.
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Comment on What are your predictions for 2025? in ~talk
BeardyHat Link ParentI hope Intel doesn't cancel Arc. I'd like to see another viable player in the GPU space.I hope Intel doesn't cancel Arc. I'd like to see another viable player in the GPU space.
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Comment on Chrysler only sells a minivan. The iconic brand’s days could be numbered. in ~transport
BeardyHat Link ParentGood to hear. After I posted my comment, I did some googling just to see what issues people were having and they mostly seemed to be limited to the PHEV vehicles. I really liked the Pacifica and...Good to hear. After I posted my comment, I did some googling just to see what issues people were having and they mostly seemed to be limited to the PHEV vehicles.
I really liked the Pacifica and would love to own one, as I've had a 2004 Grand Caravan for 4 years now and it's been a great car, one of my favorites.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentAh yeah, that makes sense. I'm generally not a fan of procedural generation; I couldn't name anything off the top of my head that I really love that's procedurally generated.Ah yeah, that makes sense. I'm generally not a fan of procedural generation; I couldn't name anything off the top of my head that I really love that's procedurally generated.
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Comment on Chrysler only sells a minivan. The iconic brand’s days could be numbered. in ~transport
BeardyHat Link ParentThe Pacifica is a really nice car; I had one as a rental awhile ago and was really impressed with it. But I would never buy one, especially for $55k. I just don't trust the long term reliability...The Pacifica is a really nice car; I had one as a rental awhile ago and was really impressed with it.
But I would never buy one, especially for $55k. I just don't trust the long term reliability and that it won't have little issues with the electronics. That said, I would be willing to buy a used one maybe in the 20k range, as I would hope that by the time they get to that price, most of the lemons would be weeded out.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentIt is too bad, as I do like the game. I'm even content to play solo, as that's generally how I prefer to game anyway. Funny thing, is I'm not sure what would fix it or really what differentiates...It is too bad, as I do like the game. I'm even content to play solo, as that's generally how I prefer to game anyway.
Funny thing, is I'm not sure what would fix it or really what differentiates it from other games. I've played lots of Vanilla WoW solo and always had a good time, but that's essentially a similar treadmill, so I can't put my finger on why Elite feels different. Maybe just the fact that generally each system looks the same and there's not a lot of interesting things to find, it seems.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentToo bad. I think I'm kind of over it at this point; don't really feel any pull to continue outside of making more credits, which doesn't amount to much. I like exploring in games and I like space,...Too bad.
I think I'm kind of over it at this point; don't really feel any pull to continue outside of making more credits, which doesn't amount to much. I like exploring in games and I like space, but exploration and scanning planets isn't terribly interesting to me and again kind of seems to be done just for the sake of it.
I still do like the game and I'll probably pick it back up again at some point, but for now, I think I'm going to set it down.
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Comment on ‘Malcolm In The Middle’ revived for new episodes on Disney+ with Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek in ~tv
BeardyHat Link ParentDidn't they also have another baby toward the end of the series?Didn't they also have another baby toward the end of the series?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentI'm just trying to figure out what to do with myself now. I tried an operation last night, but I have to say, it was pretty dull. Go to a planet, find the settlement (I dislike the FSS system),...I'm just trying to figure out what to do with myself now. I tried an operation last night, but I have to say, it was pretty dull. Go to a planet, find the settlement (I dislike the FSS system), scan the thing and leave.
I wasn't really looking for the rewards--though they were a pittance in comparison to what I've been making--but just for something different to do, which was pretty dull. My initial judgement from 10 years ago seems to still hold true, which is that the game is neat, controlling the ship is cool, but ultimately it feels kind of shallow.
I'm wondering if I should head towards Sol or something and see if participating in the Thargoid stuff is interesting, but I also haven't explored engineering or whatever it is and wouldn't mind finding some more ground operations.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentThanks for the offer! I'm just going to keep cranking away though, as I get some satisfaction from it. I'm currently up to close to 140million credits after spending almost 50-million on a Type 8...Thanks for the offer! I'm just going to keep cranking away though, as I get some satisfaction from it. I'm currently up to close to 140million credits after spending almost 50-million on a Type 8 Hauler.
That looks interesting. Do you put the monitor between your legs or can you move the monitor and get it closer to your face? I've been interested in experimenting with a setup like this, but I don't think my wife would go for it, so I stick to my laptop instead.