belak's recent activity

  1. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    belak
    Link Parent
    Yes! I’ve heard a few people mention Chants of Sennaar and it sounds right up my alley - I’m waiting for it to go on a big enough sale but I’ll definitely pick it up eventually.

    Yes! I’ve heard a few people mention Chants of Sennaar and it sounds right up my alley - I’m waiting for it to go on a big enough sale but I’ll definitely pick it up eventually.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    belak
    Link Parent
    Have you played Control at all? It's a bit of a different game, but I think some of the late-game DLC is somewhat relevant to Alan Wake. It's definitely on my list of games to go back to.

    Have you played Control at all? It's a bit of a different game, but I think some of the late-game DLC is somewhat relevant to Alan Wake. It's definitely on my list of games to go back to.

    5 votes

  3. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    belak
    Link
    For context: I'm limited to either shorter games, games that can be played on the steam deck, or games you can pick up and put down due to having a young kid. Currently Playing Final Fantasy XVI -...

    For context: I'm limited to either shorter games, games that can be played on the steam deck, or games you can pick up and put down due to having a young kid.

    Currently Playing

    • Final Fantasy XVI - I love the Final Fantasy games, and while this one is quite a bit different (due to real-time action combat), I'm really here for the story. I've been enjoying that aspect of it quite a bit, along with the pretty graphics - they really made magic look really good. This is my one longer form game, and I've been playing it after everyone else in the house goes to bed, since that's one of the few times I can get an extended play session.
    • Elephantasy - I'm in the final area, and could probably complete the game with a good 20-30 minute session. This is one of my top games this year - it's exploration focused (outside a very small number of combat encounters), and does an amazing job of making you think about how to traverse the world. I'm getting similar vibes to when I played Fez, but with more of a metroidvania spin on the formula.
    • Olli Olli World - This is my pick up and put down game. I love skateboarding games, and while it's a bit different than the Tony Hawk games, this scratches an itch I didn't know I had.

    Next Up

    • Half Life - The updates to this seem to make it much better to play on the Steam Deck so I want to go back and play this.
    • Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin - I've heard this game is bonkers and a bit off the rails, maybe not in a good way, but I want to try it anyway.
    • Elephantasy: Flipside - I'm sure this will be similar to the original for me, but I'm going to want a bit of a break between the two games.

    Looking For

    • Exploration focused games where the main challenge is traversing the world and solving puzzles (The Witness, Outer Wilds, Fez, Elephantasy, Obra Dinn, etc)
    • A good light pick-up-and-play-for-five-minutes game - I started with Downwell, but it's either too hard or I'm not very good.
    3 votes

  4. Comment on Reviews and discussion: Nimona in ~movies

    belak
    Link
    Oh wow. I read Nimona as a webcomic ages ago and bought it when the author released it as a graphic novel. I had no idea they made it into a movie. If you get a chance to read it, the original was...

    Oh wow. I read Nimona as a webcomic ages ago and bought it when the author released it as a graphic novel. I had no idea they made it into a movie.

    If you get a chance to read it, the original was really good as well, though aimed at slightly older audiences than the movie - I’m guessing some of the predictability is coming from toning down and smoothing out the story.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Do you know any games with excellent gameplay but horrible graphics? in ~games

    belak
    Link
    I think the biggest two would be Runescape and Minecraft. Otherwise, lots of older games have graphics which would be considered dated, but great gameplay. Games like Deus Ex, Morrowind, System...

    I think the biggest two would be Runescape and Minecraft.

    Otherwise, lots of older games have graphics which would be considered dated, but great gameplay. Games like Deus Ex, Morrowind, System Shock 2, and early 3D Final Fantasy games (blocky 3D models on top of rendered 2d backgrounds) come immediately to mind.

    For more modern games, there are plenty of indie gems that fit that description: Stephen's Sausage Roll, Vampire Survivors, Pizza Tower, West of Loathing, and arguably Undertale. Some (most?) of those are a stylistic choice, but it's hard to argue that they're easy on the eyes.

    22 votes

  6. Looking for advice on designing 3D printable board game inserts

    ~games.tabletop Ask (advice)
    Hello Tildes board gamers! I got a 3D printer last year, and over the last few months, I've started printing organizers other people have designed from Printables and Thingiverse, especially for...

    Hello Tildes board gamers!

    I got a 3D printer last year, and over the last few months, I've started printing organizers other people have designed from Printables and Thingiverse, especially for games with poor provided organization or lots of tokens and cards... however there are a number of games I have where people haven't designed a good organizer, or the ones which exist are lacking in some way (don't fit my boxes, missing boxes for expansions, only support all the expansions, etc)

    Does anyone have tips on getting started with designing my own? I've got some very basic 3D modeling knowledge, but my primary strengths are as a programmer, so leveraging something like OpenSCAD would be ideal. I saw the boardgame insert toolkit, but it seems relatively basic - there are lots of convenience features I'd love to add as well (like curved walls for token holders to make it easier to get tokens out). Is that a good place to start, or should I look elsewhere?

    Even just some ideas about tolerances and/or tips for how to size sections for cards would be super helpful.

    8 votes

  7. Comment on Deimos, how is it going? in ~tildes

    belak
    Link Parent
    Are there any things on your wishlist which you’d like which but know you don’t have the time to get to for a while? I opened a small MR to improve the TOTP experience, but there’s quite a items...

    Are there any things on your wishlist which you’d like which but know you don’t have the time to get to for a while? I opened a small MR to improve the TOTP experience, but there’s quite a items on the issue tracker and while I’m interested in helping out more, I’m not sure which ones would be good to start with.

    5 votes

  8. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    belak
    Link Parent
    I think it would be possible, but rather than eInk, I'd probably recommend using some sort of LCD. It would let you write a webpage and configure a browser to open in full-screen mode on startup...

    I think it would be possible, but rather than eInk, I'd probably recommend using some sort of LCD. It would let you write a webpage and configure a browser to open in full-screen mode on startup rather than having to do anything embedded.

    In general, working on a Raspberry Pi is what I'd call embedded-lite. You can use the GPIO pins and other hardware directly if you want to, but you also have a full programming environment and aren't limited by the size of the flash chip, or what languages you can use.

    If you wanted to go slightly more lightweight than a full browser, you could use other libraries to draw to the screen.

    Doing an eInk display would be possible with no embedded experience but it would be a lot more work than the alternatives I mentioned, depending on how familiar you are with the languages which have provided libraries for those displays.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    belak
    Link Parent
    I've been using Waveshare eInk displays - they're reasonably priced and generally come with a "hat" for connecting it to a Raspberry Pi via the GPIO pins. There's a Github repo with all their...

    I've been using Waveshare eInk displays - they're reasonably priced and generally come with a "hat" for connecting it to a Raspberry Pi via the GPIO pins. There's a Github repo with all their examples, and they're common enough that there are libraries for them in quite a few languges.

    If you've got a Pi Zero, they make a 2.13" model which matches the size. If you've got a Pi 3B+ or a Pi 4, I'd recommend their 2.7" model with buttons which also matches the size of the PCB. I'm using their 6.5" display and have a very basic 3D printed case for it which also includes a mount for the Pi Zero I'm using to run it.

    So, here's some random stuff to keep in mind:

    • I use a Raspberry Pi which needs constant power, so battery life isn't a big issue for me, but there are people who have powered these from a battery and use stm32-based chips - they only need power when changing what's on the display, so you can get away with a very low-power chip and refresh on an interval. I think they're starting to release models which use a Pi Pico, but I'm not as familiar with those.
    • The refresh rate is not fast - the black and white displays take a few seconds for a full refresh, and the 3-color displays take upwards of 10 seconds for a full refresh.
    • You can probably do a partial refresh for many things, however those work best when you're only updating a portion of the screen. It still requires a full refresh after a number of partial refreshes to avoid ghosting.

    I'm sure there's more, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head. If you've got questions, feel free to send me a message and I'll do what I can to send you in the right direction.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on What are some noteworthy games that aren't available through traditional/common means? in ~games

    belak
    Link Parent
    Yeah, I'd strongly recommend it! One of the reasons I like romhacks which aim to just be tweaks and improvements over the original game - they're great if you're a fan of the game, and seems to...

    Yeah, I'd strongly recommend it! One of the reasons I like romhacks which aim to just be tweaks and improvements over the original game - they're great if you're a fan of the game, and seems to still be good for first-time players as well because the story is intact.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on What are some noteworthy games that aren't available through traditional/common means? in ~games

    belak
    Link Parent
    I haven't heard of that one! It looks cool though! Seems like there's a project someone made to get it working in a stand-alone format, but I haven't used it before, so maybe I'll check it out -...

    Lego Mindstorms "Stormrunner"

    I haven't heard of that one! It looks cool though! Seems like there's a project someone made to get it working in a stand-alone format, but I haven't used it before, so maybe I'll check it out - https://github.com/EvelynSubarrow/Stormrunner.

    1 vote

  12. Comment on What are some noteworthy games that aren't available through traditional/common means? in ~games

    belak
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    That's unfortunate to hear - I don't think he was one of the people I met, but I'll keep that in mind. It's easy enough to find. Not great.

    That's unfortunate to hear - I don't think he was one of the people I met, but I'll keep that in mind.

    Can you give any other details? I don't like making decisions based purely on hearsay. It's easy enough to find. Not great.

  13. Comment on What are some noteworthy games that aren't available through traditional/common means? in ~games

    belak
    (edited )
    Link
    I got into romhacks a while back - I'm particularly a fan of ones which try to stay true to the original. I like these because I feel like they stay true to the original, while introducing some...

    I got into romhacks a while back - I'm particularly a fan of ones which try to stay true to the original. I like these because I feel like they stay true to the original, while introducing some more modern tweaks and improvements.

    There are also a few fan-made English translations for games which never got an English release:

    There's also a bunch of random Pokemon romhacks:

    There are also a bunch of "Perfect" Pokemon romhacks which are usually games where they've made it possible to catch every Pokemon in-game somehow, without trading.

    I was a part of BZPower back in the day, a forum for Lego Bionicle fans and there were a ton of fan-made Bionicle RPGs. In addition to that, there were a ton of official LEGO flash games which I played many hours of - Lego Bionicle Mata Nui Online Game (and the sequel), Lego Spybot: The Nightfall Incident, Lego Junkbot (and the sequel, Junkbot Undercover). Plus there were the old Lego games released on CDROM, like Lego Rock Raiders.

    In addition to those, I was a huge fan of old RPG Maker games. I don't remember all of the good ones, but there were a ton of high quality RPGMaker 2000 and RPGMaker 2003 games that were released. The hard thing back in the day was finding a copy of the engine that worked and was in English.

    • A Blurred Line - this had it all - minigames, great combat, impressive custom work. Unfortunately, even though the wiki says it's finished, the story left off on a big cliffhanger.
    • The Way
    • Love & War

    Whoo, there's a lot there. Sorry for the rambling.

    Anyway, I'd love to hear about other peoples RPGMaker recommendations!

    11 votes

  14. Comment on What are some noteworthy games that aren't available through traditional/common means? in ~games

    belak
    Link Parent
    I had a chance to meet the devs of Kingdom of Loathing at one of the first Day of the Devs events - really nice people. It was really interesting chatting to them about how some of the internals...

    I had a chance to meet the devs of Kingdom of Loathing at one of the first Day of the Devs events - really nice people. It was really interesting chatting to them about how some of the internals worked.

    West of Loathing was great. I haven't gotten a chance to play Shadows Over Loathing yet, but I'm looking forward to it - they have an amazing sense of humor.

    3 votes

  15. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    belak
    Link
    Right now I think I have too many personal projects, so none of them have been getting the time they deserve... Personal dashboard eink display, themed like the Portal test chamber panels - this...

    Right now I think I have too many personal projects, so none of them have been getting the time they deserve...

    • Personal dashboard eink display, themed like the Portal test chamber panels - this one's the closest. I've got a mockup done, the rPi is ready, the eInk display is hooked up (though I'll need bindings for whatever language I go with), so it's finalizing the design (which is about 50-60% finished so far) and hooking it up to data sources that's left.
    • libretro frontend for low-power devices similar to Picoarch written in Rust - this one's currently blocked on legacy sdl1.2 bindings which I've been working on, but very slowly.
    • Rewriting my Discord/IRC/Minecraft chat proxy backend in Go - it's currently written in Rust. I'd like to add more advanced features to it and Go seems like a decent language to do it in, but every time I end up working on this, I get sucked into working on all the pieces needed to build a web-app in Go.

    I've also got some homelab stuff I want to work on, but that's lower priority at the moment.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Mysterious, thoughtful games? A genre I can't define in ~games

    belak
    Link Parent
    Yeah, good callout! I liked Toki Tori 2 as well, but I think I've played the opening around 3-4 times thinking it would be easier to follow through.

    Yeah, good callout! I liked Toki Tori 2 as well, but I think I've played the opening around 3-4 times thinking it would be easier to follow through.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Mysterious, thoughtful games? A genre I can't define in ~games

    belak
    Link Parent
    There's definitely more going on under the hood, and it's got weird mysterious undertones, but if you don't like card games, I'd recommend playing something else that sounds interesting to you -...

    There's definitely more going on under the hood, and it's got weird mysterious undertones, but if you don't like card games, I'd recommend playing something else that sounds interesting to you - no sense adding something to your backlog if it doesn't sound interesting and you're just picking it up on a recommendation.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on Mysterious, thoughtful games? A genre I can't define in ~games

    belak
    Link
    Return of the Obra Dinn - mystery/investigation with a supernatural pocketwatch on an East India Trading Company ship Fez - 3D puzzle platformer where you can only see 2 dimensions at a time, but...
    • Return of the Obra Dinn - mystery/investigation with a supernatural pocketwatch on an East India Trading Company ship
    • Fez - 3D puzzle platformer where you can only see 2 dimensions at a time, but you can rotate between them. This is one of my all-time favorite game.
    • Antichamber - non-euclidian exploration focused platformer
    • Superliminal - a puzzle game about the size of things
    • Manifold Garden - another non-euclidian exploration focused platformer
    • The Witness - this one was brought up elsewhere in the thread, but it's a great puzzle game which does a good job of introducing the mechanics in a logical way
    • Baba is You - puzzle game focused on the interactions of different rules
    • The Sexy Brutale - murder mystery with a timeloop mechanic
    • The Room - it's a series of puzzlebox games, but they're fun and take some thought
    8 votes

  19. Comment on Keyboard thread in ~hobbies

    belak
    Link
    I got way too deep into keyboards for a while, but I've settled on a few staples for now: Whitefox Eclipse - I've owned multiple Whitefox boards over the years and I love the layout. I'm looking...

    I got way too deep into keyboards for a while, but I've settled on a few staples for now:

    • Whitefox Eclipse - I've owned multiple Whitefox boards over the years and I love the layout. I'm looking forward to this when I get it... it's pretty much an endgame board for me.
    • NuPhy Air60 - this is my travel board. It's small, it's light, it's pretty usable. The only downside is the firmware.

    I'm a big fan of tactile switches... I've been using Zeal PC Zilents for years, but does anyone have recommendations on their favorite tactile switches? I'm considering picking up a new set for when my Whitefox gets here.

    1 vote

  20. Comment on Cozy games in ~games

    belak
    Link
    Stardew Valley - you run a farm you inherited from your grandpa Fez - it's a 3d puzzler where you can only see 2 dimensions at a time Journey - I'm not sure this one qualifies as cozy, but it's...
    • Stardew Valley - you run a farm you inherited from your grandpa
    • Fez - it's a 3d puzzler where you can only see 2 dimensions at a time
    • Journey - I'm not sure this one qualifies as cozy, but it's definitely very chill - you're on a journey up a mountain
    • Abzu - an underwater adventure
    • Outer Wilds - it's the day of your first space launch and you get to explore the solar system to uncover its mysteries
    • Toem - you wander around taking photos and solving light puzzles

    Lots of good options! I'm going to be following this thread too.

    5 votes