Chemslayer's recent activity
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Comment on Final Fantasy Resonance | Trailer in ~games
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Comment on Recommendations for e-ink tablets? in ~tech
Chemslayer Link ParentI also got a Paper Pro, but my use case is primarily reading, with sketching and note-taking on the side. Not what OP asked for, but want to add my experience with these use cases: For reading...I also got a Paper Pro, but my use case is primarily reading, with sketching and note-taking on the side. Not what OP asked for, but want to add my experience with these use cases:
For reading anything other than small PDFs, the native experience on the remarkable is awful: it auto-converts your Epubs to PDFs, bloating the size and hindering or outright removing the ability to resize text etc. There's basically no e-reader features (page count, bookmarks are a pain). If you're looking for an out-of-the-box reader, stay far away.
What is nice about the remarkable though, is that since it's built on Linux it has to have developer options, and as a result there's been a decently featured community built around hacking the device. It was not difficult (but somewhat involved) to get several new features added to my device, including a proper E-reader app in KOReader. It's still much more involved (adding books to my device involves SSH), but it does work and I've come to appreciate KOReader 's many granular options.
For note taking, great as you'd expect, and the writing feel is fantastic, much more natural than my previous two Kindle Scribe and Boox Airnote 5C. I don't pay for their subscription, but even for free I can easily backup my notes and drawings and have built-in Google drive sync too. The drawing tools aren't super diverse, but it has the important bits imo (layers, different tips). The coolest part is the "shader" tool that puts down slightly transparent color, which you can use to put many layers of different colors to create your own colors! I would still vastly prefer just a color wheel, but that doesn't seem to be a feature on any e-ink tablet for some reason, so this is the next best thing.
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Comment on Recommendations for e-ink tablets? in ~tech
Chemslayer Link ParentAdding a word of caution for Boox: the device is lovely (I had the Boox Airnote 5), and the flexibility with being an android operating system is great. Customer service is pretty awful though....Adding a word of caution for Boox: the device is lovely (I had the Boox Airnote 5), and the flexibility with being an android operating system is great.
Customer service is pretty awful though. When my Boox bricked (which in my case was my fault, liquid spill, can't really blame that part), it was over a week before they originally responded to my request, and another two before they finally gave me an RMA #. At that point I had already given up and got myself a Remarkable, and with my experience plus many many online complaints I didn't bother to send it in, as there's lots of posts on the internet of them essentially holding items hostage after raising the prices up way beyond their initial estimates for repairs, including free warranty repairs.
So: cool device, but if anything goes wrong expect slow and possibly no support.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
Chemslayer Link ParentItem description mod still exists and is still wonderful. Thankfully tho with the (still technically-in-beta) free DLC Repentance+ they finally added in-game item descriptions, unlocked after...Item description mod still exists and is still wonderful. Thankfully tho with the (still technically-in-beta) free DLC Repentance+ they finally added in-game item descriptions, unlocked after beating Mom once. I haven't used it (as I still like the mod for all the extra info it gives like transformation and synergy info), but I'm glad there's finally a built-in solution.
It is true though that this is a game with secrets, and I can't imagine 100%'ing it using just your own discovery alone. Some secrets are so specific I can't imagine them being discovered solo (like the unlock method for The Forgotten). Granted, the game was designed with the idea of community exploration and discovery specifically in mind (the original unlock ARG for The Lost comes to mind), but something to be aware of going in. (Although the venn diagram of people who want to 100% a game and people who don't want to engage with any community content about that game has to be incredibly tiny I imagine).
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
Chemslayer LinkEasy answer for me: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (with all its DLC if thats allowed). It's flash predecessor was my introduction to roguelikes as a genre, which is now my favorite genre by a...Easy answer for me: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (with all its DLC if thats allowed). It's flash predecessor was my introduction to roguelikes as a genre, which is now my favorite genre by a mile. And while I've played a ton of amazing roguelikes since, Isaac is the only one that I still regularly come back to.
For me, it's a combination of two things: the real-time action component, and the simplicity and focus on mechanics.
The real-time action component is a crucially underappreciated factor in the modern roguelike landscape imo. I love a turn-based or deck builder (shout-out STS2, Mewgenics, Monster Train), but what I really like about real-time is that player skill is not just based on knowledge, but can also be developed as a physical skill. Plus, turn-based games kind of have to rely on stats by design, meaning unfortunate rolls of RNG can put you in unwinnable positions, whereas even the unluckiest Isaac run can still be won with enough ducking and dodging.
The simplicity is probably what keeps me coming back. Note when I say simple, I don't mean that there's not a lot going on (800+ items, 34 characters, many branching paths/bosses/etc). What I mean is the game is about the game, and the mechanics, and everything else is just dressing.
My counter example would be Hades and Hades 2 (which I also love and would highly recommend btw): they both have amazing art and voice acting and cool stories which add a ton to the experience. But the problem there is eventually (after 100-200 hours mind) the story runs out, and you're left with just the game, which is still good but doesn't reach those same heights, and makes coming back to play the occasional run or two less satisfying for me.
Isaac skirted around this by barely having a story, so there's nothing to run out of. The appeal is focused entirely on the gameplay, so even after you've unlocked everything and seen the final cutscene a new run doesn't feel like it's lacking anything.
Also want to praise the game for its reasonable run lengths (usually 30-45 mins, easy to fit in to a schedule). And this is a preference, but I really appreciate the lack of a meta-progression based on currency or whatnot; the unlocks are almost all based on achieving victories, and there's no dust or shards or whatever to bring to a vendor to get an extra few % of a stat. Which ties into the above, where the only main way to improve is to improve your own gameplay, which is satisfying.
I've got over 1000 hours, and while I don't mainline it anymore, I do still come back every few months for some runs. Really an evergreen title for me
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Comment on Guild Wars 3 officially revealed in ~games
Chemslayer LinkMMO with a controller! I will be watching closely. I did play GW2 back in the day, mostly single-player but had a lot of fun with it (this was pre any expansions). I really enjoyed the kindness of...MMO with a controller! I will be watching closely.
I did play GW2 back in the day, mostly single-player but had a lot of fun with it (this was pre any expansions). I really enjoyed the kindness of a lot of the systems compared to my previous two MMO experiences, RuneScape and WoW. I really enjoyed the jumping puzzles too, which with this focus on movement tech will hopefully be a part of the new game.
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Comment on I'm ever more annoyed with Steam in ~games
Chemslayer Link ParentI feel like Valve aren't pouring resources into Mac compatibility for the same reason that they are pouring it into Linux: Mac is yet another walled garden, subject to the whims of another...I feel like Valve aren't pouring resources into Mac compatibility for the same reason that they are pouring it into Linux: Mac is yet another walled garden, subject to the whims of another corporation that Valve would have no control over. The whole reason for the push into Linux wasn't some kind of ethical stance, it was because Microsoft was flirting with making their gaming on their OS walled off (and thus either cutting steam out entirely or forcing them to bend to MS's demands), so Valve decided to hedge the bets for the future by going with the open-source compatibility
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Comment on Do you prefer to 100% games, or to move on to new experiences? in ~games
Chemslayer LinkI don't necessarily 100% games, but I do focus on one game at a time, until I feel I've squeezed all the juice out of it. I very very rarely play two games concurrently, unless some are...I don't necessarily 100% games, but I do focus on one game at a time, until I feel I've squeezed all the juice out of it. I very very rarely play two games concurrently, unless some are multiplayer with friends (which I sadly haven't had friends who play multiplayer vidyas in a long while).
Usually I'll get a new game (almost always after eyeballing it for a while), and play it until I get bored. I tend towards roguelikes, so usually it's 100-200 hours of play, over the course of months. I will 100% if its reasonable (most recently perfected Hades 2, as the last few achievements after the "natural" conclusion weren't too onorous), but I'm usually fine leaving it undone. Consequently, I very rarely come back to a game once I've sucked it dry, unless some big new content comes out for it (new DLC or expansion level stuff).
I do also feel similar re: having games rot on a digital shelf. I def don't have a clean backlog (I too used to be into the many game bundles back in the day), but nowadays I only really get a game when I'm going to play it pretty much immediately. Spending money on something that I might use later feels bad to me, and I'm so patient when it comes to gaming I don't get FOMO on sales as I can just wait until it goes on sale again.
So, while I don't 100% them, I do focus on one game at a time at length until I've gathered all the joy I can, before moving onto the next.
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Comment on Audible mandating authors transition to new royalty system or lose payments in ~books
Chemslayer Link ParentLmao, to be fair I learned about Libro from a different Tildes post a while ago, so the propagation works. Also, I got in 2 minutes before the next guy ;P Also responding to your parent, fwiw you...Lmao, to be fair I learned about Libro from a different Tildes post a while ago, so the propagation works.
Also, I got in 2 minutes before the next guy ;P
Also responding to your parent, fwiw you can still get a refund even if you download the DRM-free file, I got a Little Women audiobook with awful sound balancing and was able to get my credit refunded still. (I did delete that backup to be honest and because again it was terrible, but they didn't ask for any proof of that or anything)
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Comment on Audible mandating authors transition to new royalty system or lose payments in ~books
Chemslayer Link ParentAs a suggestion for you and others, check out Libro.fm! Among it's many cool features (directly supporting local book stores with profit share), every audiobook has easily-accessible DRM-Free...As a suggestion for you and others, check out Libro.fm! Among it's many cool features (directly supporting local book stores with profit share), every audiobook has easily-accessible DRM-Free download options!
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Chemslayer LinkThe final volume of The Princess I Loved in My Past Life is Now a Middle-Aged Dad released yesterday, and I got and read that. It was a very short series (only 3 volumes total), but it was cute...The final volume of The Princess I Loved in My Past Life is Now a Middle-Aged Dad released yesterday, and I got and read that. It was a very short series (only 3 volumes total), but it was cute and humorous. It wasn't particularly deep or innovative, so don't go in expecting a multi-layered romance, but the art is nice, the characters are cute, and the series is short enough that the relative one-dimensionality of the characters doesn't wear thin.
As an aside, it is also how I learned that same-sex marriage is still illegal in Japan apparently, crazy.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #5: Pineapple on pizza? (Results) in ~talk
Chemslayer (edited )Link ParentOh man, here's my half-italian American hot take: American-style pizza is a massive improvement over Italian pizza, in pretty much every way. Having been to Italy plenty of times, and loving most...- Exemplary
Oh man, here's my half-italian American hot take: American-style pizza is a massive improvement over Italian pizza, in pretty much every way. Having been to Italy plenty of times, and loving most of the food there, the pizza is always a disappointment to me: little baby thin crust (but not in a crunchy delicious "thin crust" way, just a sad layer of flour), the two droplets of sauce (if that), the cheese that is inexplicably less delicious despite Italy's cheese selection being amazing, and just the overall lack of salt or sugar or anything. I'd take a Dominos pepperoni pizza over a pizza in Italy any day of the week.
Relatedly, I do think Pizza is one of the foods that is best when cheap, and trying to make it fancy or gourmet paradoxically makes it less delicious. I can't argue whether or not the traditional Italian style might be more nutritious, or wholesome by some metric, but if we're judging by actual enjoyment of the food item the Italian-Americans did the right thing with the modifications IMO.
To answer the OP: I don't personally like to eat it, but I do not care about pineapple on pizza, and if others want to eat it that's fine. Pizza has already been so bastardized in a million different ways, it seems weird to me that people will draw some philosophical line in the sand at pineapple not being "true" pizzs
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Chemslayer Link ParentI could not finish Consider Phlebas (the first Culture Series book). I really loved the world, and the world-building, and all the neat scifi details. I just got so dang bored by brooding special...I could not finish Consider Phlebas (the first Culture Series book). I really loved the world, and the world-building, and all the neat scifi details. I just got so dang bored by brooding special boi MC and all his brooding thoughts.
Are the rest in the series noticeably different? I know Culture is a widely respected Scifi series, and I really liked the non-MC side-vignettes and general vibe, but being chained to the narrative following this bloke killed my momentum. If the following books let go of the need for the narrative focus I could see enjoying them more
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Chemslayer Link ParentResponse to spoilers above I'm still only partway through Vol 3 (of 12), but so far it seems like reincarnation made a bunch of sense, even if it was weird as hell. They needed MC to be connected...Response to spoilers above
I'm still only partway through Vol 3 (of 12), but so far it seems like reincarnation made a bunch of sense, even if it was weird as hell. They needed MC to be connected to Ai by more than just idol-obsession, but also just having him be a normal, non-reincarnate child would've meant he couldn't have (realistically) had the drive and determination to dedicate himself to revenge at 3 years old. Plus, "Child avenging parent" is a different vibe than "Idol Stan avenging Idol". He could've just avenged her as an adult doctor, but I feel like that would've been a more straightforward revenge story, whereas this is giving an almost Death-Note-esque "undercover" planned and information gathering plot.
Again, I won't be surprised to be surprised if the story takes another hard genre pivot, but based on my current evidence reincarnation makes sense imo
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Chemslayer LinkStarting reading Oshi No Ko manga. I really loved the author Aka Akasaka's other series Kaguya-Sama: Love is War (thanks again @Trobador for that rec), and this seems to be the only other...Starting reading Oshi No Ko manga. I really loved the author Aka Akasaka's other series Kaguya-Sama: Love is War (thanks again @Trobador for that rec), and this seems to be the only other officially-english-available series of his. I'm halfway through Vol 3 so far, and while I was expecting it to be unhinged (which I enjoy), it has exceeded those expectations ha.
Hard to describe it without too much spoilers, but essentially a 40-something gynecologist is a huge fan of a 16-year-old pop idol (yes it's strange, and the other characters give him a hard time about it, but he at least seems to be as least weird as an adult idol fan can be). But then, scandal, said Idol shows up secretly to his office, pregnant! He works to help her as a doctor wrt to her pregnancy. The story quickly goes in crazy direction from there, so strap in.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Chemslayer LinkFinished Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and highly recommend it. It's a historical drama, that follows a family of Korean peasants in the early to late 20th century, dealing with wars, Japanese...Finished Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and highly recommend it. It's a historical drama, that follows a family of Korean peasants in the early to late 20th century, dealing with wars, Japanese colonisation and discrimination, and just general being poor problems. It mostly follows one Korean woman Sunja, but frequently changed perspectives to many different people involved.
It feels very grounded, and while the book doesn't have a central moral to teach, I feel like it does a great job of showing multi-layered people in all kinds of strata and situations. Much like real life, no one is all bad or all good, just having their own motivations and doing what they think is best.
Would highly recommend
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Comment on I think that we won’t see any new and radical new gaming input devices or form factors anymore in ~games
Chemslayer LinkId challenge you to consider why you feel this way about handhelds, but not about smartphones, which almost everyone carries around all day, are way smaller and easier to drop, and can cost well...I cannot relate to people who have the courage to take their $200, $300, $400, $500 (or more expensive) handhelds out into the wild, where they could drop from their hands (I’m very clumsy), get stolen, or worse, only to play on a tiny screen while sitting very uncomfortably. If you do this, please explain to me why you enjoy it. I genuinely don’t understand.
Id challenge you to consider why you feel this way about handhelds, but not about smartphones, which almost everyone carries around all day, are way smaller and easier to drop, and can cost well in excess of $500.
To answer, I have a steam deck, and while I usually play it at home docked on my projector (very large screen!), the main reason I got a deck was the portability. I don't bring it with me everywhere, as it's too large for that IMO, but I do regularly bring it on my weekly plane trips for work. It's obviously a smaller screen than my projector or any TV, but I think you underestimate the ability of the human mind to adapt; unless there's something onerous like tiny text, I don't notice any particular difference in my perception between the tiny screen and the big one. Video games have always had to contend with varying sizes of screens/TVs/monitors, so in my experience most of them make sure to remain legible at all sizes, and the ubiquity and popularity of the steam deck (and switch, for games on both) has also tailored many game developers to consider it's form factor specifically.
Ultimately, anything with any value is going to entail risk bringing it out into the world, but if you're reasonably careful and can also accept there will always be some risk it's fine. And while I'd rather play docked on my projector than not, it's not a choice of projector or no projector on my travels, it's a choice of handheld or nothing. If I had a desktop, my docked experience would be the same, but I couldn't play on planes at all, or in my bed, or in my friends bedroom while we hang out, etc.
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Comment on Anyone else a bit unnerved by the number of visible satellites? in ~space
Chemslayer Link ParentBut I am talking about the sky pollution, how the sky is purple-ish, and even on streets with no streetlights it's still sorta visible. In theory a comprehensive street light system could handle...But I am talking about the sky pollution, how the sky is purple-ish, and even on streets with no streetlights it's still sorta visible. In theory a comprehensive street light system could handle this and also avoid light pollution, but in that absence the "ambient" sky light is appreciated.
I don't feel super strong, and I'm not going to attend a city hall meeting to oppose proper light pollution reduction or anything, but it does kind of comfort me in small ways
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Comment on Anyone else a bit unnerved by the number of visible satellites? in ~space
Chemslayer Link ParentFunny, I live in a city and light pollution is actually one of my pluses; I really like that even at its darkest, it's never too dark. I grew up in the country, and when it got dark it got pitch...Funny, I live in a city and light pollution is actually one of my pluses; I really like that even at its darkest, it's never too dark. I grew up in the country, and when it got dark it got pitch black, and while there was very little actual danger (no strangers around, and not the dangerous variety of wildlife) it was still very unnerving to not be able to see 20 feet ahead of you unless it was a full moon.
Granted, I would love to see more stars, and I can't comment on the environmental impacts of light pollution (I'm sure there are some, but I don't know them), but as a general vibe I enjoy having some light all the time
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Chemslayer LinkFinally finished Lone Wolf and Cub manga after several months and 28 volumes. Overall review is I liked it, and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a very serious samurai story, and doesn't mind...Finally finished Lone Wolf and Cub manga after several months and 28 volumes. Overall review is I liked it, and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a very serious samurai story, and doesn't mind some occasionally gratuitous nudity and plenty of violence.
More in-depth, I feel like the series was padded out, and that a third of it could've easily been cut without impacting either the narrative or the vibe of the story. And that not to say I think a series should just railroad the main narrative at all times; in contrary, the "adventure of the week" style that most of the series takes is something I praised in an earlier post, and still does a good job of showing the "world" of Edo period Japan and the context the story takes place in. What I do mean is that the narrative itself gets drawn out: seemingly invented diversions get created for our hero at several points, including some that end up contradictory,
spoilers
like, he spends several volumes getting and figuring out the secret of the Yagyu letter, and then just decides... nevermind?
There's also an escalation of enemies that feels like the author kept having to one-up himself; every other volume some new, even-more-elite-than-the-last group of warriors gets introduced, shown to be badass, then promptly dispatched by Itto and forgotten.
Regarding Itto over the course of the series, I wish his power scaling had been treated differently. He starts the series as a pretty dang good swordsman, but also a really clever guy who uses knowledge and subversions of Edo standards and customs to accomplish his goals. As the series goes on though, he loses his cleverness, and instead just becomes "really, unrealistically good at swords".
He really jumped the shark for me when
he defeated an entire mounted and armored army by just being good at swords, and especially later when in a drug-induced sleep his warrior reflexes still dispatch an entire group of enemies attacking him, including deflecting projectiles thrown at him, all while dead asleep.
It seems like Koike got tired of trying to come up with clever situations, in favor of a god-like samurai narrative instead.
Yagyu spoilers towards the end
The reverse heel turn of Retsudo going from a scheming guy willing to do anything into an honorable samurai during the Abe arc also felt really out of character, and was then even more confusing by his ending re-heel-turn of going back to dastardly tricks with the exploding ninjas and breaking the sword. And then after all that, he lets Daigoro kill him??
That's all to say, it's not a masterpiece of consistent characterization or stakes-progression, but despite my criticisms it was still a very enjoyable read, and I would recommend it with only little reservation
Idk, I was playing games in the 00's and it was mostly CD keys that weren't even unique or install-limited. And also, a big reason why DRM is so much lesser and/or friendlier nowadays is specifically because people made a big stink about it! It's fair to make your own decisions on what you will/won't accept, especially for a hobby like gaming, but putting down people who are vocal about wanting better doesn't help anyone but those in charge