countchocula's recent activity
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Comment on Games: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~games
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Comment on Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 | Announce trailer in ~games
countchocula Link40k is my preferred setting so im excited but i am also reticent because i remember the rome 2 release and how easily CA can fumble at the height of their powers. Cautious optimism.40k is my preferred setting so im excited but i am also reticent because i remember the rome 2 release and how easily CA can fumble at the height of their powers. Cautious optimism.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
countchocula LinkIm off of work as of today which means its climb time! I kicked it off prematurely by going on Wednesday to a new gym and just CRUSHING for three hours. Might have been the best session ive had in...Im off of work as of today which means its climb time! I kicked it off prematurely by going on Wednesday to a new gym and just CRUSHING for three hours. Might have been the best session ive had in a year. They were almost literally prodding me with the broom to push me out, i still had energy and sent a dyno v5 that really should have been marked a 4, at the last minute. I still had energy and strength to keep going... and then i woke up yesterday! Just about everything was sore and bones were creaking.
I thought i was pretty good on climbing till friday(today) but then my friend wanted to go so i did. Turns out, i barely need an excuse. Some crazy forearm pains while trying stuff at my limits but in general i still felt really good. Even a couple of campusing runs on v2/3's and a 5.11+ route. All in all, not bad.
The potentially stupid part is that i plan on going again today. Mainly because fridays are a climbing day, but also just to say hello to some folks and do my ab routine. Take it easy, smoke a joint and just kind of poke at some problems. Starting off the month really well.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
countchocula Link ParentI maintain my schedule by having a variety of exercises that i enjoy doing just to ensure my exercise habit doesn't fall through. Which, i recognize might not be something youre willing to...I maintain my schedule by having a variety of exercises that i enjoy doing just to ensure my exercise habit doesn't fall through. Which, i recognize might not be something youre willing to diversify.
It does help though, and keeps things interesting. I also bought a super cheap (99CAD) bike trainer that i plop down in the living room and watch a movie with. Its called a Tacx
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Comment on This climbing gear is designed to fail in ~hobbies
countchocula Link ParentI check in on my climbing progress in the fitness chat but dont usually post video content or anything. But neat to see others around. I mostly boulder and top ropeI check in on my climbing progress in the fitness chat but dont usually post video content or anything. But neat to see others around. I mostly boulder and top rope
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Comment on Jmail - A Gmail clone where you're logged in as Jeffrey Epstein and can read his emails in ~society
countchocula LinkWow its fascinating to read these from such a personal perspective. Its all so casual and idiotic. And bannon is everywhere. Thanks for posting this OP, what an odd experience.Wow its fascinating to read these from such a personal perspective. Its all so casual and idiotic. And bannon is everywhere.
Thanks for posting this OP, what an odd experience.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
countchocula Link ParentI HIGHLY suggest you continue your stretches without concern for judgement. They do not make you look like a tool. I dislocated my shoulder climbing earlier this year and have since been...I HIGHLY suggest you continue your stretches without concern for judgement. They do not make you look like a tool. I dislocated my shoulder climbing earlier this year and have since been stretching before every workout and have actually included other pre-workout exercises that really get me properly limber. I thought i was going to have to take a much longer break than i actually did thanks to stretches, my climbing has even improved. I assure you, no one with a brain is judging you for being responsible and trying to rehab your rotator cuff.
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Comment on Warsaw’s sweetest landmark: Mini gingerbread city opens for the first time in ~food
countchocula Link"The management expect that some of the exhibition will be eaten." Very funny"The management expect that some of the exhibition will be eaten."
Very funny
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Comment on New ‘Star Trek’ movie in works at Paramount from Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) in ~movies
countchocula LinkThe D&D movie was fun but that comedic tone has no place in the main line star trek flim flams. Imo as a guy that falls asleep to TOS almost every night. And IASIP on the other ones.The D&D movie was fun but that comedic tone has no place in the main line star trek flim flams.
Imo as a guy that falls asleep to TOS almost every night. And IASIP on the other ones.
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Comment on Square Enix says it wants generative AI to be doing 70% of its QA and debugging by the end of 2027 in ~games
countchocula LinkMmmmm i have two concerns about AI here. Qa is not simply a measure of technical quality but also a more subjective one. Sure you could say that now they can focus more on the subjective aspects...Mmmmm i have two concerns about AI here.
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Qa is not simply a measure of technical quality but also a more subjective one. Sure you could say that now they can focus more on the subjective aspects but thats simply living in a fantasy land. While this is mainly research, SE is absolutely licking their lips at the notion of being able to fire their QA so that they can look good on a quarterly report.
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Using ai to test could severely limit the scope and complexity of a game. If a part of a game becomes impossible for an ai agent to play and the mandate from above is to ensure ai qa we're left with a situation where games will file off their more prickly edges. We do not need more homogenization in the industry. This also applied to any studios pitching new ideas to publishers that will refuse projects based on higher qa complexity.
As an addendum that doesnt necessarily fit as a point of real concern: i have known qa people that are amazing at their job. Finding faults in stuff is their baseline and its amazing to see how their brains work when interacting with a piece of software. I can see how ai can pull off smoke or regression tests, which is a big part of the job, but i fail to see its application beyond the mundane.
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Comment on Timasomo 2025: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
countchocula Link ParentThats awesome, i did a 5000 piece puzzle in my puzzle making heydays and actually cut out a big backing board FIRST and built + glued in stages. Very exhausting, had to be VERY confident of each...Thats awesome, i did a 5000 piece puzzle in my puzzle making heydays and actually cut out a big backing board FIRST and built + glued in stages. Very exhausting, had to be VERY confident of each piece. Either way, i super appreciate this post. It was fun to read your journey. Congrats on the very cool piece.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
countchocula Link ParentLol good review. Yeah, 100% agree on the amount of dimensions allotted to characters. I got really annoyed that Robyn, the main character, would constantly need basic things explained to him right...Lol good review. Yeah, 100% agree on the amount of dimensions allotted to characters. I got really annoyed that Robyn, the main character, would constantly need basic things explained to him right up to the end of the story.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
countchocula LinkYo yo yo, im reading Babel by RF Kuang for fun. Ummmm i am annoyed by how it positions itself immediately as a conversation on academics, colonization and privelege. But does so through the lense...Yo yo yo, im reading Babel by RF Kuang for fun. Ummmm i am annoyed by how it positions itself immediately as a conversation on academics, colonization and privelege. But does so through the lense of a trope heavy Harry Potter knock off. Im... underwhelmed. I have been for most of the book and havent been able to shake it through the predictable story beats.
For serious times ive started Cocaine Politics by Peter Dale Scott & Jonathan Marshall. Ive literally only gotten past the preface, intro and the kerry report on the contras. This is all way before my time and really funny to read about the justification of why we view the cia as scum. The fact that the org hasnt been disbanded is insane so far. Lets strap in and find out how much shadier it gets
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
countchocula LinkBought a bike trainer for 100$ cause my bike store was clearing them out and ive not been riding since it is, as devalexwhite said, rainy season. Ive put about 100km on it in less than a week so...Bought a bike trainer for 100$ cause my bike store was clearing them out and ive not been riding since it is, as devalexwhite said, rainy season. Ive put about 100km on it in less than a week so feeling pretty good about maintaining that. Good way to watch some movies. So far i have Lost in Translation and Blade Runner 2049 down.
Climbing continues apace but i think i have to take a break for a week or more. My big toe feels like the nail is going to pop off and fly if i keep using my foot for leverage. Not a great feeling. Arms are feeling good and strong though, i realize just how much technique i rely on after completing a problem the first time. When the walls are refreshed i can barely do v4's. By the time theyre about to get swapped im zipping up. Will probably focus on boring conventional strength training while i let my toe heal :( at this point it messes with my head if i dont exercise in the evening
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Comment on Halo: Campaign Evolved | The Silent Cartographer – Thirteen minute gameplay demo in ~games
countchocula LinkI hate this so much. I loved Halo but we just dont need another re-release of the same fucking game again. I was a die hard Xbox/Halo/Gears fan from the CE release but i hate the Xbox now. I...I hate this so much. I loved Halo but we just dont need another re-release of the same fucking game again. I was a die hard Xbox/Halo/Gears fan from the CE release but i hate the Xbox now. I despise the platform and publishing strategy. Creativity hasnt been allowed at the MGS for a long time. Xbox is dead.
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Comment on What are creepy, spooky or scary places you've been? in ~talk
countchocula LinkThere is an old abandoned fort thats now mostly underground in Łomża, Poland that my cousin took me to. Iirc he said it was from around the Napoleonic era. Its multi-floored with towers that have...There is an old abandoned fort thats now mostly underground in Łomża, Poland that my cousin took me to. Iirc he said it was from around the Napoleonic era. Its multi-floored with towers that have broken stair cases leading up and completely flooded going down, pretty classic video game setup. As well as winding corridors with little slits for guns that would have been used to defend against invaders but are now completely submerged under dirt. Its basically a completely dark bunker with ambush corridors and HEAVY metal doors to lock out invaders at checkpoints. Most doors but the really rusted ones were taken at one point and probably resold, id guess. It just felt like a place that time had forgotten.
It was a scary experience exploring the place, you're constantly crunching glass or stepping over debris and the walls are obliterated by graffiti and we didnt come prepared or have phones so it was pitch black in most sections. The echoes were insane and it always sounded like someone was walking with you.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
countchocula Link ParentMaybe take up cardio or legs/core while you wait for your finger to heal? Just so that you dont fall out of your rhythm? Additionally, i found that watching videos and planning my return and...Maybe take up cardio or legs/core while you wait for your finger to heal? Just so that you dont fall out of your rhythm? Additionally, i found that watching videos and planning my return and getting excited for it kept my interest up during injury recovery periods.
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Comment on Who tried beetroot? in ~food
countchocula Link ParentHahaha no youre good. Barszcz is the Polish spelling.Hahaha no youre good. Barszcz is the Polish spelling.
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Comment on Who tried beetroot? in ~food
countchocula Link ParentYes! im personally quite offended when i hear borscht and not barszcz. Czerwony or biały!Yes! im personally quite offended when i hear borscht and not barszcz. Czerwony or biały!
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
countchocula LinkThe steady march of progress continues, im more reliably completing v4 boulders at the gym and making good progress on my first 5.12 route. Its been really cool to see that ive hit the bouldering...The steady march of progress continues, im more reliably completing v4 boulders at the gym and making good progress on my first 5.12 route. Its been really cool to see that ive hit the bouldering experience phase where more skilled/stronger people at the gym take my beta (way of doing a problem) and collaborate with me to solve stuff they can sometimes get stuck on. Still lots of progress to be made but its cool to be at this level. Theres a clear mutual respect that im feeling, and it feels good.
I also took a friend climbing for the second time, its pretty fun amping them up and offering advice. I think theyre enjoying it even though they have clear reservations about the whole being high up thing. Its cool seeing them try and sweat it out and try again, and it kind of feels like im playing a small part in their health journey and thats really comforting to be a part of something so positive on an individual level like that.
Aloha, i finished quite a few games and document my thoughts. This may be exhausting.
Stellar Blade was my favourite souls like. I do not vibe with those games, my best guess is that the timing of the parry just doesn't work with my brain. I flew through SB and i know its not an easy game. I also really like costume collection, it was one of my favourite aspects of older games (shoutout to spiderman 64) so i found the whole experience rewarding, challenging and just straight up eye candy. The graphics, obviously, what did you think i meant? Sicko.
Nine Sols did not finish but i did enjoy what i played. Ill probably restart at some point and get through it.
Chants of Sennar was fun, and the perfect amount of difficulty at times and a bit of a throwing darts at the wall experience at others. Nice little translation game thatdidnt overstay its welcome.
Alan Wake 2: DLC i finished the base game the year before and picked up the dlc when i realized it existed. I FUCKING LOVED the psychotic waitress dlc and wanted a bit more from the Lake House. It wasnt scary and the painting enemies were telegraphed and few and far between.
The Case of the Golden Idol DLC was very fun and mildly more difficult than the base game. Such awesome world building.
CoD: MW3 i cant remember this at all. Mid at best. I needed shooty games and I really liked MW1 so more was good. Nothing to write home about.
CoD: BO3 same reason as above. I needed to shoot more stuff and the MW3 story was crazy short. The large open levels change up was interesting. But i thought it really fell flat too. I am pretty sure i muted the conversations. And the set pieces were lame, bringing in zombies into the sp was really forced and lame.
Sniper Elite: Resistance played this in coop with my brother. A bit silly but still fun to shoot nazis in the genitals. Story was baaaaaad. Pretty sure a programmer's kid wrote it.
Citizen Sleeper woah woah woah, this was awesome. I had it installed for years knowing i wanted to play it and finally did and hot dog what a game. Time to install the second game and play it in a few years.
Leap Year fun little platformer that i cleared in a few hours. Not much to say, fun. Little. Platformer.
Doom: The Dark Ages jesus christ, this game... i don't know man. The simplicity of the first game was magic. The second game already threw me off a bit but stuck the landing with the difficulty. This game was so easy. The story was insane, i still dont know if i like it. It was so dumb. My brother was over for the week and we crushed it and it was fun but was it the game or was it us?
Astro Bot was excellent. No notes. Hit the nostalgia button as though it was the Staples "that was easy button. I remember just being happy for some reason this time of the year, and im pretty sure it was this game.
Promise Mascot Agency was a neat little game about a thing. I bought it because i support all indie driving games. I 100%'d it and it was fun. Im stillyet to finish the dev's previous game even though i do like the premise. Mindlessly collecting stuff then flying around and shooting stuff in a kei truck was great and the characters were so charming.
Skin Deep was fucking excellent. God what a good game. I wish there was more immersion in the immersive sim but as an indie title it was incredible. The cats were cute, the dialogue was fun and i enjoyed popping off heads then making a mad dash to flush them down the toilet. So funny. Ooh and then the "Ho ho ho i have a machine gun" moment at the end when youre decked out with new intruders on the ship but you now know the layout perfectly is chef's kiss.
Gravel neat arcadey racing game. I 100%'d it because thats what i do with racing games. I really enjoyed it and at like 3$ you cant go wrong.
Rise of the Golden Idol not as good visually as the first game and i think weaker on the overall plot. Still extremely fun but god that first game was pure joy. This is like, slightly less pure joy. I did have a hard time with a few cases, mainly the warehouse one i think. Pretty sure i had to come back to it after two weeks which didnt help either.
Sword of the Sea was a neat journey throwback but way too short. Needed more mechanics and longer or something.
Stray ooh i liked this game so much. Playing with my girlfriend's cats made me really fall in love with the movement. The robots were cute too. Im still sad about the ending not letting you reunite.
Indika was so good. What a weird god damn game. Man, games have the ability to really deliver a narrative and Indika took full advantage of that.
The Invincible!!!! Lem is my favourite sci fi author, and maybe author period. I was so sceptical but i loved this. I downloaded it at like 6pm on a work night and finished it at 3am because it was 1000% Lem in game format. The art style was amazing, the fucking ship at the end was everything i wanted it to be. I wanted a job with this studio when i finished lol, give me a Futurological Congress game adaptation!!
Children of the Sun sniper elite but you keep shooting dudes in the head with the same bullet. Its short, i liked it but i do wish that the devs explored the mechanics more. Youre just always aiming for heads cause that charges your ability to change directions. Kinda cornered themselves with that decision. Still awesome visually.
Pigface (Early Access Content) was fantastic, another single nighter finish albeit way shorter. I cant wait for more levels, the R6 terrorist hunt style levels are so much fun for me. They just click and its so satisfying to pop heads with no reticle or anything.
Other notables that i played and havent finished, yet or otherwise.
Assassin's Creed Shadows - too long to finish
Pacific Drive - ugh i hate roguelites
Silksong - walked away for a bit and then forgot the muscle memory right at the end of act 1 so tough to just get back into it.
Roadcraft love it but theres no god damn end in sight here. Ill be passing my save down to my children.
Silent Hill 2 Remake i was enjoying it but then halloween came and went and im not in the mood for it. Its a bit long, i hear the original should have already wrapped up at the 9 hour mark im at?
Death Stranding i like it but theres no way im gonna finish a game about walking places unless i find an amazing new podcast with a 1000 episode back cat.
Old School Rally playing this now and enjoying it a lot but theres a fair amount of content and im not sure ill get through it by nye.
Gran Turismo 7: Power Pack DLC woah this is awesome and what i wish the base game racing experience was more like. So much fun and the sophy ai is beyond dope, first good use of ai!!