deimosthenes's recent activity
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Comment on The 2025 Steam Winter Sale is live (runs Dec 18 - Jan 5) in ~games
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Comment on The 2025 Steam Winter Sale is live (runs Dec 18 - Jan 5) in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentSeconding that it's a fantastic experience. I was impressed with how much weight they managed to pack into a pretty short game and with how human and relatable this high concept science fiction...Seconding that it's a fantastic experience. I was impressed with how much weight they managed to pack into a pretty short game and with how human and relatable this high concept science fiction story was. Over a year later and it's still jostling around in my brain.
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Comment on Fifteen killed in shooting targeting Jewish community at Australia's Bondi Beach, police say in ~news
deimosthenes Link ParentThis is the largest mass shooting here in something like 30 years, which was a massacre bad enough that the conservative government of the time pushed through sweeping gun control reforms against...This is the largest mass shooting here in something like 30 years, which was a massacre bad enough that the conservative government of the time pushed through sweeping gun control reforms against the objection of much of their own party.
There's a certain level of national pride and accomplishment that our gun control laws have largely been effective and that this is the sort of thing that really shouldn't happen here. I think the fact that we had previously gone through this big controversial national conversation about the issue decades ago kind of helps.
An event like this acts as a stark reminder that there's still work to be done and loopholes to be plugged. -
Comment on Divinity | World premiere trailer from The Game Awards 2025 in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentI will say that although I enjoyed a lot of what Epic Encounters 2 was adding, the end result was enough extra complexity that the analysis paralysis ground my playthrough to a halt. I think it...I will say that although I enjoyed a lot of what Epic Encounters 2 was adding, the end result was enough extra complexity that the analysis paralysis ground my playthrough to a halt.
I think it does a good job of amping up the tactical depth for those looking to freshen up the game, but I'd be reluctant to suggest it to a new player unless they were the sort of person that had already fallen off the vanilla experience for being too easy to min-max.
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Comment on How Europe is gearing up to follow Australia's teen social media ban in ~tech
deimosthenes Link ParentAs much as kids probably shouldn't be on 4chan for other reasons, it doesn't really have user accounts or serve up tailored algorithmic content. So I can see how the methods and criteria being...As much as kids probably shouldn't be on 4chan for other reasons, it doesn't really have user accounts or serve up tailored algorithmic content. So I can see how the methods and criteria being talked about for many of these other platforms can't be directly applied.
Does Truth Social even have much of a presence in Australia? I would have hoped not and I haven't ever heard mention of it outside of the US political sphere, but I guess I'm not exactly keyed in to where the local far right hang out. -
Comment on Against 'Metroidbrania': a landscape of knowledge games in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentI'm definitely still much more in the habit of using the term Metroidvania, but I think it has pretty weak descriptive power to anyone who isn't already in the know. As the article mentions, to...I'm definitely still much more in the habit of using the term Metroidvania, but I think it has pretty weak descriptive power to anyone who isn't already in the know. As the article mentions, to define the term you end up in this long rabbit hole of describing the history of the genre and its forebears. And then still having to move to a more neutral elaboration/explanation in the likely event your audience hasn't played a Metroid game or one of the subset of Castlevania games that qualifies.
I remember the period of time during which first person shooters were still more commonly called Doom Clones and not only was it silly and reductive but semantically less useful a genre label.
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Comment on Reselling tickets for profit to be outlawed in UK government crackdown in ~music
deimosthenes Link ParentYeah I think this is probably the best compromise between curbing scalping at least a bit without sacrificing much privacy or flexibility.Yeah I think this is probably the best compromise between curbing scalping at least a bit without sacrificing much privacy or flexibility.
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Comment on Best recommendations for PC couch multiplayer games? in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentI'll say that while it's a fantastic game and I love it, small caveat is I've found that it can be a rough one to play casually if there's a dramatic difference in platforming game skill level /...I'll say that while it's a fantastic game and I love it, small caveat is I've found that it can be a rough one to play casually if there's a dramatic difference in platforming game skill level / experience between participants.
Because of the way you as a group build up the levels you're also building your own difficulty and it can be easy to end up with something too challenging for someone less comfortable with the fundamentals. -
Comment on The future of technology makes it harder to solve fictional crimes in ~books
deimosthenes Link ParentYeah, Caves of Steel and the like was certainly front of mind when I was reading the article, alongside a few other Asimov short stories that also do the robot-centric whodunnit thing. I guess...Yeah, Caves of Steel and the like was certainly front of mind when I was reading the article, alongside a few other Asimov short stories that also do the robot-centric whodunnit thing.
I guess it's always going to be a rarer subgenre of stories that deviates the setting significantly from the lived experience of its readers. So over time technology changes what plot devices that status quo default template setting will allow, while the stories in historical or speculative fiction get more control over the setting constraints but have an obligation to do more worldbuilding to make it work.
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Comment on Crossdressing Garbage in ~creative
deimosthenes LinkThanks for sharing something so personal and open, this is really good! You really nailed the introspective stream-of-consciousness style of dialogue. In the last couple of years I've had multiple...Thanks for sharing something so personal and open, this is really good! You really nailed the introspective stream-of-consciousness style of dialogue.
In the last couple of years I've had multiple friends come out as trans or nb or otherwise question their gender identity and describe pretty similar journeys to what you illustrate here. So I'm appreciative of works like this that maybe help me understand a little better.
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Comment on What makes a game, a game? in ~games
deimosthenes LinkYeah that was surprisingly difficult, and perhaps even a little upsetting to fill in. Something about gently being led to the realisation that there was no easy internally consistent position that...Yeah that was surprisingly difficult, and perhaps even a little upsetting to fill in.
Something about gently being led to the realisation that there was no easy internally consistent position that would align with my intuition, followed by rethinking a few earlier answers and still not really coming up with a definition I was happy with. -
Comment on Thieves steal crown jewels in four minutes from Louvre Museum in Paris in ~arts
deimosthenes Link ParentAlways happy to see this game get mentioned. It's a lot of fun with a group of friends, especially when none of us are very good at it.Always happy to see this game get mentioned. It's a lot of fun with a group of friends, especially when none of us are very good at it.
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Comment on Disney decides it hasn’t angered people enough, announces Disney+ price hikes in ~tv
deimosthenes Link ParentNot necessarily arguing that the term isn't misused by any technical definition, but figured I could weigh in with how I see it used. In a tech setting I would say that 'ecosystem' typically has...Not necessarily arguing that the term isn't misused by any technical definition, but figured I could weigh in with how I see it used.
In a tech setting I would say that 'ecosystem' typically has implications of it being a heterogeneous system made up of many independent actors with their own concerns and drives but sharing use of some foundational environment or structure.
Whereas 'system' by itself is so semantically overloaded as to be not a very useful descriptor in most circumstances without modifiers or clarification.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentApologies if you're as already aware of this but Hollow Knight is what's usually called a 'metroidvania' game, a subgenre of platforming games with a much larger focus on exploring a large...Apologies if you're as already aware of this but Hollow Knight is what's usually called a 'metroidvania' game, a subgenre of platforming games with a much larger focus on exploring a large interconnected map and unlocking new capabilities to slowly open up that map. Named such for the Metroid series and several of the later Castlevania games being regarded as the progenitors of the genre.
Hollow Knight is definitely one of the darlings of the genre but yeah if you really get into it and are looking for similar experiences that's how I'd find them.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentI'd sunk a ton of time into Blue Prince a couple of months ago and really should go back to try to tie the remainder up. There's a few puzzles that have irked me but most are skillfully and...I'd sunk a ton of time into Blue Prince a couple of months ago and really should go back to try to tie the remainder up.
There's a few puzzles that have irked me but most are skillfully and thoughtfully put together and the drip feed of story elements is pretty exciting as you piece things together.
I think the intention is that some of the meta-progression elements (and your own improving drafting strategy) alleviate some of the frustration of having to draft particular rooms to progress. What I've found is that as you progress further it does kind of suck if you've only got one objective for a day and it doesn't work out, so I've been trying to keep an updated list of things I want to try so I can pivot to whichever is feasible. Early game there's such a wealth of things to explore that this is fairly effortless, later game it might partly depend on your memory or organisational skill.
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Comment on Session report: PF2 Kingmaker in ~games.tabletop
deimosthenes LinkAh nice, I haven't read through the 2e AP but I've played enough of the videogame to visualise roughly where they're at. A group of level 3 players against a level 6 creature is a pretty tough...Ah nice, I haven't read through the 2e AP but I've played enough of the videogame to visualise roughly where they're at.
A group of level 3 players against a level 6 creature is a pretty tough fight, especially one with regeneration. They really must have been rolling hot to trivialise that.
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Comment on Jet Lag: Snake across South Korea | Trailer in ~hobbies
deimosthenes Link ParentYeah, I'm in the same camp. For every time there's a crazy game-changing coincidence that surely must have been scripted, there's a bunch of decisions and situations that go much as you'd expect...Yeah, I'm in the same camp.
For every time there's a crazy game-changing coincidence that surely must have been scripted, there's a bunch of decisions and situations that go much as you'd expect and could easily be rigged to be more dramatic if they wanted to.They're just building games that lend themselves to opportunities for clutch moments, capturing a metric ton of footage and relying on editing to focus in on the exciting stuff and gloss over the mundane.
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Comment on Share the contents of an old file you've got lying around in ~talk
deimosthenes Link ParentYou might not have the internet available all of the time if you were still on dial-up, and if you found something you liked there was no guarantee it'd still exist later. I think there was just...You might not have the internet available all of the time if you were still on dial-up, and if you found something you liked there was no guarantee it'd still exist later.
I think there was just more of a culture of saving things locally if you wanted to make sure you'd be able to find it again later.
Maybe it's to do with the difference of wanting to preserve/hoard things if you went out actively hunting for content, rather than having it served up to you by a largely transient algorithmic feed. -
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
deimosthenes Link ParentYeah I'd watched the anime adaptation and it's really excellent, I just wish I didn't have to include a caveat anytime I would recommend it to friends. The tonal whiplash it cultivates is pretty...Yeah I'd watched the anime adaptation and it's really excellent, I just wish I didn't have to include a caveat anytime I would recommend it to friends. The tonal whiplash it cultivates is pretty fun overall and I like that it's willing to tackle some pretty tough subjects but I wouldn't fault someone for dropping it before it had a chance to get good.
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Comment on The Expanse: Osiris Reborn | Announcement in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentI've been playing one of Owlcat's earlier games and it's good. It'll be interesting to see how they do tackling a new genre, as to my knowledge I think they've exclusively been making isometric...I've been playing one of Owlcat's earlier games and it's good. It'll be interesting to see how they do tackling a new genre, as to my knowledge I think they've exclusively been making isometric RPGs.
They've been doing very well in that niche, a more action-oriented game can be quite a different beast though. Overall I'm cautiously optimistic to see them try something a bit different, and hoping it means we still get some deep, crunchy RPG progression options in this action RPG.
Since a number of the others have been talked about, I figured I'd share my thoughts on Astroneer.
I'd say it's a fun and novel but sometimes janky addition to the survival crafting genre.
The bit that I appreciated is that almost everything is very tactile and in-the-world without a lot of UI elements. Your space suit has little lights to show you your oxygen, power, etc. and you can check out your inventory by what is physically plugged into your backpack. Base-building is very modular, build some foundations and then plug components into it kind of like Lego. Build a chassis of a rover and then plug whatever accessories, seating, etc. you want into the available slots.
The game did get a bit grindy at times looking for the right materials and while there was some fun tech tree stuff to unlock it largely felt like you were travelling to new planets to do more of the same with slightly different materials available. I did also die to weird physics glitches multiple times, probably due to being in someone else's hosted multiplayer game. And I've heard they released a big update to coincide with a paid expansion which has been panned as being buggy and unpolished, so it might be a rough time to pick up the game until the worst of that gets sorted.