granfdad's recent activity
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Comment on Obsidian Entertainment reportedly lays off a quarter of staff, cancels multiple projects, and begins work on new Fallout game in ~games
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Comment on Obsidian Entertainment reportedly lays off a quarter of staff, cancels multiple projects, and begins work on new Fallout game in ~games
granfdad Link ParentWell, the engine used for Starfield is more or less the same enigine used since Morrowind. Also, like people are saying, it could be a CRPG or something else entirely?Well, the engine used for Starfield is more or less the same enigine used since Morrowind. Also, like people are saying, it could be a CRPG or something else entirely?
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Comment on Obsidian Entertainment reportedly lays off a quarter of staff, cancels multiple projects, and begins work on new Fallout game in ~games
granfdad LinkThis is a pretty big surprise, I was under the assumption that: A: Bethesda wasn't interested in giving up control of their IP anymore B: Obsidian wasn't interested in working on another Fallout...This is a pretty big surprise, I was under the assumption that:
A: Bethesda wasn't interested in giving up control of their IP anymore
B: Obsidian wasn't interested in working on another FalloutObviously, none of this matters if big daddy Microsoft tells you to play nice. I'm curious about what kind of game this is going to be, since it seems like the general consensus is that newer obsidian games have a faint undertone of "fuck bethesda, we can do what they do, but better!". I wonder how that translates into something that's actually licensed.
As far as speculation goes, I'm not the biggest Fallout fan, but I'd like to see something set in a colder area. My limited understanding on US geography has me thinking somwhere like... North Dakota? Alaska would be crazy, but cool.
And of course, despite everything, we still have no word on any potential third-party TES: Adventures reboots :(
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Comment on Obsidian Entertainment reportedly lays off a quarter of staff, cancels multiple projects, and begins work on new Fallout game in ~games
granfdad Linkarchived link are we still doing this after all the archive.today controversy? [...]archived link
are we still doing this after all the archive.today controversy?Obsidian Entertainment, a subsidiary of Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox, has canceled multiple projects and will begin working on a new game in the popular Fallout franchise as part of the division’s broader restructuring, according to people familiar with the matter.
The video-game studio, based in Irvine, California, also laid off around a quarter of its workforce, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
[...]
Under the new plan, studio design director Josh Sawyer will lead a new title in the Fallout universe — a series of roleplaying games that take place in an alternate history in which the US has been ravaged by nuclear war. The emerging strategy is still in flux, the people said, and could still change.
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Obsidian Entertainment reportedly lays off a quarter of staff, cancels multiple projects, and begins work on new Fallout game
53 votes -
Comment on Bethesda, id Software reportedly hit hard by Microsoft layoffs in ~games
granfdad LinkIt's insane watching the industry collapse in real time, feels like things are really falling apart everywhere. Hey, at least everything is digital this time, so there's nothing for these studios...It's insane watching the industry collapse in real time, feels like things are really falling apart everywhere.
Hey, at least everything is digital this time, so there's nothing for these studios to bury in New Mexico. -
Comment on Dbrand has cancelled their "Companion Cube" Steam Machine case, because they didn't ask Valve for permission in ~games
granfdad (edited )Link(Should this be in ~tech? I do not know) I am just... baffled... by how frequently Dbrand makes these insane, catastrophic mistakes. It's astounding that they're still in business. Maybe someone...(Should this be in ~tech? I do not know)
The blunt version is that we made the Companion Cube without a license from Valve. Everyone who purchased a Companion Cube will have their refund issued by end-of-day. Everything else beyond this is just detail. If you want the full story, keep reading.
On November 12th 2025, the day the Steam Machine was announced, we put up a concept render and sign-up page to see if anyone would be interested in a Companion Cube enclosure. It went moderately viral, with over fifteen thousand people signing up to be notified in the first day. In the months that followed, we built the idea into something real without ever asking Valve if we could.
[...]
We launched around 3am on Monday, June 22nd. Overnight, it became the second-fastest selling product in our 15-year history, behind only the Switch 2 Killswitch.
Shortly after, Valve’s legal team reached out. They stated that the Companion Cube is Valve intellectual property, for which dbrand does not have a license. They requested we take down the product and launch film immediately. This was entirely within their rights, and they were direct, fair, and respectful throughout.
We took everything down and made an appeal. We asked Valve whether there was any way to keep the project alive: properly licensed, with their blessing, on their terms. They said no. Given our backwards approach of building first and asking permission later, it was a fair answer.
I am just... baffled... by how frequently Dbrand makes these insane, catastrophic mistakes. It's astounding that they're still in business.
Maybe someone with product development experience could shed some light... how the hell does this even happen? I would assume that getting permission from Valve is the first thing you ask for after consumers show even a tiny bit of excitement for the concept.
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Dbrand has cancelled their "Companion Cube" Steam Machine case, because they didn't ask Valve for permission
39 votes -
Comment on Modern, abstract art makes me angry in ~arts
granfdad Link ParentI actually do agree with this statement, which is why I think that even the examples of modern art that are demonstrably "easy" (an example of this would be something like the work of Emmanuel...Effort involved does not make something "art". Period.
I actually do agree with this statement, which is why I think that even the examples of modern art that are demonstrably "easy" (an example of this would be something like the work of Emmanuel Beranger, who does a lot of work based on simple body movements) sit on equal footing as works that required decades of craftsmanship.
difficult to replicate from a restoration standpoint because there were no notes or records of what was used to make the color.
I find it hard to see this angle. I would argue that a skilled restorationist being unable to recreate the work that is infront of them is akin to a skilled musician being unable to replicate music that they're listening to. Even if it's an iterative/improvisational process (which is to say nothing about the skills that informed the decisions that rothko was making behind closed doors), I would imagine two musicians of similar skill would be able to copy one another.
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Comment on Modern, abstract art makes me angry in ~arts
granfdad Link ParentI don't know if I would go so far as to say that, only because he's pretty focused on how fascists dislike modern art, not how disliking modern art is fascist. My mistake was bringing up the video...I think Geller paints the association between disliking art and fascism too strongly;
I don't know if I would go so far as to say that, only because he's pretty focused on how fascists dislike modern art, not how disliking modern art is fascist. My mistake was bringing up the video in a discussion about modern art rather than one about fascism, and pointing the association in the wrong direction.
I want people to be open to connection with each other even over things they dislike...
Also an excellent point! The same thought was in my head, but I suspect it was drowned out by me trying to fight the lizard part of my brain going "this guy is wrong!!!!!!!!!!".
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Comment on Modern, abstract art makes me angry in ~arts
granfdad Link ParentThere's a nicer way to say it, for sure. However, I remain steadfast in my opinion that disregarding modern art wholesale displays a higher degree of elitism (which is how I chose to interperet...- Exemplary
This is needlessly uncharitable.
There's a nicer way to say it, for sure. However, I remain steadfast in my opinion that disregarding modern art wholesale displays a higher degree of elitism (which is how I chose to interperet "snobbism") than the modern art itself. The point was to call out what I would consider a hypocrysy, or at least a lack of self-awareness.
(while also accusing the OP of the Dunning-Kruger effect. I'm not sure what you were trying to accomplish with a cheap shot like that.)
You're mistaking my mention of the Dunning-Kruger effect for the common misconception. The Dunning-Kruger effect is not "dumb people are too confident" (which would be a cheap shot), it's "inexperienced people in a field tend to overestimate their ability in that field", which perfectly applies to OP calling modern art lazy compared to the "masters" (I did make the assumption that OP did not consider themselves an artist, but the OP has lumped themselves in with "laymen" in a different response so I think I was probably correct in that assessment). I linked the wikipedia page to prevent this exact source of confusion, the fourth sentence makes a distinction between the correct and incorrect use of the term.
Not for nothing, but one can interpret the video as associating criticism of modern art with Nazism, which is ridiculous.
I agree, it is ridiculous. I don't think that it's fascist to dislike modern art, and I was certainly not implying that OP is a fascist. The individual points that eventually result in Geller's contention of "the fascists want you to hate modern art" do a great job at refuting the standard rhetoric of "modern art is lazy/meaningless/deceitful/etc." regardless of that final angle.
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Comment on Modern, abstract art makes me angry in ~arts
granfdad Link ParentThats me! I know you didn't ask for me to reply justifying my comment that wasn't aimed at you, but this comment was a good prompt for me to reflect on why I sent that video, so oh well! I don't...So like a couple of commenters here did to OP, I implied they were a fascist for thinking that and sent them the Jacob Geller video (ridiculous).
Thats me! I know you didn't ask for me to reply justifying my comment that wasn't aimed at you, but this comment was a good prompt for me to reflect on why I sent that video, so oh well!
I don't think that it's fascist to dislike modern art, and I was certainly not implying that OP is a fascist. The individual points that eventually result in Geller's contention of "the fascists want you to hate modern art" do a great job at refuting the standard rhetoric of "modern art is lazy/meaningless/deceitful/etc." regardless of that final angle.
With that said... I think there is value to reflecting on this from the mindset of "my opinions on this topic are shared by fascists" because it invites people to say "okay, well I know I'm not a fascist, so what's the real root of my opinion?", which is the exact journey that I've seen thus far with OP's replies in the thread. It seems we've narrowed it down to a anger at didactics.
When calling them a fascist didn't work, I instead was forced to do what I should have, all along, and explain why I liked it and what it meant to me.
Another point is that it's difficult to have this part of the discussion (which is probably where my mind would go first, if I were to have this conversation in real life about a real painting) because the OP is seemingly criticizing all modern art. Bringing up a singular example could just be an exception to the rule.
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Comment on Modern, abstract art makes me angry in ~arts
granfdad Link ParentYou're talking about design, not art. These are two distinct things: Design is used to convey specific information to an audience, art is a way for an artist to impart meaning onto media. Art does...You're talking about design, not art.
These are two distinct things: Design is used to convey specific information to an audience, art is a way for an artist to impart meaning onto media. Art does not require that the meaning sticks the landing on the other side, or that the meaning that you receive is the same one that is imparted.
But I think a truly good abstract artist whose work is unambiguously worth engaging with is actually good at conveying their message, no exceptions.
What is abstract about something that is easy to decypher?
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Comment on Modern, abstract art makes me angry in ~arts
granfdad LinkGo watch "Jacob Geller - Who’s Afraid of Modern Art: Vandalism, Video Games, and Fascism". I would posit that this post displays a much higher degree of snobbism than any piece of modern art. It...- Exemplary
Go watch "Jacob Geller - Who’s Afraid of Modern Art: Vandalism, Video Games, and Fascism".
I wonder if it’s not the fact that it feels like [...] absolute snobbism.
I would posit that this post displays a much higher degree of snobbism than any piece of modern art.
no depth or meaning beyond the BS the artist (scammer?) came up with
[...]
Or the ridiculous “explanations” about the piece that pretend to be way deeper and smarter than it really is. Chill, it’s just some paint splatters on a surface, it doesn’t mean anything and there is no depth or layers to it.It seems as though you're accusing artists of... lying about the meaning of their work? It's difficult to respond to this in a way that isn't much harsher than I would like to be over the internet. This talking point is pretty well established as blatant anti-intellectualism, I would implore you to at least try treating these works with the same minimum level of respect that you treat "classical art".
Or monochromes. Come on. That’s just plain lazy
You should really watch the video I linked above. I think calling colour-field painting "lazy" is a great example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Many of these painters are putting incredible amounts of effort into getting the particular qualities of their work.
and disrespectful to even call this art and put it on the same level as the masters’ classical paintings.
I'd really love to hear more about these "levels" of art that you've mentioned. By what standard or metric is this nebulous authority ranking artwork?
that money could have been better spent on virtually anything else (classical art, poverty, climate change…)
Ignoring the fact that the amount of money that galleries are spending on modern artworks pales in comparison to the amount of money that it would take to tackle those existential crises, is preservation of culture not worth spending money on? Like it or not, modern art is a part of modern culture. Also, you're barking wayyyy up the wrong tree if you're worried about missapropriation of funds, there are better places to start than modern art.
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Comment on I'm ever more annoyed with Steam in ~games
granfdad LinkI’d go out on a limb and say that an overwhelming number of gamers are not up to the task of writing nuanced reviews of games. You couldn’t add ‘nuance’ to the system even if you wanted to because...Review system heavily biases towards positive and kills nuance.
I’d go out on a limb and say that an overwhelming number of gamers are not up to the task of writing nuanced reviews of games. You couldn’t add ‘nuance’ to the system even if you wanted to because the people writing the content just can’t do it. It’s also a fundamental problem with review systems in general that the only people who are going to write a review will be people who feel strongly about a game. The bar for “I hate this game so much that I care enough to write a negative review” is much higher than the “I love this game so much that I care enough to write a review”. Every review system of steam’s size is gonna fall into the 500 assholes trap.
Games journalism is bad, but there’s gonna be a much higher ROI from finding a few select reviewers that you respect, and trusting their opinions. That and getting recommendations from friends/family.
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Comment on iOpenPod: FOSS iPod management software in ~tech
granfdad LinkFound this awesome tool, I've been using it to to sync podcasts since the itunes implementation simply does not work. One of the final problems with using iPods in the modern day is the reliance...Found this awesome tool, I've been using it to to sync podcasts since the itunes implementation simply does not work. One of the final problems with using iPods in the modern day is the reliance on iTunes, since you're either macOS or Windows bound (and windows has a lot of problems), hopefully this gains traction! Rockbox already exists, but I find that the apple firmware is much more intuitive and simple.
I figured this might spark some more interest in iPods for the tildes users that try to maximise FOSS usage :]
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iOpenPod: FOSS iPod management software
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“Rediscovering” the operating system (AKA: the desktop is the killer app)
I feel as though I have lost touch with the idea of the OS as software. I’ve spent a lot of time looking for that all in one solution. Notes, reminders, calendar, etc. in one convenient app....
I feel as though I have lost touch with the idea of the OS as software.
I’ve spent a lot of time looking for that all in one solution. Notes, reminders, calendar, etc. in one convenient app. Notion first, then AI came and fucked it all up. Obsidian was cool, super customisable, but I found that I don’t really need what it offers, stuff like linking and graph view aren’t that useful to me. The idea of a ‘second brain’ has always been interesting to me, but I could never find anything that made sense.
Recently, the thought hit me… “isn’t an OS just an super all-in-one app?”. This sounds stupid, but I haven’t actually considered the power of—in my case—macOS itself. I’ve just been using it as a portal for all these other bits of complex software, when surely it’s all built in?
Obviously finder would be the core of the system, but does anyone have experience with just… using the desktop metaphor as intended? Folders with files in them, that get opened in a program, and when you’re done, get saved back into the folder. Put things you use regularly on the desktop (or shortcuts to them, to maintain organisation) and delete them from the desktop when you don’t need them anymore. Again, it sounds stupid typing it out, surely the answer is “yeah dummy, that’s how you use a computer!!!!!” but… why do I have obsidian, and the photos app, and all this extra junk?
Going back to obsidian, for example. Surely, textedit (which has relatively simple rich-text editing, as well as plaintext) and some well thought out folders can get me where I need to go. It’s also widely compatible, since I can just… copy a file, should I choose to switch to Linux completely at some point.
I suspect this disconnect is a result of the iphoneification of personal computers, there’s a lot of layers between you and the file when you’re on a mobile device.
So, am I just talking nonsense? Or is it time, after these years of searching, for me to finally start using the computer as a computer again?
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Comment on Buying a high-end PC for the first time - help me to doublecheck what I'm buying? Is 4k a bad idea with the specs? in ~tech
granfdad Link ParentYeah, arms length at my desk, 40-50cm sounds correct.Yeah, arms length at my desk, 40-50cm sounds correct.
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Comment on Buying a high-end PC for the first time - help me to doublecheck what I'm buying? Is 4k a bad idea with the specs? in ~tech
granfdad LinkThis very similar to my own build (better actually, I've got 12gb VRAM and a worse CPU), which is hooked up to my 4KTV. If you can handle 60fps upscaled (not too much, though) for demanding games...This very similar to my own build (better actually, I've got 12gb VRAM and a worse CPU), which is hooked up to my 4KTV. If you can handle 60fps upscaled (not too much, though) for demanding games (think cyberpunk, oblivion remastered, etc.) then TLDR it's great.
Upscaling will be a requirement for playing modern games at 4k with 60+ FPS. I really don't like how FSR looks, so I end up using XeSS for most things (DLSS is not an option, obviously). Usually "quality" or "balanced" modes get me where I want to be for all but the least optimised games (looking at you, Borderlands 4!). It's also worth noting that AMD cards have significantly worse ray-tracing performance than Nvidia Cards, if that matters to you.
Depending on what software you're running, just scaling is an option if you reallllly want to boost your frames. I'm running a steamdeck-esque gamescope setup, so I can set the scaling mode to "pixel" to get a perfect 2x at 1080p. It's definitely noticeable, especially on a TV the pixels are quite large, but like with a lot of things you'll probably forget once you start playing (especially if you use that extra headroom to really crank graphical settings). This doesn't work as well at 1440 since it's not pixel perfect, but Nvidia Image Scaling is pretty good and straight bilinear is also okay, if a bit blurry.
As far as resolution is concerned, I would say it's probably not that noticeable below 32in. I have a 1440p 27in and I can only barely discern pixels from where I sit. But, and I cannot stress this enough: regardless of 4k or 1440p, BUY A GOOD MONITOR. Getting an OLED with good HDR is going to be way more impactful than the resolution bump. 120fps at medium settings with beautiful colours and a looking monitor is going to feel better than 60fps ultra RT on some crappy VA panel (ask me how I know, lol). Even if you have to spec down your PC, I would say that having budget space to buy a really good monitor is going to be the most bang-for-your-buck.
LOLed at this, I must admit I only picked North Dakota because it was the first one I saw when I looked up "northern US states". I guess New York fits the bill kinda, but I don't immediately associate that with 'cold'.
Fuck it, what about Fallout: Quebec? The states have had enough games.