hellojavalad's recent activity
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
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Comment on Half way through the 2020's. What's your favorite games so far? in ~games
hellojavalad Link ParentThat is a good observation - I had meant it to be a 'games released in the 2020s' instead of 'games you played, regardless of release date, during the 2020s'. In many ways the latter is almost...That is a good observation - I had meant it to be a 'games released in the 2020s' instead of 'games you played, regardless of release date, during the 2020s'. In many ways the latter is almost closer to a 'favorite games of all time' situation.
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Half way through the 2020's. What's your favorite games so far?
I have stolen this idea from a Reddit thread and thought it would be a good discussion here. I am placing these in approximate order of favorite to least favorite. Caves of Qud - Probably a top...
I have stolen this idea from a Reddit thread and thought it would be a good discussion here. I am placing these in approximate order of favorite to least favorite.
Caves of Qud - Probably a top ten game of all time. Greatest environmental flavor I have ever experienced. Great soundtrack. This was the very first traditional rogue-like I played for more than a few hours
Wildermyth - I think the character creation/progression is my favorite of any game ever. Character age, befriend each other, fall in love, die, have children, and more. Also this is my favorite soundtrack of the decade, a very dreamlike and melancholic track that suits the game perfectly.
Jupiter Hell - The second traditional rogue-like i played for a few hours. Incredible tactical gameplay
Balder's Gate III - While not my favorite RPG (Wildermyth) probably the one I have played the most considering all the different ways you can play with story choices and character builds.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - The game has many flaws, particularly the poorly designed combat scenarios and a story that differs quite a bit in quality throughout. But the combat adds a bit more crunch then BG3 and the variety of choices and builds is multitudes larger than BG3.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020/2024 - Not much to say other than the flying mechanics are good and the entire Earth being mapped and populated is maybe my favorite technological feature in a video game ever.
Dorf Romantik - Cute puzzle game. Released in 2022 but was a game that I am 99% sure I played in early access during the pandemic and was warm and quiet in a terrible year
Spiderman Remastered/Spiderman Miles Morales
Total War: Warhammer III - On one hand a culmination of all the Total Warhammer games. On the other hand by the time I had played it I had played so many Total War games that the formula wore on me and I found myself auto-resolving battles more often then playing them.
Far Cry 6 - A step down from Far Cry 5 as far as I am concerned, but there is no FPS game with an open world that lets you approach things in any way you want. Guns blazing? Sure. Stealth? Four or five ways to approach a location? Yep. The only thing I did not like was the base design, which i felt was much more poor then in previous Far Cry games
Starfield - On the one hand, a game with a lot of flaws that make it a hard game to love. Tons of loading screens that break immersion. A lack of depth in systems. A story with little/no sense of morale choices. On the other hand, no one does open world like Bethesda and their formula is like crack for me. Good gun play. Best stories Bethesda has told in years. The ending and new game + hit really hard for me as well.
Here are other games that I play but are more of a 'annual series', so I am placing them separately
Pokemon - Arceus was my favorite Pokemon game, with Scarlet being my favorite 'traditional' Pokemon game
NBA 2K Series
Madden NFL Series
Out of the Park Baseball series43 votes -
Comment on Reading my first Stephen King novel - What are your favorites? in ~books
hellojavalad Link ParentTo add on to the Dark Tower series, after King finished it he wrote the novel The Wind Through the Keyhole, which takes place after Wizard and Glass but before Wolves of Calla. It is arguably the...To add on to the Dark Tower series, after King finished it he wrote the novel The Wind Through the Keyhole, which takes place after Wizard and Glass but before Wolves of Calla. It is arguably the best book in the series and worth reading, even if it does not move Roland's seeking of the Dark Tower forward. It is my second favorite book in the series after Wizard and Glass.
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Comment on Reading my first Stephen King novel - What are your favorites? in ~books
hellojavalad LinkThe Stand is a great epic, a post apocalyptic book that takes a turn to a religious good vs evil showdown. IT is maybe my favorite book of his, a great horror story that is maybe his best...The Stand is a great epic, a post apocalyptic book that takes a turn to a religious good vs evil showdown.
IT is maybe my favorite book of his, a great horror story that is maybe his best start-to-finish storytelling.
Of course there is his magnum opus, the Dark Tower series. A truly grand story spread across 8 books that weave across different universes and sometimes collide with his other novels. Highly recommend if you are willing to put the time in, the first few books are worth it by themselves.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
hellojavalad LinkMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024 I had been looking for something to hold me over before BF6 launched a few weeks ago and since I have Game Pass I downloaded MSFS 2024. I had played a fair amount...Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
I had been looking for something to hold me over before BF6 launched a few weeks ago and since I have Game Pass I downloaded MSFS 2024. I had played a fair amount of 2020 when it launched so I knew generally what it was like. Anyways BF6 launched and it didn't click with me, nor did it have bot modes like BF2042 which is what i play like 3/4 of the time when I just want to relax after work. So I refunded and with my Game Pass subscription ending the next week went ahead and bought MSFS 2024 instead.
My dad built two ultralight planes before I was born. I remember going up in the one that had dual seats next to each other. In fact, the little airstrip on the farm we lived on still is registered apparently so I can take off from the house I grew up in.
This definitely falls into my ADHD hyper-fixations. Watching tutorials on using the Garmin navigation systems, reading FAA material, following checklists to actually start and turn off the engine, etc. Looking into getting a Honeycomb Yoke but $200 is out of my budget at the moment so I am sticking with my already existing flight stick. Though I did grab a miniature macro keyboard for shortcuts (was hoping to get the knobs to work with the Heading/Altitude knobs in the game, but have not been able to).
Game is good. It is very pretty, but it all kind of depends on the resolution of the photogrammetry taken. The Career mode is buggy, but I work around most of the issues as best I can.
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Comment on ESPN buys NFL Media, RedZone in major sports deal in ~sports.american_football
hellojavalad Link ParentBenefits for the NFL is cutting costs and simplifying their official media. Then they also get a 10% ownership of the biggest sports media network, meaning they can apply pressure to feature more...Benefits for the NFL is cutting costs and simplifying their official media. Then they also get a 10% ownership of the biggest sports media network, meaning they can apply pressure to feature more NFL segments and kill unfavorable stories - or at least help control the narrative. A small portion watch NFL network, but influencing what ESPN broadcasts is great for them.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
hellojavalad LinkI have been playing a lot of Final Fantasy VII Remake. This is the second Final Fantasy I have made large progress in - I played the Pixel Remaster of FFI and fell off FFII early on. The gameplay...I have been playing a lot of Final Fantasy VII Remake. This is the second Final Fantasy I have made large progress in - I played the Pixel Remaster of FFI and fell off FFII early on.
The gameplay was not my cup of tea at first, but it has grown on me a lot. It took me a long time to grow on the characters. It doesn't help that I don't like a lot of common anime characteristics - for example a lot of women giggling to show how playful/cute they are. That said by the halfway mark when you are infiltrating a mob boss's mansion the characters have grown on you quite a bit. And this game will always be fondly remembered for the "Nailed it. I know" dialogue between Tifa and Cloud, I haven't literally laughed out loud in a game for a long time but I was almost beside myself laughing at that point.
I am in the second to last chapter and have some complaints, particuarly since I peeked ahead at the next chapter in a guide. The game suddenly is just dumping boss fight after boss fight after boss fight, with bosses having multiple stages. Its not necessarily hard, but it is kind of exhausting. Hoping they give for information about Sephiroth because I know knothing about him other then a) He's the bad guy and b) He kills Aerith in the original game at some point. The pacing is kind of a mess.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
hellojavalad Link ParentI played a little bit on Gamepass when it launched. Has the gameplay changed a lot? I felt the first person shooting experience was middling and there was a large emphasis on melee (Which I...I played a little bit on Gamepass when it launched. Has the gameplay changed a lot? I felt the first person shooting experience was middling and there was a large emphasis on melee (Which I understand is the emphasis in the Vermintide games). Did the FPS portion of it improved or emphasized more?
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Comment on BuzzFeed sold 'Hot Ones' studio for $82.5 million to consortium including First We Feast's founder, host Sean Evans, Crooked Media, Mythical Entertainment, and Soros Fund Management. in ~tech
hellojavalad LinkMy first take of seeing Crooked Media and Soros Fund Management being investors is that they trying to answer the call for 'The left needs a Joe Rogan'. IIRC Harris was willing to go on Hot Ones...My first take of seeing Crooked Media and Soros Fund Management being investors is that they trying to answer the call for 'The left needs a Joe Rogan'. IIRC Harris was willing to go on Hot Ones but they declined because they didn't want to do politics - I assume that won't be the case moving forward.
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Comment on This is the largest vehicle on Earth. But why was it built? in ~engineering
hellojavalad LinkI'm assuming it's because to fight against Godzillas we simply are not able. Franky, doom robots from the he future can be met with no defense. We need to make a machine that is totally great -...I'm assuming it's because to fight against Godzillas we simply are not able. Franky, doom robots from the he future can be met with no defense. We need to make a machine that is totally great - perhaps a massive steel leviathan with blades covered in gore (from our enemies that we need to be de-meated)
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Comment on New gaming PCs - price sanity check and recommendations? in ~games
hellojavalad LinkSomeone already suggested http://www.logicalincrements.com/ and I would recommend using it as a starting point. When it comes to PC part prices, I feel like waiting is always a fool's errand. The...Someone already suggested http://www.logicalincrements.com/ and I would recommend using it as a starting point.
When it comes to PC part prices, I feel like waiting is always a fool's errand. The latest and greatest GPU may be a few months away (and the previous gen price dropped), but by the time you wait for that the next CPU may be a few more months away - rinse and repeat. That being said, it seems relatively likely NVIDIA will release the 5080 and 5090 in January/February-ish.
It also kind of depends on what you want. Some questions you might want to consider:
- What resolution do you want to play? 1080p, 1440p, 4k (or other)?
- What kind of FPS do you want? 60, 90, 120, 144+? Do you have a monitor/TV that supports this via GSYNC or FreeSync?
- Do you want to run the most demanding games at max settings?
- Do you care about ray tracing?
- Do you care about features like supersampling (Such as DLSS and FSR) and NVIDIA's Frame Generation?
- Do you want to be 'future proof' at build - something that you aren't likely to feel major pressure to upgrade for 3-5 years? Or would you rather start with something that gets the job today at a lower cost and upgrade a part every other year or so?
In terms of the 4070, I have the 4070 TI Super (with a 7800X3d AMD processor), so a bit of a step up. I play in 1440p and newer released and graphically intense games usually run 90-120 FPS with DLSS on, usually with an additional 30-60 FPS with frame generation turned on. For example, Cyberpunk 2077 is still considered one of the best looking games with ray tracing and I think I was hitting that 90-120 FPS range with full path raytracing, though I did not play more than an hour or two of it (just wanted to see the visuals - I do not much care for the game even with the changes).
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Comment on What's on your Christmas wish list? in ~life
hellojavalad LinkWe had a house fire this year and a lot of things I would want are generally for my new 'man-cave' that I will be getting in the basement. Things like pegboard for hanging up things on the wall,...We had a house fire this year and a lot of things I would want are generally for my new 'man-cave' that I will be getting in the basement. Things like pegboard for hanging up things on the wall, replacing retro controllers, a chromecast, etc. Maybe some posters or art for the wall. Things like that.
My MIL likes doing stocking stuffers and I have gotten into Pokemon cards (the thing I am hyper-fixating on post election), so things like booster packs and what not.
New socks/underwear/gloves/basic t-shirts are always good. The stuff you never think about getting that you need.
Honestly, while it is nice to get stuff I always feel kind of awkward, especially if I get really nice things. I'm not very well off and I find that I receive better than I give out. Which isn't the point, and I am blessed to have family that simply does not care about such things, but I always wish I could do more.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
hellojavalad LinkPokemon The Card Game Pocket officially launched last week. I haven't played any collectable card games out of 2 or 3 MTG matches with a family member. I like it. It is really simple (your deck...Pokemon The Card Game Pocket officially launched last week. I haven't played any collectable card games out of 2 or 3 MTG matches with a family member.
I like it. It is really simple (your deck consists of 20 cards) and a match is 5-10 minutes (You need to get 3 'Points' by knocking out Pokemon, some Pokemon having a point value of 1 and others 2). Basically, I find that if I am playing a game with another person, I like quick matches and simple concepts, so this is right up my alley.
This is the first time I've played a gacha style game, and I get the addiction of collecting things for the first time. The art on these cards is amazing, and while I haven't drawn one yet, the immersive art cards are super cool (an animation that explores the environment that Pokemon is in). I actually went ahead and spent a bit of real world money, that is something I have NEVER done before in a game.
The solo battles are fairly good - you get rewards for meeting certain criteria. I wish there were more solo battles, and more specifically I wish there was a rogue-like mode. I don't play other digital card games, but it seems to me that you could do a lot of interesting things with something like that.
Anyways, I'm thinking about getting into the standard card game. I'm looking to pick up a couple of decks this week and mess around with PTGC Live. I touched it a little bit but it feels kind of janky, not very intuitive to use/things aren't explained well, and has no solo mode (other than a deck test feature) to practice on.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
hellojavalad Link ParentI haven't touched Qud in a couple of weeks, but loaded it up last night. At this point I am pretty sure I built a PC with a 4070 TI Super, 7800x3d, and 32GB RAM so I can play Minecraft, Caves of...I haven't touched Qud in a couple of weeks, but loaded it up last night. At this point I am pretty sure I built a PC with a 4070 TI Super, 7800x3d, and 32GB RAM so I can play Minecraft, Caves of Qud, and Pokemon Blue/Silver lol.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
hellojavalad Link ParentI am definitely trying to increase communication. We have a weekly meeting with management, but I've been slowly trying to add regular short meetings with just the dev team. The goal is to help...I am definitely trying to increase communication. We have a weekly meeting with management, but I've been slowly trying to add regular short meetings with just the dev team. The goal is to help clear anything blocking progress, request help from the other devs, pitch new ideas, etc. The other developers are okay with this, but their 20 years of experience is mostly working on their own projects - maybe troubleshooting bugs reported from the end user - but otherwise not touching each other's work. So its remarkably different for them to collaborate - which is necessary with the goals management has.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
hellojavalad LinkI have more of a question. I work for a smallish company and we have three main developers, including myself. One of the problems we have is that communication is poor throughout the company,...I have more of a question. I work for a smallish company and we have three main developers, including myself. One of the problems we have is that communication is poor throughout the company, including the dev team (which has one full time remote worker, and two are in office 3-5 days a week). We have VERY little oversight (no one in the company is familiar with any kind of project management, we receive zero input from management outside of getting asked to work on specific tasks, with basically no follow up until it's complete). Is there any suggestions for project management? I am not team lead material but I'm trying to get kind get us more on the same page.
I'm thinking of kind of doing an AGILE methodology and using Jira's Kanban board. Any suggestions or materials to read/watch? I'm not looking to implement an immediate large change - I am the most junior member of the team with two years experience vs the other two having 20+ at this company. But something to install and slowly get everyone involved in.
Some details: all the devs are self-taught, though I have some college experience. We don't do what you would consider 'traditional' programming, like using a language like C++, Java, Python, etc. We use a program called FileMaker, a 'low-code', GUI oriented, database. If you aren't familiar, think MS Access with way better GUI tools and a custom scripting language where everything - code, editor, tables, GUI, lives in a single application.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
hellojavalad Link ParentI miss fat Pikachu.I miss fat Pikachu.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
hellojavalad Link ParentThanks! This looks like a good place to startThanks! This looks like a good place to start
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
hellojavalad Link ParentAny suggestions for romhacks that just do things like remove forced HMs, or split physical/special, XP share, etc? I'm not looking for new content, nor difficulty/nuzlocke changes. Basically...Any suggestions for romhacks that just do things like remove forced HMs, or split physical/special, XP share, etc? I'm not looking for new content, nor difficulty/nuzlocke changes. Basically vanilla + QOL improvements.
I bought my first Flesh and Blood deck. For those unfamiliar it is a card game in the style of Magic The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, etc and my wife finally convinced me to give it a try.
As a fun project I decided to create a generic program around Flesh and Blood written in Python. Plenty of these kind of tools exist online, but I just wanted to do it for fun. I am not a traditional developer, my actual job consists of using FileMaker which is a database with strong GUI elements and occasionally tying in a Python program with that.
So, for the first time, I kind of just 'vibe-coded' this with an AI. Honestly, I'm really surprised how well this worked, I had a little graphical app in like two hours that could do simple basic things like store card data is a sqlite database, perform searches, create and save decks, load decks from a text file, etc. I had used AI in the past, but not as a "I'll give you prompts, I'll get your responses and review them, and then prompt again/clarify something/point out a needed correction, then implement" where I did very little lifting.
As someone who hasn't used TKinter, sqlite, etc in a regular way for the last 5-10 years it pretty much handled itself after some gentle pushing, which is convenient because I feel like I always used to struggle with things like placing objects where I wanted them in TKinter. Which is definitely a skill issue for me.
Anyways, I plan on expanding this out. Eventually I'd like to do things like analyze games and decks along with a lot of little things. It's nothing fancy, but its just kind of cool to work with. Just kind of getting versed in the game while looking through things is kind of cool.