jhombus's recent activity
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of November 4 in ~news
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Comment on What game do you consider an unconventional masterpiece? in ~games
jhombus LinkI’m going to continue singing the praises of Mosa Lina — it’s a small but infinitely replayable physics-based puzzle game with a super unique design philosophy. You’re given a select set of tools...I’m going to continue singing the praises of Mosa Lina — it’s a small but infinitely replayable physics-based puzzle game with a super unique design philosophy. You’re given a select set of tools from a broader pool for each “run” and need to problem solve your way through a set of levels that aren’t designed with any particular tool in mind.
99% of the time, the set of levels is solvable with the tools you have — but it takes practice and in-the-moment ingenuity on the player’s part to discover workable solutions.
I’ve never played anything quite like it, and could quite easily imagine it spawning a genre in and of itself.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
jhombus Link ParentAs someone who absolutely loves modern puzzle games that I understand owe a lot to Myst/Riven (The Witness, Outer Wilds, etc), but found Myst to be painful to play due to puzzles feeling overly...As someone who absolutely loves modern puzzle games that I understand owe a lot to Myst/Riven (The Witness, Outer Wilds, etc), but found Myst to be painful to play due to puzzles feeling overly obscure or arcane — would I enjoy Riven? I've been on the fence about it and I'm curious if it holds up any better.
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Comment on What AI tools are you actually using? in ~tech
jhombus Link ParentChatGPT actually has a pretty excellent voice assistant built in now! I made consistent use of it while I was building a challenging coding project in a language and environment that I was deeply...ChatGPT actually has a pretty excellent voice assistant built in now! I made consistent use of it while I was building a challenging coding project in a language and environment that I was deeply unfamiliar with.
I’d have a window open to get code suggestions, and my phone propped up in front of me so I could rant at it with a stream of consciousness whenever I was confused or needed to clarify something. It did a great job of both figuring out how to address my general confusion and reinforcing that it’s all part of the learning process. It worked as kind of a combined tutor/therapist — helped me a ton.
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Comment on Eclipse plans in ~talk
jhombus LinkSome friends and I drove out of NYC and stayed overnight at a place near Buffalo, and were disappointed the clouds today were so prominent. We ended up scouring every weather radar, satellite...Some friends and I drove out of NYC and stayed overnight at a place near Buffalo, and were disappointed the clouds today were so prominent.
We ended up scouring every weather radar, satellite feed, and projection to figure out if we could get a clear view of the sky anywhere remotely close to us.
Ended up booking it out to Erie, PA — then driving a bit further into Ohio where we saw blue skies, then booking it back toward Erie in an attempt to outpace an oncoming blanket of newly formed clouds.
Got a slight lead on the clouds and pulled off with a couple other cars in a big parking lot behind a pet groomer just a few minutes from totality — it turned out both cars had done the exact same doubling back / escape from the clouds that we had done, and one of them set up an AMAZING telescope within seconds of arriving.
We all ended up having an unbelievable view, got to see the umbra up close with the telescope, and had a great time with a pack of strangers that had all come a long way for the same thing — such a great experience.
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Comment on Do you have any game sub-genres that you have a name for, but aren't big enough to be "official" sub-genres? in ~games
jhombus Link ParentI’ve heard “Metroidbrainia” which is both funny and accurate. Upgrades happen in your own understanding to unlock new paths, usually requiring you to hop back and forth to areas already explored...I’ve heard “Metroidbrainia” which is both funny and accurate. Upgrades happen in your own understanding to unlock new paths, usually requiring you to hop back and forth to areas already explored with new information that changes the options available to you.
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically (round 2) in ~games
jhombus Link Parent+1 for Tinykin, such a delightful game I was surprised to love as much as I did. I'd say it's lighter on the RTS/time management piece than Pikmin, but it uses similar ideas in service of a super...+1 for Tinykin, such a delightful game I was surprised to love as much as I did. I'd say it's lighter on the RTS/time management piece than Pikmin, but it uses similar ideas in service of a super tight platformer collectathon design that I thought worked really well.
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Comment on What irrational video game requirements do you have? in ~games
jhombus LinkI was just thinking about how much it bums me out when an RPG doesn’t change your character’s appearance with the armor you have equipped. It’s the combination of a visual hook to confirm that...I was just thinking about how much it bums me out when an RPG doesn’t change your character’s appearance with the armor you have equipped.
It’s the combination of a visual hook to confirm that your character’s stats are different than they were, and the additional vector of decision making and customization that really does it for me.
I toootally get that it’s a sizable resource lift to produce that many assets, but the feeling of progression from seeing your character change can be just the push I need to stick with a game that I might not otherwise be totally motivated to see through (i.e. most RPGs, unfortunately)
I’ve fallen off some GREAT games (Final Fantasy, Persona, Like a Dragon, etc) and I wonder if I might have been more likely to continue with just this one tweak.
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Comment on What's a "house rule" that has made a game more fun for you? in ~games
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Comment on What's a "house rule" that has made a game more fun for you? in ~games
jhombus (edited )LinkStrategic paper eating. The ultimate house rule in my book. There's a party game we call Celebrity (also known as Fishbowl, packaged up as Monikers for those who don't want to make their own...Strategic paper eating. The ultimate house rule in my book.
There's a party game we call Celebrity (also known as Fishbowl, packaged up as Monikers for those who don't want to make their own clues) where you write down a bunch of names of famous people and characters on pieces of paper, then teams of 2 hint at and guess as many as they can over the course of 60 second rounds, with new restrictions in place every time all the names in the bowl have been exhausted and players gain enough familiarity to be able to guess them with new restrictions (unlimited words -> 2 word hints -> mime).
The rules we started with, which feel appropriate but imperfect, do not allow for skipping. If you pull a name and can't get your partner to guess it, you're out of luck waiting for the rest of the 60 seconds to transpire. I've played with another group that did allow skipping, and this provides no reward for sticking it out on a hard name, and basically encourages recycling it immediately to get an easier name.
It felt right to us that skipping ought to incur a penalty, but taking a time penalty, for example, would still encourage abuse of skipping if the name itself is hard enough, forcing another team to eventually need to contend with it. This is where paper eating comes into play.
If you eat a name, once you've swallowed it, you can move on to another name. This removes it from play for the rest of the game, and adds an extra layer of commitment and strategy. It inspires questions like:
- Do you eat this name? Or save your appetite for a harder name?
- How thick is the paper this time? (we played with notecards once – never again.)
- Do you choose a teammate who's a good clue giver? A good guesser? Or a relentless paper eater?
It's added a lot to our enjoyment of the game, and absolutely mortifies any new friends brought into the fold.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jhombus Link ParentHah, I do think if I used immersive mode and factored in the room scan, it could work, but right now I have the game situated in a Volume to let the player reposition it easily. I feel like most...Hah, I do think if I used immersive mode and factored in the room scan, it could work, but right now I have the game situated in a Volume to let the player reposition it easily. I feel like most spatial games would benefit from using this instead of surface detection, as the latter doesn't allow multitasking while the game's open.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jhombus LinkI just released a chill block stacking game for the Vision Pro! Didn’t know any Swift 6 months ago, and built the whole thing in RealityKit. It’s my first real dev project that I’ve seen through...I just released a chill block stacking game for the Vision Pro! Didn’t know any Swift 6 months ago, and built the whole thing in RealityKit. It’s my first real dev project that I’ve seen through to an actual finished product, so I’m super proud of it. It was a huge learning endeavor, but I feel so much more comfortable developing for Apple platforms now. Definitely worth the effort!
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Comment on Taskmaster NZ | Series 2 complete playlist in ~tv
jhombus LinkThis was one of my favorite TM seasons ever, even including the UK ones — such a great cast with great chemistry. Guy Montgomery especially gets me every time.This was one of my favorite TM seasons ever, even including the UK ones — such a great cast with great chemistry. Guy Montgomery especially gets me every time.
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Comment on Letterboxd/goodreads/storygraph but for video games in ~games
jhombus Link ParentTotally hear ya — I do love that about Letterboxd especially. I’ve made a habit of opening up Sequel whenever I read or hear about something that sounds up my alley, letting other sites handle the...Totally hear ya — I do love that about Letterboxd especially. I’ve made a habit of opening up Sequel whenever I read or hear about something that sounds up my alley, letting other sites handle the social component, and that’s been good enough for me considering how much else it does so well.
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Comment on Letterboxd/goodreads/storygraph but for video games in ~games
jhombus LinkIf you have iOS, I really like Sequel. Not only is it great for keeping track of what you’ve played and your ratings, but also lets you keep an ongoing wishlist and backlog for games, shows,...If you have iOS, I really like Sequel. Not only is it great for keeping track of what you’ve played and your ratings, but also lets you keep an ongoing wishlist and backlog for games, shows, movies, and books — with notifications for new releases you’re tracking. Great design, following iOS best practices, with full metadata and an active dev that clearly cares about it.
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically in ~games
jhombus Link ParentOoh yes, I’ve heard of this one! Looks awesome, but I’m gonna wait til it’s out of early access — rather get the full experience once it’s fully baked. Thanks for the reminder!Ooh yes, I’ve heard of this one! Looks awesome, but I’m gonna wait til it’s out of early access — rather get the full experience once it’s fully baked. Thanks for the reminder!
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically in ~games
jhombus Link ParentMakes sense! If the spell combination is more of interest than the gesture controls, you can’t do much better than Noita. It’s an insanely deep game that I’ve never gotten too into myself, but I...Makes sense! If the spell combination is more of interest than the gesture controls, you can’t do much better than Noita. It’s an insanely deep game that I’ve never gotten too into myself, but I have friends who love it. Might be up your alley if you’re willing to learn how it all works.
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically in ~games
jhombus Link ParentWOW, I completely forgot about Lost Magic. Such a neat game. If you haven't played it already, Okami uses paintbrush gestures for combat and puzzles, may scratch a similar itch! All-around great...WOW, I completely forgot about Lost Magic. Such a neat game. If you haven't played it already, Okami uses paintbrush gestures for combat and puzzles, may scratch a similar itch! All-around great game too, borrows a lot from the 3D Zelda titles. The Switch version also has touch controls, which might make it feel a bit closer to Lost Magic.
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically in ~games
jhombus Link ParentI have a few recs for ya! Patrick’s Parabox — great paradoxical puzzling, explored thoroughly but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Every area feels like the dev letting you in on a little joke as you...I have a few recs for ya!
Patrick’s Parabox — great paradoxical puzzling, explored thoroughly but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Every area feels like the dev letting you in on a little joke as you explore new implications of the central mechanic.
Linelith — Same dev as Patrick’s Parabox, a much shorter game perfect for a quick puzzling session.
Mosa Lina — Physics platformer puzzler, a favorite of mine from this year. Infinitely replayable with randomized sets of levels and available puzzle-solving tools per round. None of the levels is made for any particular set of tools in mind, so you gotta get creative and patiently learn to make good use of whatever tools you have.
COCOON — Tightly designed puzzles about nested worlds, beautiful aesthetic, everything communicated wordlessly.
Outer Wilds — Further from your original ask, but it’s so phenomenal that it’s worth mentioning. The entire world is one interconnected puzzle of exploration and archaeology, where you can solve the mystery immediately from the start if you just know exactly what’s going on in the solar system — but you don’t, so you’re sent on an open-ended quest to find out.
I’m sure I’ve got more recs in me but at least one of these should give you what you’re looking for!
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically in ~games
jhombus Link ParentI loooved Tunic! The combat was def tougher than I’d have preferred, but the parts of it that line up with the games I mentioned were SO good.I loooved Tunic! The combat was def tougher than I’d have preferred, but the parts of it that line up with the games I mentioned were SO good.
Surprisingly optimistic. Given that polls have been unreliable in aggregate in both 2016 and 2020, I'm trying to pay more attention to what I'm observing qualitatively this time around (which runs counter to how I would normally approach this sort of thing).
In 2016, it felt like polls were the only thing pointing to a decisive victory but the overall mood was terrible — very muted enthusiasm for Clinton, ridiculous controversy surrounding her in spite of her opponent's clear unfitness, and genuine excitement and momentum for Trump that we all willfully ignored.
In 2020, there was excitement around getting Trump out of office, and Biden was the means to that end more than anything. I didn't sense any real enthusiasm for Biden specifically, but given the absolute fury over how the previous 4 years had been handled and the bungling of the COVID crisis, I wasn't surprised when Biden eked out a victory.
This time around, between anger over the overturning of Roe, an outpouring of what feels like genuine adoration and support for Harris that I never felt for Clinton, solid rally attendance for Harris and dwindling attendance for Trump, and seemingly massive grassroots Dem fundraising and volunteering vs 2016 and 2020 (haven't looked at the data, so this is more of an impression) and absolutely abysmal ground game from the Trump campaign — the only thing that feels out of step with a Harris victory is the polls.
So I'm opting to use the Selzer poll as a sign that the vibes I'm observing are real (I know that's just one state responding to a very specific situation) and assuming the best will happen until proven otherwise, rather than accepting the nailbiter scenario this time around.