knocklessmonster's recent activity
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Comment on MOUSE: P.I. For Hire | Official launch trailer in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster (edited )Link ParentThe biggest weakness of Starfield is its overworld exploration, which is usually the hook in Bethesda games. Their procedurally generated overworlds and previously samey assortment of generic...The biggest weakness of Starfield is its overworld exploration, which is usually the hook in Bethesda games. Their procedurally generated overworlds and previously samey assortment of generic buildings (and God knows how many "unique" POIs that replicated like Muybridge) reflected the issues in Starfield.
I did just fine with it, and loved the hell out of it, because I'm very goal/questline oriented. I tend to lock into a questline and allow distraction, rather than engage fully with an open world, then I start exploring when the main quests are done. I did the MSQ, then had to redo it with a new character as I didn't realize noclipping put the [M] tag on my first (got stuck). I burned out after 300 hours, roughly 30-40 being me grinding out max Starborn powers (which you can now just get with Quanum Essence from Starborn encounters).
I did finally have my first Zero-G encounter after 90-hours of total gameplay
Another disappointment for me. There are like six or seven events I can remember with zero-G, two random encounters, the rest are questlines. Hopefully with the Free Lanes update and more space POIs we'll see more random encounters with it. It's underused, but hopefully Free Lanes and Terran Armada bring more (TA brings at least one opening encounter with it, but I'm only two quests in).
where I'm not feeling like playing a game that is heavy on dialogue.
Yeah. Starfield's strength is its characters and story, but if you're not up for that that's totally valid.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkStarfield: Terran Armada I bought the Premium edition for launch so I get it for free, for transparency (technically I just paid ahead of time for the DLC). I was disappointed that it broke...Starfield: Terran Armada I bought the Premium edition for launch so I get it for free, for transparency (technically I just paid ahead of time for the DLC). I was disappointed that it broke Watchtower, which I had just gotten started on, but I'll throw it back into my load list when kinggath gets it fixed.
The Free Lanes update (free with the game) is really great. It adds a faster travel system that analyzes your distance to a location in lightseconds, and sort of ramps up your speed so traversing the system feels more like crossing an overworld. Using this system you can traverse the system in a way that feels a bit closer to No Man's Sky, rather than other Bethesda games, where POIs will appear and you can interact with them. You'll drop out of "Travel" mode for encounters that occur along the path, as well (my level 99, maxxed-out NG+ has had to deal with level 72 Guardians). If you wanted a more RPG-y, less load-screeny Starfield, this is a big improvement (you still get loading screens between systems, but so do most games with similar systems AFAIK). They also added a feature to let you use Quantum Essence to upgrade your powers so you don't have to do NG+ a bunch of times (I was like 16?) to max the powers out, meaning you could, theoretically, finish the game, NG+, then start cranking quantum essences in the next universe and only go through once.
I didn't have many complaints about Starfield, but the ones I did have been shored up mostly. Now I need to go through with a normal character and see how many Muybridge Pharmaceuticals I encounter.
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Comment on Indie Pass, a PC subscription service for indie games to launch on April 13, 2026 in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkThey better have a hell of a compensation rate for featured games. Indies are usually harder up for money unless they can get sufficient hype, and Gamepass has already demonstrated that it...They better have a hell of a compensation rate for featured games. Indies are usually harder up for money unless they can get sufficient hype, and Gamepass has already demonstrated that it generally negatively affects profitability of games in a way similar to streaming for musicians (while also creating a minimal profitability for certain experimental games that might have never happened but for gamepass, like Pentiment).
Not to come across as a cold cynic but I always felt indies were generally priced well enough to not need this sort of service.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkHades 2 Still getting the itch, even with STS2 out. Something about the 20-30 minute run time, tight loop, and narrative structure of these games just makes me want to keep going. I'm now...Hades 2 Still getting the itch, even with STS2 out. Something about the 20-30 minute run time, tight loop, and narrative structure of these games just makes me want to keep going. I'm now consistently getting to Scylla and beating her half the time, so that's nice.
Raccoin. Exactly what it is on the tin: "Raccoin: The Coin Pusher Roguelike." It's kinda cute, a lot of fun, and also just happens to be based on my absolute favorite machine in any arcade so it checks all my boxes.
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Comment on Backrooms | Official trailer in ~movies
knocklessmonster Link ParentThat was actually the game I was thinking of. I forgot it was a whole-ass meme genre for a bit.That was actually the game I was thinking of.
I forgot it was a whole-ass meme genre for a bit. -
Comment on Backrooms | Official trailer in ~movies
knocklessmonster LinkChiwetel Ejiofor was a bigger hitter than I expected in this. I like the Backrooms mythos from the games (watching lets plays, I'm not touching it with a ten foot pole), so I'm definitely down for...Chiwetel Ejiofor was a bigger hitter than I expected in this. I like the Backrooms mythos from the games (watching lets plays, I'm not touching it with a ten foot pole), so I'm definitely down for a fringe jank game film adaptation into a serious motion picture.
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Comment on How to turn anything into a router in ~comp
knocklessmonster LinkI started trying to tighten up my homelab network after realizing that my router (slash-AP) was bouncing bridged Podman traffic. The first setup I did was a Raspberry Pi 5 8GB I had sitting around...I started trying to tighten up my homelab network after realizing that my router (slash-AP) was bouncing bridged Podman traffic. The first setup I did was a Raspberry Pi 5 8GB I had sitting around with a spare dongle I bought initially for work to provide LAN/WAN, and OpenWRT (which runs on ARM, 32-bit and 64-bit PC platforms as well!). After the lockdown, I quickly ordered the BananaPi-manufactured OpenWRT-designed ONE router just to have something in my back pocket. I also have a couple of routers (a GL-iNet running my homelab, a GL-iNet I kept vanilla and another I don't remember running OpenWRT) as spare/travel routers.
Heck, virtual network appliances are just VMs with customized OSes that route traffic around without having a physical box in cloud environments to provide firewalls, routing, etc. Once you start to see everything as just inter-related software systems with the same hardware guts, certain rules and regulations get kinda funny and sad.
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Comment on Welcome to a multidimensional economic disaster - the AI boom wasn’t built for the polycrisis (gifted lnk) in ~tech
knocklessmonster Link ParentIt's already looking like, with Google's acceleration of memory compression for AI systems, things aren't as bleak as they look. I feel you, I've been needing to get another 32GB of DDR5 memory...It's already looking like, with Google's acceleration of memory compression for AI systems, things aren't as bleak as they look. I feel you, I've been needing to get another 32GB of DDR5 memory for my PC (for virtualization/etc locally), but haven't been able to stomach the recent surge in pricing. However, I've directly worked on cloud infrastructure that utilizes similar technology for analytics and machine learning systems, and we're seeing the inclusion in things like AMD's AI CPU lines with NPUs dedicated to this in relatively baseline (if higher-end, but consumer-grade) models suggests we will be able to do this mostly locally surprisingly soon. More responsible companies like AMD will likely still be bearing this torch after the inevitable bubble burst comes, as well.
To a point all it takes for a relatively basic computer to have is this capability is a separate processing utility so you don't blow your GPU on a 120b model (did that once) or suffer with CPU-only AI computation. The chips that enable this are currently cutting edge, but things move quick, and they'll be relatively normal in a couple years.
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Comment on Any beginners advice or resources on developing a 2D RPG/Puzzle video game? in ~comp
knocklessmonster LinkGodot is a world-class engine. So much good stuff has been coming out on it. @all_summer_beauty's links seem solid. I've done some dev in it, mostly prototyping on like 3.4 to make a Zelda-style...But I'm not sure where to start. I'm looking into Godot because it's free and open source and has a lot of community resources, but also wanted to see if anyone had any ideas here.
Godot is a world-class engine. So much good stuff has been coming out on it. @all_summer_beauty's links seem solid. I've done some dev in it, mostly prototyping on like 3.4 to make a Zelda-style movement demo and it's probably the best thing going for free. It should be able to handle the sort of context switching you want like any other engine as well. Just check out Casette Beasts for a commercial, large-scale, multi-modal offering. Even Sega used it for a remaster of Sonic Colors. It's hitting the mainstream as a respectable engine similarly to how Blender is finally getting its flowers.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkI've been playing a ton of roguelites lately and wanted to mix it up after running a bunch of Slay The Spire 1/2, so I set up Super Mario 64 in Ghostship I remember SM64 was the first decompiled,...I've been playing a ton of roguelites lately and wanted to mix it up after running a bunch of Slay The Spire 1/2, so I set up Super Mario 64 in Ghostship
I remember SM64 was the first decompiled, maintained, multi-system N64 port but I never got around to getting a known build running. Then randomly this comes out (I don't follow the Harbour Master 64 project beyond releases), and it's perfect. I got the 8bitdo 64 controller, as well, and have been having a great time with the N64 muscle memory. I nearly beat SM64 on the 3DS at one point but never picked it back up again, so it's nice to go back through it.
I set up Spaghetti Kart, the Mario Kart 64 game, as well, to see about going through it, too, and have been having fun with it, as well. This controller really does make a bit of a difference, I think, at least on game feel and not having to think differently for inputs.
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Comment on Ageless Linux emerges to protest OS-level age verification laws in ~tech
knocklessmonster LinkIt's Debian with a tweaked /etc/release. "We aren't Debian because you edited a user file" wouldn't do anything against these laws. It spawned from the Reddit rageposting a out the bila by people...It's Debian with a tweaked /etc/release. "We aren't Debian because you edited a user file" wouldn't do anything against these laws.
It spawned from the Reddit rageposting a out the bila by people who didn't read them. To be clear, I think they're stupid laws designed to shift age compliance from big tech to OS vendors, but there was, and continues to be, so much misinformation about the functions of these bills, and even anger at organizations (Freedesktop) trying to ensure their downstream projects (distros) don't get screwed by it.
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 launches into Early Access in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentI've been testing my older hardware with it. I have a 2012 Macbook Pro with Debian that even runs it, like you described with some load delays, but once you're in it's solid.I've been testing my older hardware with it. I have a 2012 Macbook Pro with Debian that even runs it, like you described with some load delays, but once you're in it's solid.
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Comment on gb-recompiled - Translates Z80 assembly directly into modern C code in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentAssuming this could be made to run every game 100% OOTB on build (I did a run with Link's Awakening that crashed after five minutes), you could at least eliminate the overhead of emulation and any...Assuming this could be made to run every game 100% OOTB on build (I did a run with Link's Awakening that crashed after five minutes), you could at least eliminate the overhead of emulation and any input latency it provides which could, theoretically, help with things like high-level Tetris, and the few other games that would benefit. You're still subjected to input processing + LCD latency, but it's one more small point of potential optimization. You can remove some of this overhead with emulators, like Retroarch, but this requires running multiple instances of the emulator which even causes issues with 8-bit system emulation efficiency.
But like 90% of the thought is because I just think it would be cool.
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Comment on gb-recompiled - Translates Z80 assembly directly into modern C code in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentI'm talking about something like even a Decky extension, or some desktop GUI for enthusiast use. Of course you need the rom, but some projects, like the Harbour Master stuff, makes it dead easy to...I'm talking about something like even a Decky extension, or some desktop GUI for enthusiast use.
Of course you need the rom, but some projects, like the Harbour Master stuff, makes it dead easy to manage the process of extracting the data by having a drag-and-drop or simple command with the rom as an argument (Linux is the exception here, soh.appimage oot_name.z64 to run the build).
I just did a build of Link's Awakening with this and it was pretty easy. But you do need a full build stack. In Debian I needed
build-essential sdl2-dev cmake ninja-build, so you'd need the standard stack for any other OS. It did take a minute or so to link the last two blocks while compiling, but it was still pretty quick. -
Comment on gb-recompiled - Translates Z80 assembly directly into modern C code in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkI'm excited by the possibility of being able to run classic games as native apps. Portable FPGAs are great (shoutouts to Analogue and FunnyPlaying), but if one created a buildchain where you...I'm excited by the possibility of being able to run classic games as native apps. Portable FPGAs are great (shoutouts to Analogue and FunnyPlaying), but if one created a buildchain where you could, say, take a Gameboy game and recompile it on your Steam Deck as easily as loading a ROM, that would be phenomenal. We aren't even at the compilable games being confirmably fully functioning, but this is still amazing, and the current state is a huge step towards game preservation and playability.
Emulation is in a great state, too, but I just find the idea of running games natively to be cool.
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Comment on gb-recompiled - Translates Z80 assembly directly into modern C code in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentThere's a mention in the article that calls out N64 (Harbour Masters, and others) and PS2 (PS2Recomp) de/recompilation projects.There's a mention in the article that calls out N64 (Harbour Masters, and others) and PS2 (PS2Recomp) de/recompilation projects.
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Comment on gb-recompiled - Translates Z80 assembly directly into modern C code in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentI didn't even know we were doing PS2 recomps to any extent, I have some games I need to try it on that are notoriously difficult to emulate, but don't, to my knowledge, use extended hardware.I didn't even know we were doing PS2 recomps to any extent, I have some games I need to try it on that are notoriously difficult to emulate, but don't, to my knowledge, use extended hardware.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster (edited )Link ParentThe Pocket is honestly better than a modded GameBoy, Color, and Advance (I have all of them). With adapters you can run a few other hand-helds (NeoGeo, and two more), and with open-source openFPGA...The Pocket is honestly better than a modded GameBoy, Color, and Advance (I have all of them). With adapters you can run a few other hand-helds (NeoGeo, and two more), and with open-source openFPGA cores it does all of those and more (SNES and anything that gen or earlier) from ROMs.
Not trying to make a pitch beyond "It's way more than a DMG/GBC/GBA fpga device."
They also make a midi cable that lets me connect a gameboy with LSDJ to hardware which is sick. They only talk about nanoloop but both use the same rails for MID. Made my Arduinoboy obsolete with less noise.
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Comment on Parseword - a delightfully complex word game from Wordle’s creator in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkI'll dig in later because I can't make too much sense after the tutorial and five minutes at work but it started clicking! I like it because it doesn't require vocabulary as much as context.I'll dig in later because I can't make too much sense after the tutorial and five minutes at work but it started clicking! I like it because it doesn't require vocabulary as much as context.
Half the time I play games with Linux ports through Proton because they work better there anyway.