kru's recent activity
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Comment on Recommendation Request: New Mouse in ~comp
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kru LinkI picked up The Alters, since it's free on game pass. It bills itself as survival base-building with a heavy narrative component. The hook being that the protagonist has to pull in clones of...I picked up The Alters, since it's free on game pass.
It bills itself as survival base-building with a heavy narrative component. The hook being that the protagonist has to pull in clones of himself from alternate universes which a key moment of his life branched off, giving that version of him a different life trajectory and different skillsets. For example, in one branch of his life, the protagonist chooses to get a job after university, rather than pursue a PhD. When he creates a clone that did pursue the PhD, that clone ends up being a scientist who can perform research to unlock new technologies.
As a survival base-builder, it's.. meh. As a narrative game, it's also.. meh. However, the game is fun and worth playing.
Overall, the game is fine. It looks nice. The presentation is great. Moving my character around the base and interacting with things feels good. Exploring the outside world feels good. The VFX, SFX and level design are all quality. Their decision to let players reorganize the base at any point is stellar. Building rooms and rearranging the base is super fun and satisfying.
The actual base management is a bit cumbersome. I have to manually assign each of my workers to a work station, and if that station ever runs out of tasks (which is quite common), I have to then manually assign them to a new work station. The developers made this task assignment easy to do remotely while exploring, but it's still tedious to have to do it. I want to be able to assign priorities to people, like tell the gardener "grow food at top priority, but if there's no need to grow more food, then cook food in the kitchen, and if there's no need to cook, then work in workshop..." etc. The current limitation of having to constantly manually reassign tasks is a big sore spot in an otherwise pretty slick game and interface.
However, the game makes one big decision that I think throws a big wrench into the pacing. The whole game is a series of timed quests, where you know neither the ultimate time limit, nor how many steps will ultimately be needed to complete each quest. The game is constantly reminding you that if you fail to complete the current timed quest, it's GAME OVER, but who knows how long you actually have! To be fair, the game does tell you when you have less than 10 days until a game over. That's nice, but ends up feeling pretty bad to me.
Moreover, the game is on a constant real-time timer. Each day is about 10 minutes long, and once its night-time, all you can do is go to sleep. This lends a strong desire to maximize the utility of every day. One bit of weirdness that this leads to, since just walking around the map drains precious daylight, and the game gives me a no-cost sprint button, I naturally just always sprint. This means I'm constantly holding down that shift key.
The bad thing about the timed quests it throws the pacing is off. The prologue and beginning of the first act are full of scripted sequences that lay out the story, teach the mechanics and set up the overall goals. It's well done. Every day or two in the prologue has you interacting with the cast. That sets up big expectations for how much dialogue and story I am expecting throughout the game. But that narrative quickly falls away to be replaced with soulless resource gathering. In between the big bookends of the acts, there's a huge dearth of story. Large swaths of time are just doing chores to get tons of metal or minerals to build some macguffin quest item that is used once and never mentioned again. The story elements are generally unsatisfying and don't provide me the motivation to slog through the daily grinds.
Those bookends between acts are very well done, though. I thoroughly enjoyed the Act 1 -> Act 2 segue.
Ultimately the game is a good one. It does a lot of things right, and it's worth a few hours to enjoy. The reconfigurable base is a cool feature. It could use a few quality of life automation features, and it definitely needs a better narrative.
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Comment on The role of defense counsel in ensuring a fair US justice system in ~society
kru Link ParentI had to unlearn the phrase "justice system" and replace it with "legal system" in my vernacular. This change has made all of what our courts do (and don't do) fit into place nicely.I had to unlearn the phrase "justice system" and replace it with "legal system" in my vernacular. This change has made all of what our courts do (and don't do) fit into place nicely.
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Comment on Paramount offers millions to US President Donald Trump to end $20B ‘60 Minutes’ suit and let Skydance merger go through in ~movies
kru Link ParentYou should read about the lawsuit at issue and you'll better understand why settling it is bowing to fascism. The suit has no merit. The only reason it wasn't dismissed outright is because it's in...- Exemplary
You should read about the lawsuit at issue and you'll better understand why settling it is bowing to fascism. The suit has no merit. The only reason it wasn't dismissed outright is because it's in front of Kacsmaryck.
Given that this is mertiless, I view this as the leader of the executive branch extorting a group of citizens for money. If a police officer stopped a group of citizens and demanded money (without merit), I would argue that paying him off was still bowing to fascism even if it was the most convenient and expeditious thing for those citizens to do.
Even corporations have to pay their share of the price of freedom, else we all lose it.
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Comment on Fiction with great “plot devices” in ~misc
kru Link ParentDon't spoil yourself. Watch it. It's a great premise.Don't spoil yourself. Watch it. It's a great premise.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What keeps you up at night? in ~talk
kru LinkPlantar fasciitis. Take care of your feet. I haven't had a full night's sleep this past week due to throbbing feet.Plantar fasciitis. Take care of your feet. I haven't had a full night's sleep this past week due to throbbing feet.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump shares bizarre AI vision of what Gaza will look like under his rule in ~society
kru LinkSo, what else is happening that this is trying to distract us from?So, what else is happening that this is trying to distract us from?
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Comment on Civilization 7 is coming to Meta Quest 3 and 3S this spring in ~games
kru LinkI've been playing triangle strategy on the quest 3. It's clunky and slow, and very tiresome to play for long periods at a time. Neither of the two methods of selecting and moving the units feels...I've been playing triangle strategy on the quest 3. It's clunky and slow, and very tiresome to play for long periods at a time. Neither of the two methods of selecting and moving the units feels good for sustained play. The raycast based input is finicky and imprecise, and the grab-and-move input requires wide sweeping arm movements (which make multi-hour gaming sessions way more physically demanding than just a mouse and wasd).
I'm skeptical of turn based strategy games from this experience. Maybe the civ team will pull a rabbit out of their hat and show us a simple, easy, intuitive vr interface to a strategy game, but I'm not holding out much hope.
I really want a 2d mouse pointer to move my units in triangle strategy vr. The stability of a mouse is so crucial to making precision selection.
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Comment on Should leftists in the US be armed? in ~society
kru Link ParentInsurgent tactics have proven very effective against superior occupying forces, which includes the US military. I think, when people in a minority are asking about buying a gun, they're really...What exactly are you going to do, untrained, with a peashooter, against the US military, in this doomsday hypothetical?
Insurgent tactics have proven very effective against superior occupying forces, which includes the US military.
I think, when people in a minority are asking about buying a gun, they're really asking one of two things: Am I going to be attacked directly, and have a sudden need to defend myself, and/or am I going to find myself as part of an insurgent resistance?
Unfortunately, I can't offer any thoughts or guidance about either of these. Two decades ago I'd have answered both of those proxy questions with "most assuredly not," but now my response is "I hope not, but maybe."
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Comment on USA: Metrics for a presidential report card in ~society
kru LinkA lot of these can be obtained from the fred, which is an economic data tracker run by the federal reserve. It's all out in the open. Pick some charts that align with the type of data you'd want...A lot of these can be obtained from the fred, which is an economic data tracker run by the federal reserve. It's all out in the open. Pick some charts that align with the type of data you'd want to track, then mark the inauguration dates.
Inflation
Total Public Debt
Unemployment Rate
GDP
Literacy Rate (I had to go to the world bank to get the US stats on this)
Poverty
Gas Price
Salaries (There's so many different ways to track this)
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Comment on Do not fix bugs reported in your open source projects in ~comp
kru LinkI'd only support this position if the quality of the codebase was such that the time which it takes for me to grok the codebase and fix the issue is comparable to the time it takes the developer...I'd only support this position if the quality of the codebase was such that the time which it takes for me to grok the codebase and fix the issue is comparable to the time it takes the developer with his back-of-my-hand knowledge of the codebase to fix it. In other words, I don't want to spend 20 hours understanding spaghetti to do what the developer could do in 30 seconds.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kru Link Parent300 hours? You're almost done with the tutorial!300 hours? You're almost done with the tutorial!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kru Link ParentI've only played one game on the default settings to learn the mechanics. I enjoyed it. The mechanic whereby workers build improvements to city tiles, which can then be staffed by citizens is great.I've only played one game on the default settings to learn the mechanics. I enjoyed it. The mechanic whereby workers build improvements to city tiles, which can then be staffed by citizens is great.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kru LinkI installed Old World and played a game over the weekend. It's a civ-like 4x. Imagine taking the early era of civ and stretching it out into an entire game, and adding a dose of Crusader Kings...I installed Old World and played a game over the weekend. It's a civ-like 4x. Imagine taking the early era of civ and stretching it out into an entire game, and adding a dose of Crusader Kings personnel/family management. One of the top steam reviews calls it civ for geniuses and that's not far off the mark. It's super fiddly and micromanagey, way moreso than the latest civ games, but I enjoy that sort of stuff.
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Comment on Ten years ago, one of the uber-wealthy predicted "the pitchforks are coming for us" in ~society
kru Link ParentI'm not sure that's entirely true. Often rebellions are fomented by people with a modest wealth themselves, who either agree with the cause and/or have something to gain from the action in their...I'm not sure that's entirely true. Often rebellions are fomented by people with a modest wealth themselves, who either agree with the cause and/or have something to gain from the action in their own right. Other times, lower-class revolts can be catalyzed by opportunity, in addition to high levels of need and suffering. What I mean is, you might not think, "Yep, I'm a rebel now," but things will happen and you'll agree with them, and then more things will happen, and you'll agree with them, and then, at some point, you'll realize that you crossed the line without realizing it. A lot of group associations occur like this.
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Comment on US satire publication The Onion buys Alex Jones' Infowars at auction with help from Sandy Hook families in ~society
kru Link ParentI wonder if that is even possible. When Fox News began airing some pro-establishment Republican and anti-Trump stories, people went even further into the right wing rabbit hole of OANN and other...I wonder if that is even possible. When Fox News began airing some pro-establishment Republican and anti-Trump stories, people went even further into the right wing rabbit hole of OANN and other more extreme, fringe outlets. I suspect that altruistic attempts to deprogram people by usurping their media diet and feeding them reality would have to be an exceptionally long and subtle strategy.
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Comment on I've added ~society for topics related to politics, law, policies, and similar societal-level subjects in ~tildes.official
kru LinkI might be one of those users who shows up in your "Never uses tag filtering" query. I know it exists, but I don't want to use it. I want to see all of the posts. There isn't enough content on...the large majority of users don't use [the tags filtering feature] (or even seem to know it exists)
I might be one of those users who shows up in your "Never uses tag filtering" query. I know it exists, but I don't want to use it. I want to see all of the posts. There isn't enough content on Tildes, yet, to make filters necessary for me.
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Comment on Satisfactory tips and tricks? in ~games
kru LinkRandom things I missed during my first 100 hours of the game: Read those instructions on the bottom of the screen while placing objects/belts! Many of the things you can build have alternate build...Random things I missed during my first 100 hours of the game:
Read those instructions on the bottom of the screen while placing objects/belts!
Many of the things you can build have alternate build modes. For instance, Zoop mode makes laying out foundations a breeze (I spent ~60 hours doing them one by one). Belts have an alternate build mode that tries to follow right-angles, which vastly reduces spaghetti and makes things more pleasing (to me, at least). Pipes have a nice horizontal-to-vertical mode that also helps.Pipe junctions can be placed on the ceilings. I like to place the junctions first, then connect them up with pipes to keep my pipes neat and organized.
If you have to craft things by hand, which can be a faster way to produce some late-game parts, then just tap the spacebar. You don't need to hold down the mouse or spacebar to craft multiple items manually.
Rails convey electricity, which is useful for a late-game item that requires being in powered areas.
You can copy/paste settings between machines. The copy includes details such as power shards and overclock settings.
I used the decoration mode to color-code my factories. (e.g. I made my plastic producing refineries blue, and my rubber producing refineries red so I could quickly tell which were which - very important in multiplayer games where I am not the only one placing things down!)
Looking at a pipe while building a pump will show a little ghost animation showing how much head pressure the pump will produce, which is how far up it can push the liquid. If you're building a second pump on a pipeline which already has a pump, there will be a little ghost element where you can snap your new pump to to maximize the head pressure distance.
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Comment on Who is allowed to practice identity politics? in ~society
kru LinkThe idea that incumbent wins are down across the board is not unsatisfying at all. In fact, it's super interesting. It raises many questions and a desire to probe deeper. Why were incumbent...The idea that incumbent wins are down across the board is not unsatisfying at all. In fact, it's super interesting. It raises many questions and a desire to probe deeper. Why were incumbent parties universally despised this term? Are there universal reasons? How much is related to post-pandemic issues? How much is related to actual economic issues (outside of those directly caused by the pandemic)? How much is caused by internal societal issues (Brexit in the UK, Subsidies in Germany, Inflation in the US)? How much is caused by dis/misinformation?
This is the truth. Wear on the switch will cause the contacts to degrade and register extra clicks. Logitech is notoriously bad with this. At this point, I'm convinced logitech keeps using low quality switches as a built-in obsolescence, to force users to buy a new mouse every 2-3 years.