kwyjibo's recent activity
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Comment on Windows: Linux GPU gaming benchmarks on Bazzite in ~games
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Comment on Windows: Linux GPU gaming benchmarks on Bazzite in ~games
kwyjibo LinkThe gist of it seems to be, an enormous amount of progress has been made but there's still a long way to go. That matches my roughly ten days of experience trying to game on Linux as well. I am...The gist of it seems to be, an enormous amount of progress has been made but there's still a long way to go. That matches my roughly ten days of experience trying to game on Linux as well.
I am running Arch with Hyprland and despite tiling window managers not playing so nice with games in general, I've had less issues with it than CachyOS (Gnome). I tried CS2, ARC Raiders, and some indie titles like Megabonk and BALL X PIT, and all of them worked from OK to great. The game I had issues with the most was, surprisingly, Valve's own CS2. I had issues where the console wouldn't accept my text input, my cursor would escape to my second monitor (despite using gamescope's
--force-grab-cursor) and the performance was terrible despite running it at a very low resolution (1280x960). For some reason, re-installing it solved all my issues. My FPS was limited to 400 and I couldn't set it to unlimited but my primary monitor is 360hz so it wasn't a big deal. The game was fluid enough.I agree with @Bullmaestro that the biggest hurdle, from my not-so-technically-minded point of view is anti-cheat. Some games that require anti-cheat does work. Helldivers 2 has already been mentioned and I'll add that ARC Raiders work just as fine too. But that's not good enough. I don't know how suitable Linux is for the current kernel level anti-cheats, but Valve either need to prove that they can beat cheating just as easily without invasive techniques, or come up with another solution fully compatible with Linux.
My guess is that Valve does not care about these games all that much, at least yet. They're a patient company, they like to take their time. They will likely focus on the experience of couch co-ops, platformers and the likes to increase their share of the pie, as well as Linux's, to make a more compelling case that Linux is indeed a viable option to Windows.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kwyjibo LinkI've been all over the place this week, trying all sorts of new games while keeping up with the old ones. ARC Raiders continues to be fun. I'm into it, but not too into it, which I think is the...I've been all over the place this week, trying all sorts of new games while keeping up with the old ones.
ARC Raiders continues to be fun. I'm into it, but not too into it, which I think is the right amount. I mostly play free loadout, which allows me to play risk and worry-free. I had a blast in Stella Montis this week, where we were cornered in a room by three different groups and managed to beat all of them. Things usually don't go our way, but in that instance it did. I was a bit upset about not being able to get the recording because I was testing the game on my new Linux setup and forgot to enable the Steam recording feature.
In a similar vein, I gave Escape from Duckov a go, and it's such a fun experience. I'll probably play it more because I can do so at my own pace and it's single player only.
I got a bit bored of Megabonk, so I gave BALL x PIT a chance. It made me think about the way games are being made these days. Why does every single game need to have talents and buildings and farming and all that? It's a fun game, and the base mechanics don't feel oppressive, but I still can't help wondering whether I'm playing the game the right way.
Lastly, I played BeamNG.drive for the first time. I'm not the biggest fan of driving games in general, but this one's so much fun with all the ways you can mod it. I've been looking for a calm driving game to occupy myself with while watching a video or listening to a podcast, and this certainly scratches that itch.
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Comment on Data centers are now hoarding SSDs as hard drive supplies dry up in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkI wanted to buy a cheap NVMe last week to tinker with Linux and was surprised to see how much prices has risen from the last time I bought one a few months ago. I bought it anyway but didn't feel...I wanted to buy a cheap NVMe last week to tinker with Linux and was surprised to see how much prices has risen from the last time I bought one a few months ago. I bought it anyway but didn't feel particularly good about it. Funny thing is, my rekindled interest in Linux is due to Windows seemingly going all in on AI. Apparently I overpaid because of it too. Can't seem to escape the damn thing.
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Comment on Valve announces new hardware: Steam Frame, Steam Controller, and Steam Machine in ~games
kwyjibo LinkSteam Frame sounds great but it seems like it may not have the greatest display for video playback or productivity for cost cutting reasons. It will be disappointing if that's the case. I hope the...Steam Frame sounds great but it seems like it may not have the greatest display for video playback or productivity for cost cutting reasons. It will be disappointing if that's the case. I hope the reviews prove me wrong.
I don't have any interest in the Steam Machine but it will be interesting to observe how well it does. I'm rooting for it because the better it does, the better and more ubiquitous gaming on Linux will be which would be fantastic.
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Comment on Mullvad - Shutting down our search proxy Leta in ~tech
kwyjibo Link ParentIt's not untrue, but it's not completely true either. It also depends on what you mean by privacy and to what extent you want to be private (and from whom).It's not untrue, but it's not completely true either. It also depends on what you mean by privacy and to what extent you want to be private (and from whom).
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Comment on Pluribus S01E01 - “We is Us” in ~tv
kwyjibo LinkIt's off to a good start. Its premise is certainly interesting. I feel like it's missing something though, but can't quite put my finger on it. The next episode should be interesting, given that...It's off to a good start. Its premise is certainly interesting. I feel like it's missing something though, but can't quite put my finger on it. The next episode should be interesting, given that it's the first one where Vince Gilligan is neither the director nor the writer.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kwyjibo LinkLegion Remix is heading into a new tier today so I'll be playing that for the next couple of days, but yesterday, after some arm twisting, I purchased Arc Raiders and it's been a blast. During its...Legion Remix is heading into a new tier today so I'll be playing that for the next couple of days, but yesterday, after some arm twisting, I purchased Arc Raiders and it's been a blast. During its playtest, I had some performance issues which put me off from the game despite liking it, but most of the issues have been resolved.
I haven't played solo yet, at least not to the extent to give an opinion on it, so I don't know how that experience fares but with two and three stacks, it's been fun even if you're total dorks. Despite enjoying PvP, I echo @0xSim sentiment that the game eventually needs a PvE mode though, and I think it will be implemented in due course. The devs might be reluctant pushing it since it might take away some players from PvP for the time being, but there are only handful of games that can retain their userbase. Arc is good, but I don't think it's that good. People will eventually move on to other things and that's when they might want to add PvE.
Speaking of performance issues, I'm mentioning this in case it helps someone because it's a rather specific issue. Most of my performance issues were solved with the release of the game, but, I'd still get micro stutters in the menus (and using the in-game dials) when and only when I move my mouse. Turns out, this is due to DisplayFusion, a software that helps you manage multiple monitor setups. You can find the solution on this Reddit post.
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Comment on Israeli military's ex-top lawyer arrested as scandal over video leak deepens in ~society
kwyjibo LinkGuess what word, which describes what happened on camera, is missing from the article. At least they were brave enough to print out the quote from the UN report, which mentions it once, huh?Guess what word, which describes what happened on camera, is missing from the article.
At least they were brave enough to print out the quote from the UN report, which mentions it once, huh?
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Comment on Paid e-mail providers - your experiences, how you use them and how I would use it in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkYour thoughts on its pricing aside, I can wholeheartedly recommend Fastmail. It's very easy to set things up for your custom domain. Some domain registrars even have plug and play type of support...Your thoughts on its pricing aside, I can wholeheartedly recommend Fastmail. It's very easy to set things up for your custom domain. Some domain registrars even have plug and play type of support built in for it. If not, MX records are easy to modify regardless of your registrar. When it comes to important things like email, I think track record is important and they've been around more than Gmail has. Email is just what they do.
I don't mean to bash on other recommendations, I'm sure there are other great email providers out there that can very well be better than Fastmail, but do keep in mind that email is inherently neither secure nor private. It never was, never will be. Stuff like E2EE is loosely used for marketing purposes without giving the full truth and it's important not to fall into that trap, thinking that your email correspondence is secure and private because of it.
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Comment on DeckFilter: A Steam library companion app in ~games
kwyjibo Link ParentHadn't heard about Playnite before. Disappointed, but not surprised that it doesn't work without having the separate services installed. (Not a knock on the software itself, I'd assume the...Hadn't heard about Playnite before. Disappointed, but not surprised that it doesn't work without having the separate services installed. (Not a knock on the software itself, I'd assume the platforms make that extremely hard if not impossible.) I'm pretty tied to Steam, but sometimes Epic can have nice discounts.
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Comment on CS2 skin update ‘rug pulls’ collectors as $1 billion wiped from market cap in ~games
kwyjibo LinkCS2 is probably my most-played game (though I play it very differently than most). I've never been too interested in the skin market side of it until now. Over the past couple of days, I've been...- Exemplary
CS2 is probably my most-played game (though I play it very differently than most). I've never been too interested in the skin market side of it until now. Over the past couple of days, I've been following almost nothing but this drama, because it's fascinating to watch how people behave during what they perceive as a crisis.
I only own one skin myself, which I bought for around $600 and is now worth roughly $150. Since I never saw it as an investment, its practical value became $0 the moment I bought it, so I didn't really care about the recent news. But a lot of people clearly do. The forums are full of delusional posts about how it's time to "buy the dip", that the market will recover, trust will return, and it's all just a matter of time.
To me, it's obvious why Valve is doing this. Even if you only play CS2 for the gameplay, you can't help but become somewhat aware of the skins. In the past few months, we've seen absurd price spikes on cheap, irrelevant items. For example, a sticker, which can only be applied once and never removed, went from $0.30 to $250 for no reason whatsoever. The same thing happened with several previously worthless skins. I think Valve took notice. There were clearly some shenanigans going on.
Given Valve's recent steps toward making cases obsolete with the introduction of Terminals1 and increased scrutiny from EU countries like Belgium and France (which has already led to in game changes), regulation seems inevitable. Valve isn't a litigious company, at least as far as I know. They know how to avoid regulation. And with growing media attention on CS-related gambling sites and the monetization model, which adds some value to Valve but not the majority of it, this shift was bound to happen.
Valve's direction seems clear: gradually remove cases from the market, introduce Terminals instead, and make the process more transparent. If you're lucky enough to get five covert (red) items from the Terminals, you're guaranteed a knife or a glove. Previously, your chances of getting either were about 1 in 1,000 and even then, the condition (or wear, which is another level of randomness) you can get them in meant that a "good" one was still unlikely. With the new system, third-party websites become much less relevant, Valve regains control of the market, and overall prices drop so that more people can participate.
An Emerald Butterfly Knife used to sell for $30,000, with Valve earning nothing from that "value". Now, if Valve reclaims control of the market, that same knife might cost $1,000 but Valve would earn their 10% (or whatever the cut is) from each transaction completed under their own Steam Market. It's better for them financially and legally. Buying items based on chance becomes buying items based on choice. A week ago, Valve was in a lose-lose situation, now they're slowly turning it into a win-win. Some people who treated skins as investments will be furious, but maybe that's an expensive lesson they needed to learn.
The situation in China is more complicated. The Chinese market represents the largest share of CS2 skins, but there, skins can act as a kind of tangible currency2. Because of arbitrary limits on how much foreign currency Chinese citizens can hold, this system apparently became a way around those laws. There's currently a huge disparity between skin prices in China and the rest of the world because of it. Speculation is rampant about what happens once the new items hit the global market but honestly, it might not matter. Valve's intention to kill this system is clear, even if delusional people still think it's time to "buy the dip" and make money again once things settle.
My only personal and selfish worry out of all of this is how this will affect the esports scene, which I enjoy following. Most of the scene is fueled by these third-party skin websites and if Valve forces them to downsize or ran them out of business with their current and future decisions, I'm not sure what will take their place.
1: You need a $2.50 key to open cases. If you don't already have many, cases themselves cost a dollar or two. With a Terminal, which you can pay for or occasionally get for free, you open it without a key. It gives you five random skins in varying qualities, and you choose whether to buy them or not.
2: You can technically convert skins to fiat money, but not directly. -
Comment on Wait... ARC Raiders might be peak in ~games
kwyjibo Link ParentI was hoping the freezing issue could be chalked up to AMD's graphics driver not catching up to the game, but given that you have an NVIDIA card, it makes me think the freezes are either server or...I was hoping the freezing issue could be chalked up to AMD's graphics driver not catching up to the game, but given that you have an NVIDIA card, it makes me think the freezes are either server or CPU related. I'm glad it runs well for you though. It's a fun game!
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Comment on Wait... ARC Raiders might be peak in ~games
kwyjibo Link ParentI don't think I saw those flashes you mentioned, but maybe I didn't notice them. My FPS was about the same with the same settings (at 2K). Another problem I noticed is that when I'm in the Traders...I don't think I saw those flashes you mentioned, but maybe I didn't notice them. My FPS was about the same with the same settings (at 2K).
Another problem I noticed is that when I'm in the Traders menu, moving my mouse around (just that, no clicking or anything else) briefly freezes the people walking in the background. When my mouse movement comes to a stop, they move fine but the moment I move it, they freeze for about a second.
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Comment on Wait... ARC Raiders might be peak in ~games
kwyjibo LinkI liked the game during the playtest but its performance was awful. I have a beefy PC (9800X3D, 9070 XT, 64 GB RAM, Gen 5 NVMe etc.) but I got quite a bit of stutter, sometimes outright freezing,...I liked the game during the playtest but its performance was awful. I have a beefy PC (9800X3D, 9070 XT, 64 GB RAM, Gen 5 NVMe etc.) but I got quite a bit of stutter, sometimes outright freezing, during basic actions like turning on the flashlight. Combat was largely fine, at least I didn't get freezes but it kind of ruined the game for me. I'll check back in in a month or so after its release to see if they've improved stability. I hope they do.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kwyjibo LinkHaving a lot of fun playing Megabonk and Doom (2016). Before Megabonk I was consumed by Vampire Survivors so Megabonk provided a nice change without being too different. As for Doom, it's the...Having a lot of fun playing Megabonk and Doom (2016). Before Megabonk I was consumed by Vampire Survivors so Megabonk provided a nice change without being too different. As for Doom, it's the first Doom (2016) I've ever played apart from the original one and I don't know what I was thinking. It's a blast to kill monsters by tearing them apart into two. It also lacks complicated systems and more or so a straightforward shooter which I like in games in general.
Legion Remix is launching tomorrow so I'm excited about that. I did not play the Pandaria Remix so it will be nice to experience the game in a new way. I already have every class at max level, so the leveling part will be redundant and there aren't a ton of rewards I'm after so I'll just take my time and soak in the experience.
Speaking of WoW, given the upcoming housing feature, does anyone have any plans on what to do? I know we have some WoW players here, and it might be nice to have a Tildes neighborhood in the game.
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Comment on Photo digitizing in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkI've been doing this all by myself for the past few weeks. I have about a thousand of photos and I'm scanning every single one of them without any exceptions. I bought a Canon LIDE 400 flatbed...I've been doing this all by myself for the past few weeks. I have about a thousand of photos and I'm scanning every single one of them without any exceptions.
I bought a Canon LIDE 400 flatbed scanner just for this purpose and it works surprisingly well. Depending on their size, I can put three photos on its bed and it scans all of them at the same time. It then splits them without me interfering with anything.
I thought about using a service myself but I simply could not trust them not to lose the photos. One thing I did not anticipate before started doing all of this is how rewarding it'd be to just look at these photos again. They brought up so many memories that I had completely forgotten and it continues to be an invaluable experience. It also what takes up most of my time because scanning the photos themselves, assuming you won't be dealing with detailed tagging or organization at the same time, is faster than you'd think.
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Comment on iPhone 17, 17 Pro and Air announced in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkAir looks cool but it also feels like an in-between product before they eventually release a foldable phone. One half of a future product, if you will.Air looks cool but it also feels like an in-between product before they eventually release a foldable phone. One half of a future product, if you will.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
kwyjibo LinkAfter seeing @cfabbro topics on it every so often on the front page, I gave Taskmaster a go last week. It so good! I don't think I've ever watched a game show two episodes in a row so I had my...After seeing @cfabbro topics on it every so often on the front page, I gave Taskmaster a go last week. It so good! I don't think I've ever watched a game show two episodes in a row so I had my reservations, but I couldn't find anything else to watch so I decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did. I'm going to start the 4th season of the show tonight.
Thanks for the implicit recommendation, @cfabbro!
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Comment on Which directors have a flawless filmography? in ~movies
kwyjibo LinkFlawless filmography is a tall task that I don't think any director would ever meet, but if I were to lax your criteria a bit, aside from some of the names mentioned, I'd add Julia Loktev, Maren...Flawless filmography is a tall task that I don't think any director would ever meet, but if I were to lax your criteria a bit, aside from some of the names mentioned, I'd add Julia Loktev, Maren Ade, and Kenneth Lonergan to the list, in that order. I would’ve mentioned Jonathan Glazer as well, but I’m morally opposed to his most recent work, despite it being an immaculate piece of filmmaking. (I'm mentioning it only because I couldn't think of another filmmaker who's one film away from meeting your criteria. I'm not interested in discussing the film.)
I don't know how effective Easy, BattlEye and the likes are, but I'm more familiar with the Faceit's own AC and it's pretty good. You can still get past it but it requires hardware that costs thousands of dollars. I don't know what they're doing differently than others, I'm not technically literate enough to differentiate them, but it does work.
If people already have consoles, I guess that's an option. I have a console myself but I also have a beefy PC and I just don't feel like turning on my console. I'm rather old school though, I simply cannot imagine playing a shooter on a gamepad.