runekn's recent activity
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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 Starfield and the problem of scale in ~games
runekn Link ParentBut it doesn't really have to be an engine limitation does it? As I write in one of my suggestions, a simple fake background asset of a mayor city would be enough. I don't actually have to be able...But it doesn't really have to be an engine limitation does it? As I write in one of my suggestions, a simple fake background asset of a mayor city would be enough. I don't actually have to be able to talk to every inhabitant of a billion people mega city, or loot their apartments. I just need to be able to see where they are.
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Starfield and the problem of scale
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Minor Starfield lore spoiler's ahead
Originally written for /r/games, but the last discussion thread of Starfield in that place saw many user who said they personally like the game downvoted and replied to by mentally-questionable individuals that said not-so-nice things.
As I pass 170 hours in Bethesda newest, hottest, controversial game. I am happy because it is just as fun as I had hoped it to be.
Yet as I explore the cities it has to offer there is always a small detail that I keep failing to ignore (whenever I'm not busy thinking of new ship designs that is).200,000 units are ready with a million more on the way
So say the slender being that has been tasked with creating an army to defend a galactic spanning government of countless worlds. At this point Montgomery, Zhukov, MacArthur, Jodl, or any-other-WW2-command-figure-of-your-choosing are rolling on the ground clapping each other's backs laughing their socks off. Because 1.2 million is an absolutely puny and pathetic number of troops for a galactic war.
I'm no Star Wars deep lore fan, I understand that fans and later authors has since tried to 'fix it' by making the Clone War more that just the clones. And yet those 1.2M clones was all there was when episode 2 released to theatres.
Most Sci-fi writings has similar a problem with scaling to their subject. It is not news. It even has a tv tropes page (the page is more about distances, but it's in the same ballpark).Quest for the Peoplefield
So where does Starfield go wrong in this? The ships are puny. The wars and the numbers stated are puny.
Certainty more ways than one, but the one that I wish to focus on is this: where the hell are all the people?
A brief summary of the lore. Humanity has invented FTL and has seemingly solved all energy problems. They had to evacuate Earth, but this was successful and so the starfield should be absolutely teeming with tens of billions of human souls spreading to all corners of the galaxy and its many already habitable worlds.
And yet, Starfield feels so barren. I see no grand interstellar civilizations. Only dirt huts on a hill surrounded by walls that support barely a thousand people. Yet this dirt hill is supposed to be a capital or an interstellar superpower. Heck, they are even scared shitless of their own fauna.
The opposites capital is no dirt hill, yet still smaller than a modern earth country town.
And it's not like the main population centers are just outside player-accessible areas. All the NPCs ever talk about are Akila, New Atlantis, and Neon. These tiny puny cities.
It doesn't feel like the evacuation of Earth was a success. It feels like it was a catastrophe, and all that remains are scattered remnants playing civilization.And yet... The Starfield is actually lively, just not where it should be. There is a scale imbalance, because spread across nearly every world in the settled systems are countless research stations, outposts, deserted or populated, you name it.
Yes, those procedually-generated buildings that spawn nearly everywhere you land in the settled systems.
Where did these come from? Surely the UC couldn't have built them. Manning just the ones that I have come across in my playthrough would empty New Atlantis 10 times over!Bethesda built their open-world game style upon Fallout and Elder Scrolls. For both it makes sense that the worlds are sparely populated. One being post-apocalyptic wasteland, and the other a medieval society.
But now they have built something in a completely different realm. But they way in which Bethesda built the scale at which the game is presented remains the same.
So why did they go with this approach? I don't know. Maybe they just like making "small" worlds and didn't want to fit the new universe. Maybe the idea of 'climbing any mountain you can see' is a very hard rule and they didn't want to limit player movement in metropolises, that would undoubtedly be unfeasible to make fully traversable.But lets pretend they actually tried. And perhaps it can be done without really changing how the game is designed or played.
So you can do it better huh?
A Microsoft executive plays the game as it's nearing launch. He feels there is something missing with the scale of the Starfield universe.
So he does the only rational thing he can think of and storms into the street and picks the first rando he can find, puts the Bethesda crown upon his head, and orders him to fix Starfield's problem of scale.
The exec is later found to be mentally ill and fired, but it does not matter for I am now king of Bethesda and my words are design directives.Tell, don't show
The simple solution that requires no real work but some change in lore. New Atlantis is no longer a capital, just a administrative and diplomatic outpost. Akila is now just a small border city. The real population centers are now on entirely different worlds. Inaccessible to the player.
Why can't players go there? Well it shouldn't take much suspension of disbelief to acknowledge that governments might not want any random idiot, in a flying hunk of metal capable of tearing space-time at it seams, to go anywhere near their main population centers without considerable control.
NPCs should no longer talk of sprawling New Atlantis, Neon, or Akila, but rather these other places that you can see on the map but are not allowed to go to.Show enough
The population planets are now accessible, but restricted in where you can land freely. On the map it should show big cities. And just like how you cannot land in water, you can neither land anywhere in cities or its surroundings.
Just like with New Atlantis and Akila, you can land at a designated spot. The difference is when you look into the horizon, because rather than a procedurally generated landscape you will instead see a sprawling metropolis that tells you "Yes here! Here are all the people!".
The other change would be that, unlike the landscape, if you try to go beyond the player-area of the city you will hit a wall. But that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
New Atlantis and Akila can stay, but like the other solution they would change status.
All in all the scale issue is no big problem and the game is fine as it is. This was just something that has been on mind for some time and I wanted to put it to writing. So do you agree that Starfield has a scale problem? If yes, how would you fix it? Or maybe I missed some crucial info-dump and the entire premise of this writing is wrong?
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Comment on Starfield - what are your thoughts? in ~games
runekn Link ParentRegarding your edit, I have also had suprisingly many instances of wishing there was some quality improvement, only to realize that it is already in the game, just never telling you. Auto...Regarding your edit, I have also had suprisingly many instances of wishing there was some quality improvement, only to realize that it is already in the game, just never telling you.
Auto unequipping suit in cities, being able to get up from chair while in free flight, weapon hotkeys, landing without entering map. Just to name a few I can remember.
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Comment on Starfield - what are your thoughts? in ~games
runekn (edited )Link30 hours so far. Very much enjoyable, and I barely feel like I've scratched the surface yet. The whole travel immersion issue is something I very much recognize. For example after the first time...30 hours so far. Very much enjoyable, and I barely feel like I've scratched the surface yet.
The whole travel immersion issue is something I very much recognize. For example after the first time landing at a city, you can never land there again. Only fast travel. The game really expects you to get bored of the travelling much faster than I actually do. I dont expect free flight outside of planet orbit, but they could definitely have done more to make travel more immersive. Having said that it is not close to a deal breaker or anything, just a bit of frequently reminded annoyance.
As for combat, it is fine though I am not a fan of bullet sponge games. The only shooters I usually play are realistic ones where getting hit even once can be a death sentence. I find the combat in starfield super easy to the point that I have actually sold some of my medpacs since I had over a hundred as I rarely use them. Probably because I play more like its a realistic shooter than a casual one.
Even added mods which gets rid of hit markers and reticle. Also tried one that removes enemy health, but I dropped that after running into an enemy that took forever to kill, which makes it worse when you cant see its actual health.The ship designer is very fun. I just wish I could design and save my designs without actually modifying my ships.
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Comment on Nebulous: Fleet Command in ~games
runekn LinkI've played and liked it. Wrote about it a bit here. At some point playing it got replaced by trying to create a new faction ship mod for a month or two. But I am no good at texturing models so...I've played and liked it. Wrote about it a bit here.
At some point playing it got replaced by trying to create a new faction ship mod for a month or two. But I am no good at texturing models so never finished that project, and didn't get back into the game afterwards.
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Comment on We need to raise a lot more in tax from the wealthy but that does not convince me that we need a wealth tax in ~finance
runekn Link ParentThat was Christian IV of Denmark for passage through Øresund. Not aware of any known similar dutch scheme.That was Christian IV of Denmark for passage through Øresund. Not aware of any known similar dutch scheme.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
runekn LinkStarted playing Arma Reforger again. An intermediate entry into the series that is supposed to bridge the large technology gap that is being developed for Arma 4. The early access launch was...Started playing Arma Reforger again. An intermediate entry into the series that is supposed to bridge the large technology gap that is being developed for Arma 4. The early access launch was pretty bad, with multiplayer (no real singleplayer content yet) being unplayable as you would get kicked from a server after 5 min. That has since been fixed and a recent patch also added more detailed health system. It is still very bare bones compared to previous Arma titles, even for being EA. But it makes up for it in polish that the series has sorely needed. The old engine is pretty much abandoned (finally) and everything is being rebuilt from the ground up.
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Comment on Language is a poor heuristic for intelligence in ~comp
runekn Link ParentThis phenomenon is named the "Curse of AI" or something like it, think I read at some point before even before GPT."this thing is hard for a computer to do and therefore is a sign of human-level intelligence" -> the tech improves -> the computer is able to do the thing -> "this thing is a poor heuristic for intelligence"
This phenomenon is named the "Curse of AI" or something like it, think I read at some point before even before GPT.
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Comment on Where do you stand on climate change? in ~talk
runekn (edited )LinkThere is not much discourse in Denmark in regards whether climate change is real and caused by humans. Though there are still those that resist drastic change despite acknowledging the problem....There is not much discourse in Denmark in regards whether climate change is real and caused by humans. Though there are still those that resist drastic change despite acknowledging the problem.
Climate policy has been my primary political issue that decides my election vote for the past 4 years, for every level of government. If a candidate doesn't state it the most important problem in all of human history, then I don't even consider them. (In danish elections we have many candidates we can vote for). I buy energy from only renewable sources. I have cut down meat consumption, and mostly eat chicken for the remaining. I don't have a car, and bike to work any time I can. I donate much of my monthly salary to climate related projects.
I care about it a lot. Don't think it will be the end of humanity or anything, but I do think most of the good in our welfare society will become hard (if not impossible) to maintain as climate caused issues pile up. And then of course the countries that will pretty much collapse entirely.
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Comment on Congratulations! The US is 32nd worldwide on broadband affordability in ~tech
runekn (edited )LinkArticle has a link to full study. Or you can click here: https://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/broadband-world-affordability Affordability here is defined as internet cost as percentage of average...Article has a link to full study. Or you can click here: https://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/broadband-world-affordability
Affordability here is defined as internet cost as percentage of average salary.
Top ranking is first two rich east asian regions in the two top spots, followed by various european countries.
Commentary on study links affordability to regulation that promotes competition. -
Comment on Without saying where you live, where do you live? in ~talk
runekn Link ParentDenmark. I was specifically referring to Himmelbjerget, which translates to "✨The Mountain of Heaven✨", even though it's just a somewhat tall hill.Denmark. I was specifically referring to Himmelbjerget, which translates to "✨The Mountain of Heaven✨", even though it's just a somewhat tall hill.
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Comment on Without saying where you live, where do you live? in ~talk
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Comment on Without saying where you live, where do you live? in ~talk
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Comment on Without saying where you live, where do you live? in ~talk
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Comment on Without saying where you live, where do you live? in ~talk
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Comment on So what's the VR scene like for the people who have invested into it? in ~games
runekn LinkBought an Index in July 2019. I use it at least once a weekly, usually daily. It has been the only headset I've ever had and until another product comes out with the same amazing package of...Bought an Index in July 2019. I use it at least once a weekly, usually daily. It has been the only headset I've ever had and until another product comes out with the same amazing package of lighthouse tracking, premium controllers, high FOV, and good speakers I wont be getting rid of it. Next upgrade will be Nofio wireless adapter once those release.
I recently upgraded to my PC for no small expense to finally get constant 120fps VR gaming in nearly all games.
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Comment on Do you think there should be more customization of user profiles on Tildes? If so, what should be added? in ~tildes
runekn LinkLack of avatars and such is a big reason why I prefer old.reddit.com. I also disabled avatars on lemmy and would also do so on tilde if is was added. The discussion is all I care about, and...Lack of avatars and such is a big reason why I prefer old.reddit.com. I also disabled avatars on lemmy and would also do so on tilde if is was added. The discussion is all I care about, and anything that distract from the pure discussion, or otherwise might influence how I view someone's post other than the words themselves, is not something I want from tilde.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
runekn (edited )LinkNebulous Fleet Command: An early access RTS where you control big sluggish spaceships. Its a very methodical game where you don't issue a lot of commands, but those commands need to be good...-
Nebulous Fleet Command: An early access RTS where you control big sluggish spaceships. Its a very methodical game where you don't issue a lot of commands, but those commands need to be good because even turning a ship can take an entire minute and you don't want to be caught in a bad position. Your ships can have a lot of tools which can be challenging to remember to use, and know when to use. Radar jamming, communications jamming, radar illuminators, radar coverage, early-warning systems, target locker, guns, missiles, mine layers, rockets, point-defence, oh my. Since you can design your own ships you can however decide your tools and how much you need to juggle. And constantly iterating your designs is a big part of regularly playing the game, as you find that maybe you need more point-defence, or maybe you should specialize more and ditch the missiles.
Talking about missiles, the game has many types and even has a missile designer. You can prioritise speed, range, or manoeuvrability. You can choose add modifiers, like radar-absorbing coating. You can choose seeker head like fixed-radar, semi-radar, pivoting-radar, heat-seeking, optical, anti-radiation, command guided, oh my. You can even choose a second seeker module of any type that acts as targeting validation so that it is less perceptible to counter measures. Hell, you can even set it to do evasive manoeuvrers on target approach. Missiles can be used in several ways, like automatic defence, put it on a waypoint path to hit that one behind the asteroid, or just fire them directly at the enemy. Missiles are very deadly, but you only have so many of them and pretty much all players carry extensive counter measures as they have learned to fear them.
Guns guns guns, so many guns. You got your big capital ship guns that are basically taken straight from WW2 battleships. They punch hard and at range. You got smaller guns which are better for small fast ships and can even be used with proximity fuses to engage missile at range. And an array of choices between the biggest and smallest. You got rail guns which has no explosive filler but are very long range. And you got plasma guns which eat away ship armor.
Oh, and you know you can't shoot what you can't see, which is where those jammer and other electronic warfare comes useful. Or maybe sacrifice your own sight by turning off your radar to lower your signature.
When I bought it, it was because I really liked the premise and thought maybe it would be fun to play at some point since it only has skirmish battles atm. But I've found myself playing way more than expected. While the many hard-core systems are intimidating at first, the community has been friendly so far and you can just join and experiment. -
Ghosts of Tabor: Another early access title. This time it's VR. It is basically Escape from Tarkov but in VR. My main attractions to this game is actually the physical interactions with your firearms. It really should be a small thing but this is something that I really miss from most VR FPS. Point and shooting can be fun, but what is really fun is fumbling your magazine as you cower behind a rock while being flanked and suppressed because you didn't train enough with it. The latest major update brought gun interactions to a point of immersion that I haven't seen in any other VR game. Sure, H3VR has more detailed and accurate guns, but they just aren't very immersive.
The game is however very buggy, and those bugs can easily wipe your progress. And that is on top of regular global wipes that the devs are doing.
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Comment on Good, quality YouTube channels? in ~tech
runekn LinkTwo that hasn't been mentioned here yet: The Thought Emporium: A very educated guy making very interesting experiments covering topics like biology, chemistry, and genetic engineering to name a...Two that hasn't been mentioned here yet:
- The Thought Emporium: A very educated guy making very interesting experiments covering topics like biology, chemistry, and genetic engineering to name a few. Highly recommended even if you're not super into those.
- Jay Foreman: Geography and history of London with lots of humor.
Finished Starfield last week. It was good and well worth the money spent with 200 hours logged. Though experience soured a bit towards the end due to increasingly unstable save and wrapping up a story that I didn't care for.
Started on Cyberpunk 2.0 with a new save. I never finished the last save 3 years ago, opting to wait until the game was more stable. So far it has been really fun and Cyberpunk continues to amaze me of the world that CDPR was put together. Unfortunately I really don't like bullet sponge shooters, and Cyberpunk is even worse than Starfield, so I am eagerly awaiting the mod HARDCORE22 to be updated which makes combat much more realistic.