Ryl's recent activity
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Comment on What's your favorite action scene? in ~talk
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Ryl LinkI've started playing Deadlock, and I really like it. While I doubt I'll ever get to Ranked, because just a match a day feels like a lot, it is so cool to for the first time play a MOBA where the...I've started playing Deadlock, and I really like it. While I doubt I'll ever get to Ranked, because just a match a day feels like a lot, it is so cool to for the first time play a MOBA where the characters and style of gameplay are both actually interesting!
Like, those were the two big things preventing me from getting into the genre - for a genre all about characters, the characters are normally super boring looking and have nothing on any random Hero Shooter, and the camera and general vibes are normally very detached from the action, making it feel like I'm being tricked into playing StarCraft instead of a fun game.
Deadlock actually has a fun concept for its world, and absolutely truckloads of charm in every corner. It's harder to find characters I don't love - everyone is vibrant and shown to be someone who'd actually be lovely to hang out with and wouldn't call you slurs despite it being the 20th century. Hell, one is even non-binary! And some would definitely kill me for no reason but at least it wouldn't be a hate crime, so that's nice. In the few cases I don't vibe with a design at all, it's usually because they use blatant placeholder assets.
Which brings up how the game is invite-only pre-alpha no-it-doesnt-count-leave-us-alone mode, despite having existed for years. I have nothing to say about that except, like, A, it's weird, and B, it might actually be a smart marketing strategy, since it can build the community slowly instead of asking everyone to jump ship for a new toy and running into the collective action problem.
Also, wow, I can't believe that as a kid I could play multiple rounds of high-engagement unpausable strategy games one after another and it was normal to me. In my thirties, it feels downright rude to even take the 45 minutes for one game away from the world. What if someone needs me? 😮💨
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Comment on Sulfur | Console release trailer – 28th October 2026 in ~games
Ryl LinkI'm so hyped for my friends to get in on SULFUR with me, it's such an insanely good game.I'm so hyped for my friends to get in on SULFUR with me, it's such an insanely good game.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
Ryl LinkI've been starting work recently on a card game idea. I've wanted to make a board or card game for ages, it was only recently that the right idea finally hit. I've had a couple ideas in the past...I've been starting work recently on a card game idea. I've wanted to make a board or card game for ages, it was only recently that the right idea finally hit. I've had a couple ideas in the past but this is the only one that's seemed like it actually has a chance of becoming a fun finished project.
I plan on entering it into the boardgamegeek print and play competition at some point, though how long could be uncomfortably variable. Still haven't done the first playtest, but it's far more than just an idea, too. So, still in the stage of creating a minimum playable demo. At which point I'll see if it has promise, I suppose.
The basic idea, to be more specific, is a two player lane battling game in which, instead of cards having abilities printed on them and you just do that ability, the cards are generic/textless/"suited", and it's making specific sets and combos of them that triggers your abilities.
The goal is to make a fun and rewarding simple card battler that newbies can play without building a deck, and without ever feeling like they "never get the one card they want" or "didn't know a card that could do that exists", etc. It seems to me there are many benefits to this approach, if it works.
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Comment on Developers are using AI to strip ads and tracking from smart TVs in ~tech
Ryl Link ParentThey sure do. I just wish we'd get together and take it already.They sure do. I just wish we'd get together and take it already.
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Comment on YouTube is looking to expand into audiobooks in ~books
Ryl LinkCan't wait for them to buy a major popular audiobook website and then get bored and mothball it in a year.Can't wait for them to buy a major popular audiobook website and then get bored and mothball it in a year.
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Comment on Developers are using AI to strip ads and tracking from smart TVs in ~tech
Ryl Link ParentYeah, never expected to see the day when the wasteful techbro garbage du jour would actually be helpful to fight corpo control, but it looks like recently that's actually happening somewhat. I'm...Yeah, never expected to see the day when the wasteful techbro garbage du jour would actually be helpful to fight corpo control, but it looks like recently that's actually happening somewhat. I'm not exactly holding my breath, but it's nice that a few good things have come out of this.
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Comment on What is your passion? And why? in ~life
Ryl (edited )Link ParentHmm, I think my top five would be: Turncoats Compile: Main 1 Ankh: Gods of Egypt Blood on the Clocktower The Crew here too, honestly. Also I really like the two player variant! I think it works...Hmm, I think my top five would be:
- Turncoats
- Compile: Main 1
- Ankh: Gods of Egypt
- Blood on the Clocktower
- The Crew here too, honestly. Also I really like the two player variant! I think it works well, I've played almost all of the Search for Planet Nine campaign book in it and it was great. Haven't tried it with Mission Deep Sea yet though.
Or maybe number five would be yet another trick taker or ladder climber? Maybe Haggis. I love classic style card games like that, and there are soooo many to choose from these days, in our trick taking renaissance.
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Comment on What is your passion? And why? in ~life
Ryl (edited )LinkBoard games, without a doubt. They're the purest form of machine, a combination of some amount of physical components and the rules to make them work right, stored in the heads of the players and...Board games, without a doubt. They're the purest form of machine, a combination of some amount of physical components and the rules to make them work right, stored in the heads of the players and strung together by play. The parts of the machine only move because everyone who's inside is intimately aware of how the whole machine works. All that, and the machine doesn't even make anything, it just outputs a boolean win or lose value to each player, which doesn't even matter much. The machine was instead created because it would be fun to be a moving part in it for a while, that's the only real reason. Machinery for the joy of machinery alone.
Yes I am very autistic, how could you tell?
... Board games are also how I make friends and have fun and stuff. Most good things in my life came from them. They're good 👍
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Comment on There's a new Elder Scrolls MMO in ~games
Ryl (edited )LinkAs someone who considers Daggerfall one of her favorite games, I tried this. It's fine, but the problems are all in the changes, tbh. The GUI is an absolute mess compared to Daggerfall Unity - it...As someone who considers Daggerfall one of her favorite games, I tried this. It's fine, but the problems are all in the changes, tbh. The GUI is an absolute mess compared to Daggerfall Unity - it looks all fancy and smooth, but everything is in weird places. They try to update the experience by adding rare drop tables and a hotbar and a thirst meter and stuff and I'm not really into it. Etc.
I guess I wanted to be able to play actual Daggerfall alongside people who I could chat with and bring along on dungeon runs. This isn't that, it's a whole different thing.
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Comment on Why is there no word for please in the Nordic languages – are their speakers simply more direct, or is politeness expressed in ways outsiders may not immediately recognise in ~humanities.languages
Ryl LinkThis reminds me of how, if I recall correctly, the constructed language toki pona intentionally eschewed please-and-thank-yous in its creation, with the goal of being more direct, deliberate, and...This reminds me of how, if I recall correctly, the constructed language toki pona intentionally eschewed please-and-thank-yous in its creation, with the goal of being more direct, deliberate, and enjoyable to use.
If you don't have to worry about those wasteful markers of etiquette anymore, then not only can you just say what you mean, but more importantly, others can just say what they mean to you and your social anxiety doesn't twist it into them hating you just because they said it somewhat brusquely instead of with maximum politeness - everyone talks brusquely in toki pona, they didn't have a choice, so they really don't mean anything by it, for real.
Plus, if you really must add a bonus line for politeness because you're that thankful to the recipient, you end up saying something much more meaningful, such as "you're a good person", because that's kinda the closest sentence to thank-you that it's got.
It may not have been intentional in the exact way I'm describing, I can't fully recall, but it was a language made with mental health benefits at its forefront, so it seems right, and it's one of my favorite things about it.
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Comment on How has your career changed you? in ~life
Ryl LinkWorking as a veterinary technician made me incapable of continuing to eat meat. We had to do a lot of odd jobs at the animal hospital where I first worked, and one of those jobs was to raise a...- Exemplary
Working as a veterinary technician made me incapable of continuing to eat meat. We had to do a lot of odd jobs at the animal hospital where I first worked, and one of those jobs was to raise a clutch of newborn chickens to young adulthood for their owner.
They're just cats, or dogs. They have personalities, and visibly experience happiness and sadness, love and fear, etc. Me and those birds knew each other. There is literally no difference between a McChicken and a McFido, as convenient as it would be if there were.
This only became clearer as I took future jobs at a farm, a zoo, etc. You learn that there isn't a single damn creature out there who isn't just, like, a guy, who likes stuff and has opinions and wants to be happy.
Not that this is a view that necessarily follows from animal care, though. I've actually only met one other fellow vegetarian in all my years in the field, so it doesn't actually seem common at all.
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Comment on Control Resonant PC performance review – beautiful tech, scalable visuals, and optimised settings in ~games
Ryl LinkI hope they work on optimizing it further in the future. I honestly have always found it a little insulting to the customer when the specs of a game demand so much of us when we're in a cost of...I hope they work on optimizing it further in the future. I honestly have always found it a little insulting to the customer when the specs of a game demand so much of us when we're in a cost of living crisis. As we've seen with games like Warframe, all it takes is one talented optimization expert on the payroll, and you'd think they'd pay such a person if it meant more sales to PC users. At least get it running on machines that can flawlessly run the original Control, y'know?
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Comment on I want an RPG with reverse leveling in ~games
Ryl LinkSUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE does this, though only in the second half of the game. The idea is that you gain everything and then lose everything, coming full circle. I like that a lot, although...SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE does this, though only in the second half of the game. The idea is that you gain everything and then lose everything, coming full circle. I like that a lot, although it does make the game hard as hell near the end.
I've also seen someone on YouTube play a Pokémon romhack that did it. It was pretty cool, since it made the pokémon essentially "degradable" and thus encouraged constantly catching new ones, a style of play that most players don't engage with in the regular game.
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Comment on I'm addicted to Slay the Spire and am looking for a new game in ~games
Ryl (edited )LinkHave you considered any traditional roguelikes, in the vein of Rogue and Nethack? It's rare for them to play well with controllers, but there are a few that do. The ones I would most recommend are...Have you considered any traditional roguelikes, in the vein of Rogue and Nethack? It's rare for them to play well with controllers, but there are a few that do. The ones I would most recommend are Caves of Qud and Jupiter Hell (Either the Classic version or the main fork, both are great. I personally like Jupiter Hell Classic because it's sprites instead of 3D, and to me, sprites are much more sight-readable.)
The subgenre greatly rewards deep strategic thinking, and stays hard all the way through by avoiding metaprogression. I think that if the multifaceted challenge is one thing you love about StS, traditional roguelikes might be what you're looking for.
Notably, Jupiter Hell is an entry level traditional roguelike, and Caves of Qud is more next-level, so if you've never played one before, I'd start with the former, just to get your sea legs.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Ryl LinkHave y'all played POINPY? Because damn, I am obsessed with POINPY, and it's literally, actually free. The guy who made Downwell really decided to make "Upwell" and the design changes are pure...Have y'all played POINPY? Because damn, I am obsessed with POINPY, and it's literally, actually free. The guy who made Downwell really decided to make "Upwell" and the design changes are pure upgrades. What a world we live in.
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Comment on What's a show you love that's from before your time? in ~tv
Ryl LinkMost shows, because I had that type of parent who would eagerly show you all the stuff they already love and show no interest if you tried to talk to them about modern shows. So, I grew up with...Most shows, because I had that type of parent who would eagerly show you all the stuff they already love and show no interest if you tried to talk to them about modern shows.
So, I grew up with Doctor Who (this was before the reboot mind you), Quantum Leap, Red Dwarf, etc etc. Tons and tons of Old Guy Sci Fi, as a little girl. And I ate it all up. I still love it, even if it did make me a social pariah back then.
I think the funniest part is that I became a much more obsessive Doctor Who fan than my dad ever was. He doesn't even listen to the Big Finish audio dramas, smh 🙂↔️
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Ryl LinkI'm about half way through my first playthrough of Look Outside, and wow, I wasn't initially convinced, but this is one of the best games I've ever played. Mainly due to the story - the apocalypse...I'm about half way through my first playthrough of Look Outside, and wow, I wasn't initially convinced, but this is one of the best games I've ever played.
Mainly due to the story - the apocalypse has arrived and everyone in your apartment complex is trapped inside and slowly mutating into monsters... but mainly this means that they now have new accessibility requirements in life and are scared and confused, so you all need to shelter together and protect each other from the people who have lost it entirely. It's about community, caring, and sacrifice, and it's billed as a horror game. And like, it is, it's both. I adore that.
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Comment on How rigid/fluid is your LGBT identity? in ~lgbt
Ryl LinkI call myself a lesbian, but I don't find men entirely unsexy or think I could never like a man. It's just that anyone who actually identifies as a binary man is almost certainly not going to be...I call myself a lesbian, but I don't find men entirely unsexy or think I could never like a man. It's just that anyone who actually identifies as a binary man is almost certainly not going to be my cup of tea at all. That's a rigidity of definition, though.
In terms of things actually moving, I mean, it's moved a lot before. It could again. I just don't expect it at all.
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Comment on I am turning myself into a video game plane in ~games
Ryl LinkI absolutely loved this one, it's exactly as weirdly transhumanist as the title suggests.I absolutely loved this one, it's exactly as weirdly transhumanist as the title suggests.
Definitely the Empathy Fight from Everything Everywhere All At Once. It's the opposite of a fight scene, in a way, but still so fun and a perfect culmination of what the character has learned.
https://youtu.be/x5cdjjOVTyY