secret_online's recent activity
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Comment on Jet Lag: Hide + Seek Japan | Trailer in ~hobbies
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly in ~games
secret_online Link ParentIt might already be on your radar, but the mc-publish action for GitHub is pretty good and you can configure a lot of it from the fabric.mod.json. I use it for the two tiny mods I publish. You'll...Publishing on modrinth maybe?
It might already be on your radar, but the mc-publish action for GitHub is pretty good and you can configure a lot of it from the
fabric.mod.json. I use it for the two tiny mods I publish. You'll need to create a Modrinth account and create a personal access token, but that process is not too difficult. -
Comment on Jet Lag: Hide + Seek Japan | Trailer in ~hobbies
secret_online Link ParentEpisode 2 spoilers I feel like a similar problem happened in the Tag seasons where the runners would never buy the powerful to see where the chasers were. They were all so confident that they knew...Episode 2 spoilers
I feel like a similar problem happened in the Tag seasons where the runners would never buy the powerful to see where the chasers were. They were all so confident that they knew where the chasers would be that they didn't consider double checking their assumptions.
In this game it's kind of similar, where they're more confident that the information they're giving is of low value while not working through the information they've given the seekers to see how far the area has been narrowed down.
I get that it's different when you're actually playing the game because there's pressure that we don't feel as viewers, but I wonder if just having an extra card that just lists the things you can do as a hider would prompt then to try different strategies more.
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Comment on Jet Lag: Hide + Seek Japan | Trailer in ~hobbies
secret_online Link ParentI think I'll get into the habit of talking about episodes when the YouTube episode is out. That way it doesn't feel like the thread's dead by the time most people get to watch it. Episode 2...I think I'll get into the habit of talking about episodes when the YouTube episode is out. That way it doesn't feel like the thread's dead by the time most people get to watch it.
Episode 2 spoilers
Upon reading back this comment before posting, I realise it's basically all just podcast info without much talk of the game itself. I think that's because this one was pretty straightforward. Sure, the seekers go the wrong way to start, but as soon as they know he's south they end up going straight for him without any twists or turns. Not that it's a bad episode, it's just not the best episode.
Oh Adam, I wish this spot worked out better for you. In the podcast he says he found it by scrolling around on Google Maps and just happening to see it, and didn't think about the fact that the seekers would be doing the exact same thing to find him.
I think the thing that sealesld the deal on this episode was having that tallest building near the train station also being juuuust in shot of the station's photo, which then made it possible for Sam and Ben to confirm Adam's location while still ages away from the location. This then led to Adam being unprepared and unable to go to his intended hiding spot.
Adam mentions in the episode that he chooses his final hiding spot in the forest because it's on the opposite side from the entrance that Google Maps gives you. This isn't mentioned in the episode because there wasn't a good setup for it, but Sam and Ben go directly to him for two reasons:
- Ben's using Apple Maps
- There's a sign at the station that says something along the lines of "Don't follow Google Maps, go this way to reach the castle", which the seekers translated.
Overall this episode felt a little lacklustre compared to others, but still a pretty good one. I'm writing this comment about an hour before I'll be watching Episode 3 on Nebula, so I'm interested to see how Sam's run goes.
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Comment on What are your predictions for 2025? in ~talk
secret_online Link ParentOh please no. I'm not doubting your prediction here, it's likely that Kagi will get offers, especially as its user base grows (and we have to remember that Kagi relies on word-of-mouth instead of...Apple is going to buy Kagi.
Oh please no. I'm not doubting your prediction here, it's likely that Kagi will get offers, especially as its user base grows (and we have to remember that Kagi relies on word-of-mouth instead of advertising and seems to be doing pretty well at it), and Apple is not only likely to be one of the companies throwing money around but is also one that is likely to be accepted.
As someone who escaped Apple's ecosystem when their OG iPod touch finally gave up and has since avoided any of their products, every purchase by Apple has led to that particular product dying. They might live on in spirit, with their headline features integrated into Apple's services, but it's never the same. And has been proven in the past, support for other platforms vanishes not long after being bought.
We need more independent and differentiated services, not more consolidation. That smaller and specific focus on experiences is what makes services like Kagi and places like Tildes good to use. I really don't want to lose that to an acquisition.
and poor mod support will relegate it to obscurity in a few years.
This is the fate of too many games. There is so much consolidation, with so many games running on so few engines that I'd have expected we'd start seeing platform-based tooling that allows for easier modding of any games running on the big engines. Instead games seem to be harder to mod instead.
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Comment on Jet Lag: Hide + Seek Japan | Trailer in ~hobbies
secret_online Link ParentAgreed. I think this was one of the best first episodes of any series. It did a good job of setting out the premise of the game, having some fairly straightforward gameplay, but with enough...Agreed. I think this was one of the best first episodes of any series. It did a good job of setting out the premise of the game, having some fairly straightforward gameplay, but with enough happening to keep you on your toes.
I have a likely idea of how tentacles might work
Since you're watching on Nebula, you'll be able to listen to The Layover. They put out an episode a couple of weeks ago about the game design choices they made, including an explanation of how the tentacles work and their intention for how they'd play out. They don't spoil anything (they're pretty careful with spoilers in the podcast), so if that's something that interests you it's there.
Episode 1 spoilers
Great episode for the Snack Zone lovers. The double feature was a nice surprise. Ben's description during the first one was absolute gold.
In the podcast they mention that unlike previous seasons they gave the first hider extra time to find a spot. I think Ben (or Ben's mum as the case may be) did a good job with this one. The opening shot is in a beautiful location for introducing a travel-based game, and it ultimately served him well.
The card deck is definitely treating them better than the curse dice from Switzerland. I also like it gives the hider even more opportunities to strategize so they're not just walking around all the time. In Switzerland the hider's PoV was really just location scouting because they were discouraged from using curse dice too often. Curses having a casting cost is interesting, and does a lot to balance out the deck.
Quite a few of the curses Ben got were able to be used very effectively to stop the seekers in their tracks. The lemons limited their ability to ask questions, the travel agent curse meant they missed a train, and the cursed door meant that they then missed the next two trains, adding 4 hours to Ben's time.
And finishing the talk on curses, Ben's pull of the Gambler's Feet at the end (and making the 50/50 roll) was pretty funny. Not only that, but the seekers were at the opposite end of the town so had to move slowly even though they knew exactly where he was at that point.
A time of almost 10 hours feels so long, but since the format and location are different I don't think we really have anything to compare to. It feels like a solid start, but I'm interested to see what other times happen.
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Comment on Jet Lag: Hide + Seek Japan | Trailer in ~hobbies
secret_online LinkAww yiss. Great to see some improvements to the Hide and Seek format. The curse dice from the previous one were a neat concept, but didn't quite have the intended gameplay impact in the end (they...Aww yiss. Great to see some improvements to the Hide and Seek format. The curse dice from the previous one were a neat concept, but didn't quite have the intended gameplay impact in the end (they talked about this on the podcast during the Switzerland season and in the game design episode for this season that was released with the trailer on Nebula).
Oh, in case you hadn't heard they've released these rules as a physical set of cards you can buy. Shipping to my country is pretty pricey at the best of times, unfortunately.
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Comment on Is there a tool/method to find games you have in common with someone else? in ~games
secret_online Link ParentOh cool! I've been using the old method for a long time. It's good to know that Steam is taking advantage of the library page rebuild to improve the experience.Oh cool! I've been using the old method for a long time. It's good to know that Steam is taking advantage of the library page rebuild to improve the experience.
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Comment on Is there a tool/method to find games you have in common with someone else? in ~games
secret_online LinkSteam has this feature! Go to their profile page, click on their list of games, and there's a checkbox to filter to games you both own. While this includes singleplayer games in the list too, it...Steam has this feature! Go to their profile page, click on their list of games, and there's a checkbox to filter to games you both own. While this includes singleplayer games in the list too, it should be a bit shorter and require less communication than going through both of your lists individually.
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Comment on Where does your username come from? (Following up on last year's thread) in ~tildes
secret_online LinkI wanted to prove to my parents that I would stay pseudonymous when on the internet, so chose a name that would remind me every time I typed it: secret_online. The underscore is important and I...I wanted to prove to my parents that I would stay pseudonymous when on the internet, so chose a name that would remind me every time I typed it: secret_online. The underscore is important and I get annoyed any time a service doesn't allow me to enter it. I assume this feeling is felt by those with an O'<something> surname when systems don't accept the apostrophe.
At times I wonder if I should switch everything over to my IRL identity, but every time I come to the conclusion that I probably shouldn't because it'd be impossible to separate the two again. I also wonder whether this name has done its dash and I should pick a new one. But what purpose would that name serve that this name doesn't? For now this is fine so I'm sticking with it. Identity is hard.
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Comment on What the hell is a Typescript or: Creation ideas above my skill level in ~tech
secret_online LinkI need this embroidered and hanging up on my wall. The feelings you have towards programming are exactly those I have towards graphic design, painting, music, and pretty much every creative...But damn, programming got hands.
I need this embroidered and hanging up on my wall.
The feelings you have towards programming are exactly those I have towards graphic design, painting, music, and pretty much every creative pursuit that isn't programming. I have all these ideas for how I want something to look, sound, or feel, but because I haven't practiced the skills I set my goals too lofty. I try to run before I can even crawl, let alone walk. Programming is not just about making a thing, it's a process, it's about the choices behind how you do something, and quite often when you look at someone else's work you don't see the journey behind its creation (does that sound at all familiar?).
The best advice I can give is to start small. Like really small. Since you're wanting to do something with images in the end, why not build a little image uploader. Strip out the login system, strip out any form of validation, just an application that you can send an image to and then download it again. Don't try do anything else until it works. Once that's working, add a feature. Any feature. And once that's working, save the project somewhere and start a new one from scratch. Since you want to have an application that people can sign up to, make a little page where people can leave a short message. No images, no team assignment, you're just making a login/sign up form and a form where text can be submitted and a page to view everything everyone has submitted. Add a feature, then throw it away. Start something new, explore one small part of what you ultimately want to create, then throw it away. Repeat, solving little problems before solving big ones.
Once you know how to solve the smaller parts, then you can start seeing how to put them together. This also isn't easy, so take you time and don't be afraid to use small projects to experiment. If you can, try tie them into your end goal of making PICTOCLASH. But don't build PICTOCLASH until you're ready.
Yes, programming got hands. But you got hands too. Go show programming who's boss.
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Comment on HTML for people in ~tech
secret_online LinkWhat a great resource. My start to web dev was not too dissimilar to what's written here, so it's almost a walk down memory lane. I like that it's very much focused on HTML specifically and not...What a great resource. My start to web dev was not too dissimilar to what's written here, so it's almost a walk down memory lane. I like that it's very much focused on HTML specifically and not web development as a whole; as they point out it's important to have that foundation.
I'm definitely going to file this away for future reference in case anyone asks what good beginner resources there are.
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Comment on We played a 72 hour game of tag across Europe (2024) in ~hobbies
secret_online LinkEpisode 6 spoilers Adam pulls off the best moves against the chasers not once (last episode), but twice! And both times without even realising just how close the other two were. It was a bit...Episode 6 spoilers
Adam pulls off the best moves against the chasers not once (last episode), but twice! And both times without even realising just how close the other two were. It was a bit unfortunate that he ended up trapped due to the accent guessing challenge, but I guess that's how the jets lag.
Listening to the Layover, Sam's train from Padua to Milan was delayed for a really long time, which is why he was still able to catch it even after spending all that time waiting for tickets. The combination of him being able to make that train and Adam and Ben's being delayed enough for them to miss the train in Milan basically sealed the fate of the game.
As soon as Sam said he had a particular ending place in mind I had a suspicion. As time went on that suspicion got stronger. Then he got to Göschenen. What a place to end the season.
Overall, the new map definitely funneled them into that triangle between Bologna, Verona, and Venice Mestre. I don't think it'd be interesting to do another season of tag at this location, but I wonder how other areas would change the game for the better. Not that there would be many other places where this format would work, the game definitely needs a large transport network.
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Comment on SS7: A mobile network operator protocol with scary vulnerabilities in ~tech
secret_online (edited )Link ParentI would hazard a guess and say no (i.e. this comment is based on speculation). If the attack hinges on the number on your SIM card, then as long as they have that number they can pretend to be you...I would hazard a guess and say no (i.e. this comment is based on speculation).
If the attack hinges on the number on your SIM card, then as long as they have that number they can pretend to be you regardless of whether you are connected via 2G/3G. Some things might not work, like the location tracking or man-in-the-middle-ing a live call, but other like intercepting 2FA codes sent via SMS would still work as your provider would see the connection over SS7 as the most recent connection from you.
So the way to protect yourself would be to use a SIM that your provider only accepts connections from using newer wireless protocols, but I don't know if such a thing even exists (nothing after a cursory search, but I didn't look deeply).
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Comment on We played a 72 hour game of tag across Europe (2024) in ~hobbies
secret_online Link ParentEpisode 5 and podcast spoilers Sam mentioned in The Layover that when he got on the train he looked across, saw the other train, and figured that's what Adam had done. He mentioned that it was one...Episode 5 and podcast spoilers
Sam mentioned in The Layover that when he got on the train he looked across, saw the other train, and figured that's what Adam had done. He mentioned that it was one of those moments when you're playing where you just don't have the brain capacity to think about things, so you focus on what's in front of you.
Truly one of the best episode finales for sure. Definitely looking to see what the next episode leads to. I'm usually #TeamBen, but given the current scenario I'm definitely rooting for Adam. I mean, how could I not.
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Comment on We played a 72 hour game of tag across Europe (2024) in ~hobbies
secret_online Link ParentEpisode 5 spoilers I've been watching with a friend (it's their first season) and when Adam explained his plan I mentioned it wasn't out of the question for a move like that to be pulled off. Then...Episode 5 spoilers
I've been watching with a friend (it's their first season) and when Adam explained his plan I mentioned it wasn't out of the question for a move like that to be pulled off. Then when Sam and Ben started going south I was almost in dispair. Still, I really wanted Adam to pull it off. Queue my surprise when a complete reversal of a previous season's events happen, where the runner is completely oblivious to the chasers' presence and the chasers psych themselves out of looking for them.
I'm not sure why Sam and Ben didn't just go up and tag him at that point. I'm guessing they'll talk about that on the podcast, which I'll be listening to on the way to work today.
I hope in future seasons the runners remember that they can buy a power up to see the chasers' locations. While we maybe wouldn't have gotten this moment, there have been times where the runners have been uncertain on the chasers' locations with plenty of coin balance to spend.
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Comment on We played a 72 hour game of tag across Europe (2024) in ~hobbies
secret_online Link ParentEpisode 3 spoiler This is some extra text because the content of details sections still show up when the whole comment is collapsed. The bridge on Wikipedia. I think it was the right call. If the...Episode 3 spoiler
This is some extra text because the content of details sections still show up when the whole comment is collapsed.
DATE AN OLD THING
Find an old structure. You have one guess to accurately predict which century it was built in.
You may not use your phone or any concrete information concerning its construction date. You must make this guess using contextual clues.
If your guess is wrong, you cannot find a reliable date of construction, or if your building was constructed during the 20th or 21st century, this challenge is automatically vetoed.I think it was the right call. If the bridge had been repaired in-place then I'd consider it the same bridge (the bridge of Theseus?), but since it was destroyed three separate times, with the structure we're looking at being built in the 20th century, I think it was the right call to veto the challenge.
They briefly touch on this in the podcast. Sam wanted to show something scenic in the video, so chose the bridge to guess the age of. He ended up walking past a bunch of buildings which were almost certainly 16th century, and jokes on the podcast that he will never again entertain the audience (in that dry way that Sam does).
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Comment on Seven days in the North Island of New Zealand in ~travel
secret_online Link ParentYes, you will need to give way to cars approaching from the right (i.e. anyone who will cross your path).In the US, people entering roundabouts yield to people in the roundabout. Is that the convention in NZ as well?
Yes, you will need to give way to cars approaching from the right (i.e. anyone who will cross your path).
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Comment on Seven days in the North Island of New Zealand in ~travel
secret_online Link ParentKiwi here. The speed limit is a limit, not a target. Just because it's a state highway doesn't mean that it's going to be an easy drive. Even SH1 has sections that need to be taken slowly and...Kiwi here.
Any guidance or things to read about the highway network?
The speed limit is a limit, not a target.
Just because it's a state highway doesn't mean that it's going to be an easy drive. Even SH1 has sections that need to be taken slowly and carefully.
Roundabouts exist. Scan left-to-right, go when it's safe. If you're going straight through, don't indicate until you pass the exit before your one, then indicate left to exit (this often trips up travellers, if you indicate right to start, people will expect you to be turning right).
Sharper corners will often have longer yellow rectangular signs with black chevrons indicating direction and a recommended speed. Follow that speed, they're chosen well.
Merge like a zip.
People will walk across the road even where there aren't any marked crossings. Be prepared and keep an eye out for pedestrians.
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Comment on Discussion about asexuality, demisexuality, and allosexuality in ~lgbt
secret_online LinkThis thread has been great for discovering the aegosexual label, even if it's not one I'm going to use frequently when describing myself. In terms of romanticism, it's probably somewhere around...This thread has been great for discovering the aegosexual label, even if it's not one I'm going to use frequently when describing myself. In terms of romanticism, it's probably somewhere around the demi mark, but I don't know where in that area. Much like @MechanicalMagpie, it's just easier to say aro/ace and leave it at that.
So I guess I'll introduce myself as gay+aro/ace. It should have been obvious in my teens that I (M) was attracted to other men, but since that didn't really manifest itself in any actual wants or desires it sort of just left me confused. It wasn't until the end of high school that I finally internalised "oh I like men. Huh. Ok, now what", and a couple years later that I heard the aro/ace labels for the first time and things started clicking together.
I'm now in my late 20s, not been in a relationship (romantic or sexual), and am not really equipped socially to even know how to explore that space. Do I want to? Maybe, I won't really know until I do. Is a relationship (of any kind) something I have a need to for? No. Everyone is a friend, some are more friend than others, but I don't see anything beyond that point. That seems to be working out just fine, so I'm on the whole pretty happy with it.
Not me unfortunately, I'm, uh, considerably further away than Belgium. It's a great idea though, maybe there'll be others who are tempted.