smiles134's recent activity
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of July 21 in ~games
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
smiles134 LinkThis week I watched two movies: On the Waterfront and Triangle of Sadness. On the Waterfront was magnificent. I haven't seen many, if any, Marlon Brando movies but he was really spellbinding in...This week I watched two movies: On the Waterfront and Triangle of Sadness.
On the Waterfront was magnificent. I haven't seen many, if any, Marlon Brando movies but he was really spellbinding in this.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Triangle of Sadness. I didn't know much about it going in, and so it took me a while to settle into the structure cause I kept waiting for the plot to start, but I was really won over by the dinner scene. It's crude but the well choreographed vomit humor paid off. And the aloof British couple being killed by their own grenade is so obviously on the nose that it loops right past being stupid around to being hilarious. It's not a subtle movie but it's also not far from unrealistic. I'm still not sure what to make of the very last image of Carl running through the trees but I like the ambiguity. It's a jarring switch from everything what in the movie that almost always is exactly as it appears.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
smiles134 Link ParentAgreed on all accounts here. We need someone energetic and charismatic who can do more than just be "not trump"Agreed on all accounts here. We need someone energetic and charismatic who can do more than just be "not trump"
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
smiles134 Link ParentYes, I agree. Biden should not have run for a second term in the first place.Yes, I agree. Biden should not have run for a second term in the first place.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
smiles134 Link ParentWe'll see, I guess, for the second scenario. For me, it's been really really difficult to see a path toward victory for Biden these past few weeks, and I don't think hindsight is going to change...We'll see, I guess, for the second scenario. For me, it's been really really difficult to see a path toward victory for Biden these past few weeks, and I don't think hindsight is going to change that, but I guess it depends how the nomination plays out.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
smiles134 Link ParentI believe he could've endorsed Kamala, and he may still in a speech later this week, but the candidate will be chosen at the convention in August. Right now, the field is open. Edit: Biden just...I believe he could've endorsed Kamala, and he may still in a speech later this week, but the candidate will be chosen at the convention in August. Right now, the field is open.
Edit: Biden just posted an endorsement of Harris on his twitter account.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
smiles134 Link ParentI don't have a lot of confidence, but I had almost no confidence with Biden continuing his campaign. The debate was disastrous and his few public appearances after that didn't really do much to...I don't have a lot of confidence, but I had almost no confidence with Biden continuing his campaign. The debate was disastrous and his few public appearances after that didn't really do much to convince people it was an off night or a fluke. Plus, his covid diagnosis may be limiting his campaign activities now a time when it's really crucial he proves he's fit and capable for another four years.
This is the right decision -- unprecedented and introduces a lot of uncertainty -- but still the correct call.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
smiles134 LinkI really can't believe this. I wish he'd made this decision months and months ago but hopefully there's enough time to recover.I really can't believe this. I wish he'd made this decision months and months ago but hopefully there's enough time to recover.
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Comment on US judge dismisses classified documents case against Donald Trump (gifted link) in ~news
smiles134 Link ParentIf that were the case, she had an extremely easy way out of that, by recusing herself from the case. The fact that she didn't suggests this is probably not her motivation.If that were the case, she had an extremely easy way out of that, by recusing herself from the case. The fact that she didn't suggests this is probably not her motivation.
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Comment on Escape from the box: new technology and old tactics have made buying a car a death march of deception in ~transport
smiles134 Link ParentMy wife and I bought a new car for the first time last year and it was a mostly okay process, except for this one salesman who was extremely pushy about a car we had no intention of buying. First,...My wife and I bought a new car for the first time last year and it was a mostly okay process, except for this one salesman who was extremely pushy about a car we had no intention of buying.
First, when my wife called he told her the model we were interested in was available but when we got there, it had just walked off the lot (or, more likely, was not there in the first place), but the version one model up (and way more expensive) was available. We took it for a test drive because why not, and then when we told him it was too expensive for us, he got actually mad and was demanding to know why we were wasting his time, and tried to guilt us into buying it. At one point he asked what he'd need to do to get us to buy it and I told him that he could take 15,000 off the sticker price, and he said I was being unreasonable.
Why didn't we just get up and leave? Because we were trading in our other vehicle and he took our keys to have it appraised. So we were stuck there while this guy tried to twist our arm and get us to spend money we just didn't have. It was terrible
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Comment on Spotify is no longer just a streaming app, it’s a social network in ~tech
smiles134 Link ParentThe problem with smart shuffle is if you have a very long playlist like I do (I don't sort my music into playlists, so everything goes into my "music" playlist, which is about 5000+ songs),...The problem with smart shuffle is if you have a very long playlist like I do (I don't sort my music into playlists, so everything goes into my "music" playlist, which is about 5000+ songs), turning off the smart shuffle feature doesn't work about half the time. It just spins while it thinks about removing all of the random songs they added in and it will say it's disabled, but if you look at the queue, you'll see them pop back in after a second. So now the process to turn off shuffle entirely has been: click turn off smart shuffle. Wait about a full minute. Click again. If you don't wait that whole time, it'll revert to having the smart shuffle on, so you're just toggling between smart shuffle and shuffle.
It's extremely annoying for a feature I don't want to use and never wanted to use. Is it the end of the world? No. But it is an example where the average experience has gotten worse for some users recently.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
smiles134 LinkMy wife and I saw Inside Out 2 in the movie theater, which is the first movie we've been to since Barbie last summer. It was about what I expected: they remade the first movie but added a few...My wife and I saw Inside Out 2 in the movie theater, which is the first movie we've been to since Barbie last summer. It was about what I expected: they remade the first movie but added a few emotions. (I should note that if Inside Out isn't my favorite Pixar movie, then it's in the top 3. I really do love that movie.) I guess I'm not sure what else the narrative arc could be, but the basic beats are pretty much identical: emotions get stranded away from the headquarters and have to find their way back or else Riley will become a different person for good. I also didn't notice that neither Bill Hader nor Mindy Kaling had returned so either it's been a long time since I've seen the first movie or I'm not as good at picking up voice actors as I thought I was. Overall, it was one of the better recent Pixar movies but didn't really make a case for itself.
Elsewhere, I had a James Cameron double feature on the weekend and watched two classics that I've actually never seen before: Aliens and The Abyss.
Aliens was a fun ride. Once again corporate greed fucks everyone over. The guy who convinces Ripley to tag along with the Marines (can't remember his name) is an absolute snake. Really well crafted turns throughout, the aliens were creepy and there was a good amount of tension and suspension even in light of all the additional action compared to the first movie.
The Abyss felt like a good movie with a hunchback no one wanted to look at. (I should also mention that I did not watch the director's cut because the original was all that was available on Hulu. From what I understand people feel very strongly about whether the additional footage helps or hurts.) My first takeaway from the movie is that James Cameron is insane and filming this movie must've been awful for everyone -- and that was before I read about everyone's experiences on set. The scene where Ed Harris's ex wife volunteers to drown herself and hopefully get revived on the ship is harrowing, as is the resuscitation itself. I kept expecting the aliens to... I guess, matter, in the story. They're there--they obviously set the plot in motion--but that's kind of it until the deus ex machina ending. And even that, I felt very ambivalent about. The movie ends with their emergence. Okay, now what? If I'd read this story in a workshop, I would've told the writer they needed to rethink the pressure points of the story and find a way to get this third party more directly evolved so that the ending feels earned, rather than, well, a deus ex machina.
All that said, I enjoyed the movie and I would watch it again. Ed Harris was great and I thought his sacrifice was moving, especially after bringing Lindsey back. Gut wrenching stuff. It sucks how terrible of a time everyone has making that movie, tho.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentFallen Order is more linear than Survivor, but Survivor still has mostly, if not entirely, scripted narrative progression (it's been a year since my playthrough, so I don't quite remember how much...Fallen Order is more linear than Survivor, but Survivor still has mostly, if not entirely, scripted narrative progression (it's been a year since my playthrough, so I don't quite remember how much you could do "in any order" so to speak). Outlaws has been advertised as open world, but I'm hoping it's closer to the Survivor open world style than it is to Ubi's other open world games... I might be too optimistic on that front.
Guardians of the Galaxy is another recent single-play linear narrative game which has one of the best stories in games that I've come across in years. Highly recommend if you haven't played it yet!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentI haven't played an Assassin's Creed game since 3 -- I also dislike open world games and could tell the newer games were just getting too bloated. Honestly I felt like Revelations was a little too...I haven't played an Assassin's Creed game since 3 -- I also dislike open world games and could tell the newer games were just getting too bloated. Honestly I felt like Revelations was a little too bloated too.
I'm also glad you found the protagonist of 3 insufferable. I see so much praise for that game but I just don't get it. The whole experience made me want to never play an AC game again.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 LinkI picked up Cruelty Squad in the last Steam sale because people kept saying it's a great game once you get past the graphics... But I don't think I can get past the graphics. I've tried on two...I picked up Cruelty Squad in the last Steam sale because people kept saying it's a great game once you get past the graphics... But I don't think I can get past the graphics. I've tried on two separate occasions but have only been able to play for like 10 minutes each time before I have to quit. Might end up refunding it which I never do.
I'm also about 3 hours into Mafia III and also might be dropping this. It feels so so different from the first two games (definitive edition versions). I'm right at the point in the game after the first long set of linear-ish missions where the world "opens up" and you're tasked with securing rackets... And it has all the indications of the kind of open world game I absolutely hate. Mindless, repetitive missions that essentially boil down to Go to this waypoint on your map, kill a person, repeat. I assume there's supposed to be dynamic allegiances throughout the city and your interactions with NPCs will change based on what you do... But I'm just not really interested in games like that. In my view, the bigger an open world map is, the emptier it feels. Missions/"events" feel copy-pasted to pad out the "content" in a game. It's the same problem I have with looter-shooters and similar live service games.
I really wish the gaming world would return to tight, single player narrative games. I don't need a world to look huge to be immersed. I need well paced, well directed narrative to be engaged. I know I'm not in the majority on this necessarily, but I do think at the very least studios may be moving away from live service games soon.
I'm hoping the upcoming Star Wars game isn't as open world as it suggests it is. At least, if there are designed missions rather than things like Clear this Outpost on the map (like Halo: Infinite), I'll be happy.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentOxenfree, overall in my opinion, is just fine. The gameplay like you mentioned can be more frustrating than fun at times, and the story itself only barely makes sense. But you're right that the...Oxenfree, overall in my opinion, is just fine. The gameplay like you mentioned can be more frustrating than fun at times, and the story itself only barely makes sense.
But you're right that the dialogue system is where it excels. It's been a while since I've played but I remember my experience being a little more fluid than what you've experienced. One of the interesting parts of the game is your dialogue can trigger branching dialogue but you never really know which way a conversation might turn. You have to respond within a certain time to keep the rhythm of the conversation, or you can choose not to respond, which is as valid of an option as it is in real life. That's what's interesting about the game to me. The conversations feel natural. Sometimes when you walk by something, that triggers a necessary dialogue option, which could interrupt the conversation you're having, but if it was an important conversation, the character will return to it.
I recently finished the second game, which is a lot of the same mechanics as the first, but I think the conversation system is a little smoother than in the first game.
My recommendation is to just pick a destination and head there, engage in conversation along the way, and try not to worry about losing the thread of dialogue or finishing conversations. It feels a bit more natural that way, which is ultimately the point of the system, I think.
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Comment on Left-wing bloc leads in French election as polls close (gifted link) in ~news
smiles134 Link ParentI had the same thought this morning, but I'm. Much less intune with European politics compared to US politics and it does not feel like the right is losing any ground here.I had the same thought this morning, but I'm. Much less intune with European politics compared to US politics and it does not feel like the right is losing any ground here.
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Comment on I tried ditching my vehicle and doing the no-car thing. It was awful. in ~transport
smiles134 Link ParentI didn't read past the part where OP said they tried to no-car a trip that normal takes two and a half hours by car. What did they expect?I didn't read past the part where OP said they tried to no-car a trip that normal takes two and a half hours by car.
What did they expect?
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Comment on Funny, crazy and silly mods in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentHalo 3 custom games were such an important part of high school for me. I would go over to my best friend's house every night after school because he lived next door and we'd join a party with 3-5...Halo 3 custom games were such an important part of high school for me. I would go over to my best friend's house every night after school because he lived next door and we'd join a party with 3-5 of our other friends and just fuck around on those all night. There were two games we designed ourselves that we loved, one called Swordfight and the other called High Speed Chase.
Swordfight was on a map in foundry with explosive crates literally everywhere and ramps at the center of the map with gravity cannons. Then there were a few vehicles lining the back wall. You played on teams of two, and the scoring was whacky, like assassinations were ten points, suicides were -8 points, killing the leader gave you an extra 5 points (and the leader would be highlighted on the map), grenade sticks were +15, etc. Then to top it off everyone had 300% movement speed and like 50% gravity and you spawned with a sword. So you'd get 8 people flying around this square map and you'd be moving so quickly that running into an explosive crate would set it off. Lots of fun, lots of chaos.
High Speed Chase was an infection mode on a desert map where the zombie moved at 300% and was invisible but spawned with a sword and the humans moved at like 75% and spawned around a bunch of vehicles. You had to jump in a warthog or ghost and try to splatter the zombies to stay alive.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentFrom a writing perspective, it really felt like they started with their end goal for each chapter in mind and worked backward from there. Like, We want Vito to get into a war with the Tongs. How...From a writing perspective, it really felt like they started with their end goal for each chapter in mind and worked backward from there. Like, We want Vito to get into a war with the Tongs. How do we make that happen?
Yeah I got it for free on Epic. I'm a big fan of metroidvania's but this is a rare game that I gave up on after only a few hours. There was a lot of jank, and I didn't care enough about the story to put up with it.