terr's recent activity
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Comment on What happens when the internet goes out at your work? in ~tech
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
terr LinkI've been playing Stardew Valley on my Steam Deck lately, now that I finally took the time to learn how modding works on it (super easy, thankfully) and I'm really enjoying it. Finally seeing...I've been playing Stardew Valley on my Steam Deck lately, now that I finally took the time to learn how modding works on it (super easy, thankfully) and I'm really enjoying it. Finally seeing things from the most recent updates, and really getting into the Stardew Valley Expanded mod.
I've also started playing Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles on my PC. FFT is one of my favorite games that I've bought multiple times across at least 2 or 3 platforms and long ago I had started working on having a roster of characters that have mastered every single class, which I intend to finally finish. I think I might take the time to have 20 fully mastered characters, each one representing my most optimal version of a job. I'm so pleased to be back in the world of Ivalice.
It helps that I've found a trainer that will let me turn off character XP gain while still accumulating JP, so I won't have that weird problem of level 99 enemies in random battles vs. level 6 enemies in story battles. -
Comment on Sloan - Money City Maniacs (1998) in ~music
terr LinkI always used to mishear the lyrics of this song. For at least a decade, if not two, I would have sworn to you that the lyrics were "and the joke is when he awoke his/ body was covered in goat...I always used to mishear the lyrics of this song. For at least a decade, if not two, I would have sworn to you that the lyrics were "and the joke is when he awoke his/ body was covered in goat piss".
Frankly, I think it makes more sense my way than "coke fizz".
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Comment on The top 100 things I'd do if I ever became an evil overlord (1996) in ~books
terr LinkA friend of mine once ran our gaming group an adventure with the Scion roleplaying game wherein we were playing fledgeling deities, and our opponent was a regular human who was aware of the...A friend of mine once ran our gaming group an adventure with the Scion roleplaying game wherein we were playing fledgeling deities, and our opponent was a regular human who was aware of the existence of divine people like us, and had vowed to use the evil overlord list to the T in order to confound us.
Each session became almost like an episode of Inspector Gadget, where we'd miraculously bumble our way through each scenario, deus ex machina-ing our way through any obstacle put in front of us, only for the villain to have already gotten away, usually vowing to get us next time. It was a blast, honestly.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
terr Link ParentI failed out of an Honor Mode run this weekend in the most spectacularly stupid way possible. I was just about to reach the fight for the MacGuffin that lets you go into the fight for the end of...I failed out of an Honor Mode run this weekend in the most spectacularly stupid way possible. I was just about to reach the fight for the MacGuffin that lets you go into the fight for the end of act 2, told my party to make one of the jumps and for some reason, every single one of them failed the jump and threw themselves off the cliff into oblivion. Like, it wasn't even an honor mode failure, I just wasn't careful enough because the jump looked good.
It might be another couple of months before I have the strength of will to get back into it again, but I really want those golden dice too. Congrats on your successful run!
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Comment on Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor | Official version 1.0 launch trailer in ~games
terr Link ParentI've been playing occasionally on my steam deck and it's a perfect game for the console. Easy to play in relatively short bursts, pauses/suspends well if you need to put it down suddenly, controls...I've been playing occasionally on my steam deck and it's a perfect game for the console. Easy to play in relatively short bursts, pauses/suspends well if you need to put it down suddenly, controls are excellent, and most importantly: fun! Each run feels like you (have the chance to) make some progress, and there are a bunch of different challenges to take on. I strongly recommend anyone giving it a shot if swarm shooters interest you at all.
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Comment on Robert Munsch, Canadian children’s author, approved for medical assistance in dying in ~books
terr LinkI was reading Thomas' Snowsuit to my son the other day. He's only 14 months, so he's still just learning his first words, but I knew immediately that my wife has been reading this book with him a...I was reading Thomas' Snowsuit to my son the other day. He's only 14 months, so he's still just learning his first words, but I knew immediately that my wife has been reading this book with him a lot. Why? When we got to Thomas' first "Nooo!" my son said it in unison with me (holding it for a long time just like it's written in the book). I was totally surprised, but it was so adorable and heartwarming that he already knows the story a little bit.
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Comment on Has anyone else run up against higher costs due to the US tariffs? in ~society
terr Link ParentJust a note, the item you sent out for repair should only have been tariffed if it was a foreign-made product in the first place. US-made goods that are repaired abroad should generally be exempt...Just a note, the item you sent out for repair should only have been tariffed if it was a foreign-made product in the first place. US-made goods that are repaired abroad should generally be exempt from tariffs when returning as long as they weren't upgraded or advanced in value in some way. Foreign-made goods that are sent abroad for repair should only be tariffed on the value of the repair charge, not the whole cost of the item itself.
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Comment on How do you get a feel for new characters? in ~creative
terr LinkProbably not exactly what you're looking for, but I'm an actor at heart and I find the best way to discover a character is to live in their shoes a bit. Most of my "theatrical" work in recent...Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but I'm an actor at heart and I find the best way to discover a character is to live in their shoes a bit. Most of my "theatrical" work in recent years has been roleplaying in D&D and other tabletop games.
Usually I do very little to flesh out my character before I start playing them. At most, I come up with a cornerstone phrase that helps me tune into the character's mindset and dialect, and have a general idea of where they come from and what they want. Then I let them loose in the world and let them surprise me.
My most recent character was my most fleshed out though, I actually wrote up a short introduction with the proposed backstory for my character as we were about to run through the Dungeon of the Mad Mage and I wanted someone with a real direction if we were actually going to play through to level 20 (we didn't, surprise surprise). Even so, she still grew as we played and I developed a better understanding of her as a person. Now she lives rent-free in my head along with the rest of my past characters.
The backstory of Shieldrig Tombcarver, for gits and shiggles
My name is Shieldrig Tombcarver, and I suppose you’d like to know what brings me here. Well, I suppose it all starts back when I was a wee babe at me mother’s teat and that’s where I should start but fuck that shit. Who’s got the patience for a yarn that long? What brings me here, now, to Waterdeep is much simpler than some sad story soaked in tears: a debt. Not a debt that I owe, mind you! Well, not directly anyway… but one that I’m responsible for nonetheless.You see, the Tombcarver name is more than just a cognomen, it’s a profession! My family have been designers and builders of crypts, catacombs, and mausoleums for generations. Our handiwork is known within all the noble Dwarven houses (and several non-Dwarven houses to boot, I might add) not to mention infamous amongst circles of ill-repute for its ingenuity and lethality. Of course, when you build a trap or a lock it’s only as good as the first fool to defeat it, and that’s where I come in. I’m what’s known in my family as the Passkey. Once a crypt is designed, I study the schematics and ensure there are no easy ways to break in – or out – and that’s what’s kept the family coffers full and flowing until recently.
After mum died, Randall and I (That’s me stepfather, Randall Tombcarver. He’s a twig of a human but a lovely man all the same, and how could I abandon a fella who’d take me mum’s name upon marrying her? Not that I’d go against her wishes either, not while she could still find out!) have been making a go of it these last 50-odd years. Not as a couple, you nasty rotworm, as a team! As family. The problem there is that he’s the designer, I the Passkey, and mother was the Stonehand. With no more family to build the structures and keep the secrets safe, we were forced to hire on help. There were a number over the years, but none were ever so eager to learn our secrets as that damned Garrin Battletow (Ratfoot, I called him). He was as skilled with stone as any of the masters I’d seen in their early days, but he always seemed to linger about asking questions longer than you’d like or you’d find him in the oddest places he shouldn’t’ve been.
One day he comes to me and suggests that my knowledge would be put to far better use in "practical applications". Personally, I believe he’d just grown lazy and tired of working stone. Regardless, after decades of study and deskwork and Randall’s designs becoming somewhat repetitive and less inspired with age, I cannot deny that the offer sounded appealing. We practiced on a few ancient designs we pulled from the vault-archive, small places nobody was likely to visit any more. We found the odd treasure or trinket to keep as a souvenir but for the most part what we found was the thrill of success.
On our last job, Ratfoot showed me plans unlike any I had seen before. They were freshly drawn in Randall’s hand, but Ratfoot told me he had Randall draw them by interpreting a description in a tome of a vast ancient vault said to have been lost for centuries that contained legendary tools the likes of which could work stone in such a way that Randall's wildest designs would outlive even the memory of the lot of us.
Like a fool, I believed him and followed along. For two whole years we planned our expedition down to the last meticulous detail, and our it worked flawlessly until it all went mudwall when we arrived in the inner sanctum. For alas, what was supposed to be an ancient and forgotten sepulcher was in fact a Zhentarim vault!
Rat. Fucking. Liar.
I used my magic to escape, leaving Ratfoot behind to run or die (fuck 'im) and returned to Randall, but by the time I returned the worst had already happened. There was no old man to be found, just a letter bearing the mark of the Zhentarim addressed to myself pinned to the wall with a dagger.
It turns out Ratfoot's silver tongue saved him once again: He told them all about Randall's designs and how I would test them. The Zhent took Randall to cover payment for the breach of their security and are having him design for them until such time as I manage to retrieve <INSERT MACGUFFIN HERE> from the Undermountain for them.
Rest assured, nothing will stop me from getting either <THE MACGUFFIN> or my revenge on Ratfoot. That much I promise you.
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Comment on What is a business/org that's so terrible no one should use if possible? in ~life
terr Link ParentIf it makes you feel any better, the Royal Blizzard is just a blizzard with a hot fudge core in the centre, which usually melts half the ice cream and kind of ruins the experience. I think you're...If it makes you feel any better, the Royal Blizzard is just a blizzard with a hot fudge core in the centre, which usually melts half the ice cream and kind of ruins the experience. I think you're better off this way, in the end.
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Comment on What is a business/org that's so terrible no one should use if possible? in ~life
terr Link ParentI'm not sure I'd fault DQ for that one, exactly. You had two coupons for two different products and asked to use one or both on a third product, which (at least in Canada) isn't really how they...I'm not sure I'd fault DQ for that one, exactly. You had two coupons for two different products and asked to use one or both on a third product, which (at least in Canada) isn't really how they work. Which isn't to say necessarily that it's not a customer service failure for a manager to not ok the deal, but at least as written I wouldn't have expected that to work.
That being said, DQ is drastically overpriced for what it is. Every time I've gone there in the last 10 years I've come away wondering why I go there in the first place (but then I eat the ice cream and become less disgruntled).
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Comment on The sinking of the Sleipner A offshore platform in 1991 in ~engineering
terr Link ParentGlad to hear they only took half as many tries as the medieval approach.Glad to hear they only took half as many tries as the medieval approach.
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Comment on Why do you like your job? in ~life
terr LinkThe best part of my job is probably the lack of take-home stress. In general, I show up in the morning, find out my list of tasks for the day, perform them (while sprinkling in slack-off time as...The best part of my job is probably the lack of take-home stress. In general, I show up in the morning, find out my list of tasks for the day, perform them (while sprinkling in slack-off time as appropriate to better fill my dance card), and then go home.
Very rarely does a task span multiple days for me, and only occasionally do I even get a heads-up about what's coming in the future, so there's no real need to worry about it. Honestly, the worst part of my day is when I'm getting right near the end of my tasks and someone comes to squeeze one (or two, or three, etc.) more in before the end of the day.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
terr Link ParentIt really is a fantastic game, it's precisely the evolution of the single-player turn-based RPG that I'd always have wanted to see. It's not perfect and there can be some frustrating bits (usually...It really is a fantastic game, it's precisely the evolution of the single-player turn-based RPG that I'd always have wanted to see. It's not perfect and there can be some frustrating bits (usually the beaches, the game doesn't platform all that well) but it is outstanding in its field.
The great news is that the devs have started talking about making more content in the Clair Obscur world, though, and consider Clair Obscur to be the franchise name.
Without getting into details, there's backstory mentioned in the game that I'd desperately love to learn a lot more about, and I hope will be the focus of some future Clair Obscur content.
Backstory Spoiling Questions
Who are the Writers, what is their beef with the Painters, and how does the war between them take shape?
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Comment on A US federal appellate court finds the National Labor Relations Board to be unconstitutional in ~society
terr Link Parent"This year, celebrate Labor Day by putting in a full day's labor without any pay. Hard work should be done for its own sake! Work is its own reward!""This year, celebrate Labor Day by putting in a full day's labor without any pay. Hard work should be done for its own sake! Work is its own reward!"
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Comment on McDonald’s is cutting prices of its combo meals to convince customers it’s affordable again in ~food
terr Link ParentSo... what is the part of Demolition Man that you expected to come through... 3 seashells? Sex over wifi? Cryo-education?So... what is the part of Demolition Man that you expected to come through... 3 seashells? Sex over wifi? Cryo-education?
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Comment on What are some of your favorite Nintendo Switch games? in ~games
terr Link ParentI also recently bought a Switch 2 and just finished playing through Sword/Shield, and started Scarlet/Violet last week. S/V are definitely different from Sw/Sh which feel much more like a...I also recently bought a Switch 2 and just finished playing through Sword/Shield, and started Scarlet/Violet last week. S/V are definitely different from Sw/Sh which feel much more like a "traditional" Pokemon game, but I will say that I'm enjoying S/V on the Switch 2. I heard that there were a lot of technical problems with S/V on the original Switch hardware, but at least it runs very smoothly on the Switch 2.
As for the gameplay, the open world is novel, and I'll stick with it at least long enough to complete my living dex, but I hope that it turns out to be more of an experiment than the series new direction.
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Comment on Paramount’s movie priorities under new Skydance owners include ‘Top Gun 3’, ‘Star Trek’ and more in ~movies
terr Link ParentI'm in this same camp. I'll watch anything Star Trek and very likely have a good time doing so, even if it's substantially different from the other ST content. My least favored thus far has been...I'm in this same camp. I'll watch anything Star Trek and very likely have a good time doing so, even if it's substantially different from the other ST content. My least favored thus far has been Enterprise, but I still watched almost all of that.
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Comment on What is the most insane, tedious, difficult, and/or noteworthy gaming achievement you have completed or given up on? in ~games
terr LinkI suppose my rarest and most grindy achievement so far has to be Middle Master on Warframe. It's for reaching rank 29 (out of 30) on my account, which is accomplished by obtaining and levelling up...I suppose my rarest and most grindy achievement so far has to be Middle Master on Warframe. It's for reaching rank 29 (out of 30) on my account, which is accomplished by obtaining and levelling up frames, weapons, vehicles, and companions. It doesn't really sound like all that much, but it requires a total of 2,102,500 mastery points from the various elements, and there are only currently 2,661,038 non-exclusive points available (3,087,038 including exclusives), meaning that to reach rank 29 I've needed to obtain the vast majority of the items in the game and use them until I've maxed their level. And now I'm working on hitting rank 30. After which are legendary ranks 1-5 (and there will be more of those as items are added to the game).
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Comment on Recommendations for a obscure newer games in ~games
terr LinkTunic is a fantastic Zelda-like from 2022. I don't know if it's obscure exactly, but I don't think it made a huge splash. There's a ton going on in the game, and one of the really fun mechanics is...Tunic is a fantastic Zelda-like from 2022. I don't know if it's obscure exactly, but I don't think it made a huge splash. There's a ton going on in the game, and one of the really fun mechanics is that they don't immediately explain all of the mechanics, the digital rulebook/guide fills out as you discover them yourself. There are also some wickedly challenging puzzles.
If you like roguelites and/or Zelda (esp. Link to the Past) and puzzles, I very strongly recommend Tunic.
I don't think I've ever had the internet go out while at work. I have, however, had the power go out a number of times of the years. Most recently, it was because a goose flew into some power cables across the road (sad story, it was the male of a pair that have been hatching their eggs on our patio upstairs for years).
Anyway, when the power goes out I can usually continue some of my work, preparing shipments and packing boxes, but once that's done I'll generally consider myself to have hit a wall. If we were absolutely desperate, I could start filling paper waybills in by hand, but frankly I don't think anyone else remembers that we have those and I'd really rather not develop a hand cramp just for the power to come back on 15 seconds after I finish writing one out so I just don't mention them to anybody.