widedub's recent activity

  1. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    widedub
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    The studio, Ivy Road, was a collab featuring a few "big" names Davey C418 (Minecraft soundtrack) Karla Zimonja (Gone Home) and funded by Annapurna. Sadly, Wanderstop didn't sell as well as was...

    The studio, Ivy Road, was a collab featuring a few "big" names

    • Davey
    • C418 (Minecraft soundtrack)
    • Karla Zimonja (Gone Home)

    and funded by Annapurna. Sadly, Wanderstop didn't sell as well as was hoped and they were forced to close down in March 2026. The next game they were working on has been shelved as they couldn't secure alternative funding. Early videos looked like they had potential so maybe they can work something out

    It's a disappointing result but I suspect we haven't heard the last from Davey

    4 votes

  2. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    widedub
    (edited )
    Link
    Ive been working through my Steam backlog independently and have spent my time on a few games Wanderstop - This is the newest game from Davey Wreden of The Stanley Parable and The Beginners Guide...

    Ive been working through my Steam backlog independently and have spent my time on a few games

    Wanderstop - This is the newest game from Davey Wreden of The Stanley Parable and The Beginners Guide fame. On the surface, this game is a cozy cottagecore game about working in a tea shop. You grow plants/trees, gather ingredients and make tea for the patrons as they come through. However, there are heavy introspective themes sprinkled throughout. Given the creators previous two games, this game is not quite what I expected but it is extremely enjoyable. Many reviews of it I read discuss it as a type of foil to Stardew Valley and I think thats fair. Where Concerned Ape's game encourages and rewards an optimization grind, Wanderstop is laid back, allowing you to unroll the story at your own pace. The supporting characters are memorable, the best dialogue is thought provoking and the gameplay loop, especially the team making apparatus, is varied enough to keep it fresh. It's a short game. I''m in the last section now (or at least that's what the game told me) and I've put in just under 10 hours. Did I mention the adorable birds you keep as pets at the shop? If you crave constant action and progression, this game may not be for you but its the kind of title I'll think about long after I've played it for the last time

    Minishoot Adventures - This game combines a bullet hell, twin stick shooter style with a Zeldavania format and is it incredibly fun. In this game, you play as a spaceship and zip around the world battling a variety of enemies, discovering powerups/secrets, and battling dungeons with multi-stage bosses at the end. The story is a little light on details but it works with the amount of action this game throws your way. The controls are tight and you're given several options for difficulty that can make this game enjoyable for a wide variety of players. It can rely a bit too heavily on the monster in a closet approach to combat but the gameplay is so fun that it never bothered me. Deaths rarely feel unfair and you don't lose progress which kept this game from feeling like a slog. I rarely play a game to 100% but I am working on completing it after defeating the final boss because Im not ready to leave this world behind

    Invisible Inc - This is a turn-based, action espionage title that is around a decade old. It's held up rather well. In this game, you play as a futuristic spy agency that is being hunted by corporations hell bent on wiping you out. You travel around the globe completing missions like sabotaging the corps, stealing their tech/money and freeing other spies to be used in your agency. Standing in your way are guards, cameras and other tech dedicated to detecting you. If spotted, the difficulty increases as the quantity and quality of patrols increase. Each spy has their own advantages and you also have the assistance of an AI whose abilities can be used to seize control or disable of the technology being levied against you. This game is hard! Whenever I think I have figured out the corps defenses, some new adversary or strategy gets thrown against you and you have to rethink your plans to stay one step ahead. Beyond that, the levels are procedurally generated and youre forced to strategize accordingly instead of just memorizing floorplans/approaches. I'm only about halfway through my first playthrough but I do know some spoilers about this game and suspect the replayability is going to be very high

    3 votes

  3. Comment on Anyone playing Subnautica 2? in ~games

    widedub
    Link
    I'm on the fence about preordering it. I have subnautica 1 on PSN but the S1, S:BZ and S2 bundle on Steam is very tempting. S1 is a top game for me all time and Id love to replay it on my desktop...

    I'm on the fence about preordering it. I have subnautica 1 on PSN but the S1, S:BZ and S2 bundle on Steam is very tempting. S1 is a top game for me all time and Id love to replay it on my desktop and I know the price is probably only going to go up unless I'm very patient

    3 votes

  4. Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk

    widedub
    Link
    I got word that my cholestorol/trigycerides are high so Im abstaining from booze and trying to avoid unhealthy foods for awhile as a type of reset. It's going ok. Beer and chips are my main...

    I got word that my cholestorol/trigycerides are high so Im abstaining from booze and trying to avoid unhealthy foods for awhile as a type of reset. It's going ok. Beer and chips are my main weaknesses with a nod to red meat/fried foods. My diet isn't too terrible otherwise...I get a decent amount of fiber and eat vegetables everyday at least. I'm going to miss having a cold drink especially after working outside but hopefully I can rebase my numbers and return to a more responsible consumption level later on

    I'm also trying to make a plan to fish Cat6 through my house. Its a much larger enterprise than I imagined. Im in a narrow townhome with three stories and Id like for my equipment to be in the basement. Attic access is spotty so Im pretty much resigned to hoping I can minimize the amount of drywall I need to cut. I've never patched drywall so thats another skill I need to learn

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What's your favorite personal gaming memory? in ~games

    widedub
    Link
    I'm gonna cheat and name two from the PS2 era. I played video games as a kid but I'd never ventured much beyond the occasional N64 titles with friends. When I was a started university in 2006, I...

    I'm gonna cheat and name two from the PS2 era. I played video games as a kid but I'd never ventured much beyond the occasional N64 titles with friends. When I was a started university in 2006, I decided to treat myself to a console and bought a used PS2 with a handful of games off Craigslist

    Final Fantasy X - Yuna dancing on the water
    I had rented a copy of the original Final Fantasy on NES a few times (still havent beaten that one), so I figured I'd give it a shot. I had no idea what I was in for. The opening scene with Sin attacking Zanarkand was something but the scene that completely blew my mind is when Yuna is asked to send souls to the Farplane. This isn't gameplay, it's a cut scene but the animation and presentation level were so far beyond anything I had ever experienced in a vaideo game, it may as well have been from another dimension. The scene is beautifully animated with a classic theme by Nobuo Uematsu and, while it may sound crazy, I think it validated for me the idea of video games as an art form. "People die and Yuna dances" is one of the lines I immediately think of whenever that game comes up

    Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - Crazy Colonel
    While I was playing FFX, I was also playing MGS2. I had watched my friend play MGS1 on PSX and didnt really get the story but the Psycho Mantis battle always stuck out. There are so many amazing part to this game but the Colonel and his crazy codecs is my pick for the most memorable. It's a meme now but how many of us shut off the console mid-game and lost progress? How many people tried to decipher the Colonels mostly meaningless jibberish? It took a game that felt mostly serious in tone and completely flipped it into that Kojima level of absurdity that was completely alien to me. All of Arsenal Gear is kinda crazy like that. The replacement radar screens, Fission Mailed....all of it blends into an unforgettable gaming experience that I wish I could play again for the first time

    Both of these experiences made me realize how much gaming had changed from when I was a kid. Before all that, I might occasionally pick up a controller at a friends house. After ,I started buying my own systems, researching my own purchases and curating my own collection

    10 votes

  6. Comment on Reddit reports 69% jump in revenue, topping analyst estimates in ~tech

    widedub
    Link Parent
    old dot reddit does not have the annoying popup. Who knows how long thats going to last though

    old dot reddit does not have the annoying popup. Who knows how long thats going to last though

    8 votes

  7. Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk

    widedub
    Link
    I took my nephew to see his first movie in a theater! My sister has sensory issues and has been unable to take him but he's developed a natural curiosity about movie theatres after seeing them in...

    I took my nephew to see his first movie in a theater! My sister has sensory issues and has been unable to take him but he's developed a natural curiosity about movie theatres after seeing them in one of his favorite shows (Trash Truck) We went to see the new Mario movie and he absolutely loved it.

    Minor Super Mario Galaxy movie spoilers

    He was a little disappointed because his favorite character, Daisy, wasn't in the sequel. I had checked beforehand to see if there was post-credit scenes and she appeared in the last one. He was thrilled

    According to my sis, the little guy hasn't stopped talking about it. He's already planning another trip next weekend

    3 votes

  8. Comment on Which covers did it better than (or put a fresh twist on) the original? in ~music

    widedub
    (edited )
    Link
    A mix of covers I enjoy ranging from label releases to small youtube creators Schneider TM & KPT.michi.gan, The Light 3000 - A glitchy idm cover of The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes...

    A mix of covers I enjoy ranging from label releases to small youtube creators

    1 vote

  9. Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies

    widedub
    Link Parent
    I was playing around on Soulseek chats as a teen nearly 15 years ago. I cant believe it's still around!

    I was playing around on Soulseek chats as a teen nearly 15 years ago. I cant believe it's still around!

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Happy 17776 Day! in ~misc

    widedub
    Link
    I've never seen this before despite being a football fan and firmly planted in internet culture at the time it was published. I wasn't able to watch the videos but it was an enthralling read. I...

    I've never seen this before despite being a football fan and firmly planted in internet culture at the time it was published. I wasn't able to watch the videos but it was an enthralling read. I did have some difficulty with

    Click to view minor spoilers

    The page that read down, up, and down again. I read it once or twice out of order before realizing the way it was meant to be viewed

    But I enjoyed myself all the same. Looking forward to checking out the follow up. Thanks for sharing

    4 votes

  11. Comment on Caravan Palace - Good Mouse (2026) | MOUSE: P.I. For Hire original game soundtrack in ~music

    widedub
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I thought it was content from the video game it was prepared for? I watched the trailers and, while I don't immediately remember anything that crossed over between the music video and the game...

    I thought it was content from the video game it was prepared for? I watched the trailers and, while I don't immediately remember anything that crossed over between the music video and the game promo, the art style is pretty consistent

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Caravan Palace - Good Mouse (2026) | MOUSE: P.I. For Hire original game soundtrack in ~music

    widedub
    Link Parent
    I couldn't help but think of Lone Digger while watching this. I prefer that one from a video standpoint but this is a decent song and video

    I couldn't help but think of Lone Digger while watching this. I prefer that one from a video standpoint but this is a decent song and video

    3 votes

  13. Can we talk about rice cookers?

    ~food Ask (recommendations)
    I've always made rice in a pot on the stove and that's served me very well but I also like to steam vegetables, dumplings (usually from frozen), and eat oats for breakfast. After a bit of...

    I've always made rice in a pot on the stove and that's served me very well but I also like to steam vegetables, dumplings (usually from frozen), and eat oats for breakfast. After a bit of research, I've determined that I'm in the market for a rice cooker, an appliance I have never owned and have 0 experience with. Like most kitchen gadgets, I find that the market is oversaturated with options and my attempts at research have led me to some wildly different conclusions. Do I stick with brands I know like Cuisinart or KitchenAid? Do I spring for the fancy Japanese brands? Or do I cheap out and then upgrade when the device burns out? How large of a volume do I need? Are the fancy steamer inserts worth it? What if I want to steam rice and veges in one go? And so on

    For my personal use case, I make rice 3-4 times per week easily. I need to be able to make enough rice for 4-6 adults max in one sitting. I would like to make a decent amount of dumplings in one go, say enough to get 4-6 adults started while I steam a second round. I want to be capable of steaming veggies and making oats. I want it to have a removable insert for cleaning. I'd like it to be fairly easy to use. Are these common wishlist items for a rice cooker? I am really not sure

    Beyond my use case, I'm interested in what people own and use. Do you use it often? Any regrets? What other foods can I make with this gadget?

    Edit: I appreciate everyone who has weighed in so far. I did want to add that I prefer not to add an instant pot. Not to discount anyone's experience but I have had bad luck with them (I've had a pair that burned out in the warranty period, one on its first use) and already have a slow cooker and pressure cooker cooker I am very happy with. I know they're amazing and do all kinds of different things but I'm interested primarily in a rice cooker that can handle a few extra tasks

    52 votes

  14. Comment on WNBA agreement to give every rookie under contract a raise in ~sports.basketball

    widedub
    Link
    I'm not a WNBA fan but it's been well known in sports circles that their players have been criminally underpaid. Happy to see their players get a larger share of the pie especially given the...

    I'm not a WNBA fan but it's been well known in sports circles that their players have been criminally underpaid. Happy to see their players get a larger share of the pie especially given the recent increase in league popularity. Another win for collective bargaining

    6 votes

  15. Comment on Job hunting absolutely sucks right now in ~life

    widedub
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Also in Software Engineering, and have been not so seriously looking for 12-18 months My perception is that employers are looking for a deal right now. Everyone seems to want to pay a bit less...

    Also in Software Engineering, and have been not so seriously looking for 12-18 months

    My perception is that employers are looking for a deal right now. Everyone seems to want to pay a bit less than they were because of AI, market/economic concerns, or some other nebulous reason. In a way, I feel like this is the pendulums return swing from the great resignation a few years back where it seemed like everyone in the field was hopping to new opportunities for significant salary bumps, but I have no doubt that employers are trying to play any advantage that they can get.

    I'm lucky to be fairly comfortable in my current role. Excuse the pessimism but I don't envy anyone urgently looking for a position in this field

    16 votes

  16. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    widedub
    Link Parent
    Can I ask what your strength training routine looks like? Im curious to see what others are doing and how often. Im the opposite for intake. I need around 2k calories per day and I drift over that...

    Can I ask what your strength training routine looks like? Im curious to see what others are doing and how often.

    Im the opposite for intake. I need around 2k calories per day and I drift over that if Im not careful. I'm lucky enough to wfh and its been great for my sanity and time but not so great for my eating habits :D

    2 votes

  17. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    widedub
    (edited )
    Link
    I've been trying to improve my health this year by eating better broadly and by getting back into regular exercise. I'm walking a mile+ every weekday at lunch (we have a lot of snow or Id run) and...

    I've been trying to improve my health this year by eating better broadly and by getting back into regular exercise. I'm walking a mile+ every weekday at lunch (we have a lot of snow or Id run) and trying to work regular lifting back into my routine. Im lucky enough have a small gym space at home with a mini cage and am following this routine since the last week of 2025

    Chest/Abs day

    • Bench press 5x6
    • Incline/Decline 5x6 (alternate which one per cycle)
    • DB flys 3x10
    • Close grip bench 3x10
    • Ab wheels 3x10
    • Leg Raises 3x10
    • Weighted side bends 3x10

    Back/Arms day

    • Deadlift 5x6
    • Barbell Rows 5x6
    • Lat Pull downs 3x10
    • Face pulls 3x10
    • Curls 3x10
    • Hammer Curls 3x10
    • Tricep pushdowns 3x10
    • Tricep kickbacks 3x10

    Legs/Shoulders day

    • Back Squat 5x6
    • Front Squat 5x6
    • Lunges 3x10
    • Romanian Deadlift 3x10
    • Seated Overhead press 5x6
    • DB overhead press 3x10
    • Shrugs 5x6
    • Rear delt fly 3x10

    I started out doing around 4 lifts per day and have gradually been adding the others in. I hit the full slate this week. The doms killed me for the first week or so but Ive gotten to the patter n of three days on, one day off and repeat. The shifting schedule isnt hurting me so far

    Im only pushing a tiny bit of weight right now but hoping to increase 2.5 or 5 lb increments for each cycle until I find my limits

    7 votes

  18. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    widedub
    Link
    I've started the process of setting up a low-cost VPS to act as an ad blocker for my phone connections. I'm deciding between providers, VPN vs Proxy and other things to think about. I think I've...

    I've started the process of setting up a low-cost VPS to act as an ad blocker for my phone connections. I'm deciding between providers, VPN vs Proxy and other things to think about. I think I've settled on running unbound + adguard on my virtual server and I'm leaning towards a VPN approach with Wireguard. My biggest concern with choosing a VPN over a proxy is battery usage but it sounds like WG is decent in this respect. I understand this setup wont catch everything but it should make mobile browsing and some app ysage a bit more tolerable

  19. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    widedub
    Link Parent
    Admittedly I don't watch a ton of television but The Good Place is a top five show for me. Tons of memorable bits, solid story arcs, and it doesn't wear out it's welcome with too many...

    Admittedly I don't watch a ton of television but The Good Place is a top five show for me. Tons of memorable bits, solid story arcs, and it doesn't wear out it's welcome with too many seasons/episodes. I don't often find myself drawn to network sitcoms but I'll regularly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it

    3 votes

  20. Comment on What are your favorite home remedies or comforts when you're sick? in ~health

    widedub
    Link Parent
    Buldak 2x is my "do nothing" home remedy for a cold/flu. I've been told it's a net negative, especially if I have a scratchy throat but I've convinced myself that the induced sweating and the...

    Buldak 2x is my "do nothing" home remedy for a cold/flu. I've been told it's a net negative, especially if I have a scratchy throat but I've convinced myself that the induced sweating and the cleared nasal passages are worth it. The post in this thread about rasam has me curious about giving that a try.

    On the non spicy side, I'm most interested in the garlic tea and the pedialyte popsicles :)

    1 vote