The Flying Penguin wrote on Oct 31, 2024, 15:08:

ZeroPike1 wrote on Oct 31, 2024, 12:44:
I really wanted to get into Ghost Wire. I got it on a sale a year ago give or take. I just cannot. I do not know if its the theme or the story... it just failed to grab me. Wandering around Tokyo though is one of its more fun features, I feel.

It takes a while to get going because, like most of these games, you have no real choices during the first half hour of play. It starts by introducing you to the two protagonists and their back stories, and you don't even get to use your powers for a while. But once you get your powers, it's like Japanese Bioshock. The fun comes from building up the combination of spells or whatever (similar to plasmids in Bioshock) that best compliments your play style. I am not a stealthy player - I like to go in loud. The game will let you play any way you want. I also found it fun to go back to a save point and fight a group again that I just beat, trying to make better use of my supplies the second time, and take less damage.

I mainly focused on just a few combat spells and then spent the coin to upgrade them as much as possible. There are a few really good defensive spells, and it's worth keeping an eye out for a bow and arrows as they are very useful in the early game, and can be found around the temples you have to purge. You can also buy arrows in the store. Only buy things at the store you really need like health and arrows to start with, and save your money. There's also a useful scroll that temporarily traps and deals extra damage to a group of enemies. You can eventually buy them at stores, but there's a few lying around. Look around and pickup everything. Even if it's not useful, you can sell it.

Other important spells are the ones that let you float on air for short distances, later in the game, and the grapple that gives you easier access to rooftops, also, later in the game.

You will often face enemies you are not yet capable of taking on (like the damn water demon that lives in puddles - even later in the game when I had a lot of firepower, I'd give those assholes a wide berth if I could), but it's a big city. If in doubt, or if you get killed, try a different route around it, or over it. It's important to understand that you don't have to kill everything in your way, often it's best just to avoid a big group of baddies if you can.

I enjoyed the hell out of the game, but it took a while for me to warm up to it. The good thing is that the save system doesn't take you too far back when you die, and doesn't penalize you too heavily for it. I died a lot.

My biggest issue was that spells and scrolls in your inventory are indicated by an icon, and no description. Sometimes it's obvious (the wind spell sorta looks like wind) but I eventually just drew each icon on a pad with a description for reference, until I began to memorize them by heart. Trying to understand things in the game is also a waste of time, you just need to let that go. You don't need to understand Buddhist or Shinto mythology, or how souls can get uploaded via a phone modem, or why cats run all the stores. Just go with it.

Yea I got to give it more time and push myself into it more. I will keep your thoughts in mind.

I really wanted to get into Ghost Wire. I got it on a sale a year ago give or take. I just cannot. I do not know if its the theme or the story... it just failed to grab me. Wandering around Tokyo though is one of its more fun features, I feel.

Numinar wrote on Oct 31, 2024, 08:56:
This explains my search results.

What do you guys use if you want search like google in 2014?

I still use google. Mainly as it serves its purpose and I get the results I want efficiently. Noting that I only use it for surface level searches.

I assume many here will promote DuckDuckGo. Which I also have used, that is very... minimalistic and privacy centered.

VaranDragon wrote on Oct 31, 2024, 10:42:
Without clicking on the link, does the article mention how many thousands or tens of thousands of dollars the player wants to refund? When the really big whales are starting to turn against you, you are pretty much screwed. (Or so I hope)

Well the important bit.

When seeking advice from other Redditors (as well as planning on getting a free legal consultation on the matter), some replies pointed out that using an NDA before receiving a refund may be against UK law and EU law. Further, a look through the refunds FAQ and its terms of service don’t mention an NDA requirement.

FeralSquirrels did point out that he isn’t signing anything before seeking counsel and that he has until November 8th to respond to CIG, so it’s possible that news of this added obstacle may unfurl further in the next few days.

Yea an NDA outside of the US in this function might as well not even exist with how useless NDA's are in the world. Inside the US however, it should be noted that an NDA is null and void when a crime has/is being committed. So we will see where this ends up.

Dunno, I know I’m fine with my iPhone. No reason to grab the pitch forks and torches to it yet.

I think that it’s just the problem stems from market saturation. Only a rich chud updates their iPhone every new iteration. And Ai or not if my phone is working now I really do not care to pay for a new one unless it’s an emergency.

The legal people I follow also point out that anybody receiving Musks money for this scheme might have that money removed from them in the future. Everything musk touches dies…. Good.

I think it’s cringey. But on the other hand if it helps get more votes out for Harris, I’m in.

Like the ballot box burnings in northwestern states the past days?

Americans, in general, need to get their shit in order. An election should not be this close to the brink, like ever.

Jivaro wrote on Oct 24, 2024, 16:31:

ZeroPike1 wrote on Oct 24, 2024, 06:41:
That is a lot of bad crap happening to you in such a short time. Sorry that all happened to you.

I appreciate that, thanks. It's been incredibly challenging. One of the reasons I think I tend to be forthcoming about it here, and overshare for that matter, is because I am 100% certain that there are other people (specifically men) my age or similar that are going through the same shit and not saying anything. When I first started to really spiral, I tried going to my wife about it. She divorced me 3 months later. No warning, not "lets go to couples therapy", zip. My problems, as opposed to hers, being worked out as a couple were apparently not part of the wedding vows. She was fine while we were working on her and her kids, paying off her school loans, etc. When I was the one that needed support, apparently that was a step too far. So not only do I get the trauma of everything due to my support walking out from under me, but I get all the rejection feeling that go with that. (I am also 100% sure that some men do this to their wives, so let's not start the whole male/female debate here for anyone thinking to make a comment like that. People suck, not any one particular gender.)

Like Prez, my issue is that I look at people who go through things like war or a terrorist attack....many of whom I have worked with in my own career in elderly health care....and I can't fathom how my strugles are even on the same plane of reality as theirs. I feel embarrased to even complain. I only recently understood how I was sabotaging my own self-esteem by looking at it comparatively. It's biochemical reactions, not a regulated scale, and when I am at my lowest I have to be better at remembering that. Most of us do. We all got our own shit, and comparing ourselves to others and how their managing is not healthy.

It’s good to get it out, to type it out to anybody who might listen/read it, I feel. With the understanding that it’s not personally identifiable information being given out.

And yeah I cannot ever experience what a war vet went through, I can be compassionate and understanding of it affecting them, however.

I cannot compare marriages ether. Mine has more psychological problems then I do. But she so far hasn’t dropped me when I have troubles. She is aware of them and accepting of how differently my brain works. I do not fully explain what my memories involve but she gets the gist of it and is understanding. And I with her troubles.

We’ll get through it, always do, right?

Could limit the class types, open it up to 16vs16. Make awesome team based maps. Basically give TF2 a run for its money.

I would be up to play overwatch that way. In its current state though I avoid it like the plague.

Jivaro wrote on Oct 24, 2024, 04:24:

Mr. Tact wrote on Oct 23, 2024, 18:04:
Fortunately for me, I don't think I've experienced anything likely to cause PTSD in anyone. That said, I have wondered how my psyche might stand up to such an event. I'm generally pretty stoic and have long had the opinion worry was a waste of time, I very rarely worry about anything (possibly to my detriment on occasion). So, I have wondered if I might shed a serious event maybe not "as easily", but easier than most. I hope I don't get to find out.

I hope you don't either. I compare PTSD to Herpes because once you got it, you got it for life. PTSD is like having a mental parasite that flares up whenever life gets tough, making it that much tougher to progress through life's challenges that nearly everyone will eventually have to face at some point. I didn't have a particularly bad childhood by any standard. I was not abused. That said, events occurred between age 5-9 that left me with what we now call PTSD. I self-managed that into being a pretty level headed adult because I didn't know what it was or that I had it. Then a severe back injury and 10+ years of work comp, pain, surgeries, and etc really sent me for a spiral that I had to seek pro help to get out of. I learned a lot about my symptoms like depression and anxiety and what I could do to better manage them.

The pandemic was challenging but it was the last two years that sent me back to therapy because of the compounding effects of my PTSD. Since August of 2023 my wife and I divorced, my cat died, my mom died, my aunt died, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, and just a few weeks ago myself and the team I led were let go from our jobs due to company restructuring. I was with my mom in the hospital, holding her hand as she was waiting for some tests to come back, and she turns to me and says "Take care of him. (my step-dad)"....then she suddenly went into seizure/cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. That was September of last year and I relive it many times a day. My aunt exited existence via her own 9mm a few weeks back and her memorial is this Sunday. My mom and my aunt were the same age and went to high school together, I expect my coping skills to be thoroughly challenged just by attending the memorial.

Parents pass, elderly relatives pass....most people will have to deal with those circumstances. My challenge, having PTSD, is to not relive every single traumatic event in my life everytime a new one happens. It's like my own brain raking my soul over hot coals to punish me for experiencing a tragedy. It's the best way I can explain it.

Aye, your brain is its own best torturer. I mainly use distractions to keep focused on the now or making future plans. It keeps my mind from digging up old memories to bring up my PTSD. When it gets quiet, or I even just sit in silence without distracting things going on my mind will autopilot to whatever terrible ass moment it wants and force me to relive it.

That is a lot of bad crap happening to you in such a short time. Sorry that all happened to you.

In my formative years having such a fantasy in my life could have drastically changed it. And not for the better.

Having two self attempts under my belt and having to play battle chess with my own brain to keep it in check to this day. I know how a kid like that can really fall into the fantasy that AI was selling him. And if those chat logs are anything to go by the kid was in a mental place to do anything to make the chat life turn real.

This will be more common going forward. Distressed kids with, let’s say, unhealthy thoughts can and will be influenced by nothing more then a goofy roleplaying chat bot.

Anyone around who still believes anything a Republican says about internet data caps?

Like listening to a flat earthier describe how satellites work…

But the views must flow, so there’s a limit to Hoyt’s newfound perspective. On Reddit, his post explaining the apology contained a slur once used to describe mentally disabled people — a word that is now experiencing a noticeable and concerning comeback. His post also clarified that his apology didn’t mean he was going to totally change his behavior, only that he intends for future streams to be more positive.

So nothings changed? Sack of shit is going to stay a sack of shit.

You know we encouraged this kind of shit in the pre internet era. With radio shows. From Rush to Howard Stern. They would have outrageous commentary and wacky guests. The hype behind them was strong. The next day it was all „did you hear what Stern did? Had a guy on with 2 penises! Crazy“

Not mentioning Rush thou cause F that guy.

But here we are with dumbasses saying awful shit to get viewers and subscribers. When their income depends on saying dumb shit they will always find more things under the bottom of the barrel of commentary to make. And they will certainly say it.

It’s fine to streamline a gaming process like stats and fine tuning the numbers for your character. However it needs to have a better replacement in its stead. And if Starfield is anything to go by I do not hold out hope they have a good system in place for the next elder scrolls.

Only a numpty knocks accessibility options.

If you do not like one of the things in game just turn it off.

Thus is nothing but a good thing.

I get the snark but it’s uncalled for. The collection that was lost to the elements now is a loss to computer history.

It’s nice to have trees so close that it shades the house. But you are inviting danger cause of it. Even more so in shitty plywood built homes the US is famous for.

He should have had the tree line pushed far enough back to prevent or at minimum mitigate this kind of damage when he got the house.

And tree removal can be super cheap if you know somebody who makes their own firewood. Stump removal however might run up a bit of a bill. But if it prevents your roof from having a car sized hole in it, that is a win.

Trumps tariffs wouldn’t hurt trump. Primarily because they will blame democrats for inevitable price increases. Secondly because his cult has been tuned into not doing even a moment of critical thinking to even question why prices increase.

I was happy with Brave, but if its compromised then I will need a replacement. I WAS using Pale Moon for ages but I swapped out to brave when it had a draught of no updates and I was experiencing bugs with it.

Firefox though? man. like going back to Vanilla ice cream after you had white chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.

My favorite Asmongold clip is from when his roach room mates climb his shirt and he only notices when he sees himself on stream.

What an absolute gross disgusting person. Cannot be said enough.