GlennMagusHarvey

GlennMagusHarvey, 9 months ago

Thanks for the goosebumps 😬

GlennMagusHarvey, 9 months ago

Update: the city of Plantation has just added an event!

Project: City of Plantationnote: only covers Plantation Preserve Linear Trail and Golf Course special event: September 9, 9am ~ 11am

Again, note that the project covers the whole month, even though the special event is on a particular day.

GlennMagusHarvey, 9 months ago

I clicked on it expecting just a simple “they’re genetic clones and they’re susceptible this same disease”, but this is quite a bit more depth about things. Thanks for sharing!

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

oh yeah i forgot about the Metal Slug games! haven’t played them yet though.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

Ooh, it’s the entire Island of Dr. Brain soundtrack! Though I think I played this with PC Speaker audio as a kid lol.

Sidenote: I love how the visual presentation uses the in-game dialog box style.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

makes eggs, throws eggs

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

Yeah, N64/PS1 era was when the industry started pushing 3D games hard, and it really feels like the beginning of the modern era to me too.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

well i guess you’ve told the world where the bodies are buried :P

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

We gotta step up our game, over here in North America!

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago)

You got me thinking of what I’d put in such a list, drawing from what I’ve watched.

2010: Angel Beats
2011: The iDOLM@STER
2012: Rinne no Lagrange, probably
2013: Tie between Arpeggio of Blue Steel and Beyond the Boundary, with a shout-out to Symphogear G
2014: Tie between Yona of the Dawn and Cross Ange, with a shout-out to Chaika the Coffin Princess
2015: Seraph of the End, probably
2016: A Silent Voice, with shout-outs to Four Rhythm Across the Blue and ViVid Strike
2017: Kemono Friends, with shout-outs to Gabriel DropOut and Maidragon
2018: Tie between Beatless and Yuru Camp
2019: The Price of Smiles

I don’t watch stuff as it airs, and so these might change as I watch more stuff – I’ve got a huge want-to-watch list with shows from this decade I’ve been reminded to watch. And also I noticed that I watched a lot of shows from the middle of this decade, but less from the beginning and end, for whatever reason.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

Yeah, this seems like a partial solution which is not very broadly viable on its own, but can still have niche applications.

Also, pardon me for bringing up the topic of violence, but I was thinking about what electronics might have particularly short lifespans and I thought of the circuitry of kamikaze drones and missiles used in military conflicts. It’d be a curious but potentially relevant way for defense industries to be more environmentally friendly in at least some way (and it’s not like weapons production is going to stop anytime soon, regardless of moral questions).

You’re definitely right to point out that the other components are much more concerning from a pollution standpoint. Still, though, I think this improvement is certainly better than nothing. And it might be part of a more broadly applicable change in the future.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

I seem to just pick up things I’m curious about rather randomly – usually my interest is inspired by some art or music I think seems neat, so then I later go check it out and if I don’t mind the premise I throw it into my want-to-watch list.

For recommendations, I find recommendations from friends and with some description (what it is or why it’s relevant to me) are the most effective.

Nowadays though my want-to-watch list is just so gigantic I am a little afraid to check out more stuff.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

Honestly I don’t think an algorithm needs to work very hard to “be mean” like that. Sure, you can purposely put people with clashing views in each other sight on a place where people go to hang out and have fun. But you don’t even need to go do that on purpose. To some extent, people naturally produce more “engagement” with stuff that’s controversial/argumentative.

Imagine if I were to walk past you and say some completely innocent comment. Now imagine I were to walk past you and insult your favorite movie/show/song/game/whatever. You’d be far more likely to respond in the latter case.

So, as people respond, more activity is generated, and that makes the post “hotter”. Simply boost what’s hot, and you have a veritable litany of controversy.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

On one hand downvotes are an expression of negativity, but on the other hand downvotes are an outlet for negativity.

Meanwhile, I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why a bunch of the top comments here got like one downvote each, lol.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

It’s arguably so easy to “farm karma” that I accidentally did it for a while. Just kept posting silly puns to reply to stuff people post on the Florida Man subreddit.

Reddit karma ain’t worth much at all.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

I’ve generally found that avoiding the biggest crowds seems to also avoid some (though not all) of the worst behavior. More specialized subreddits, communities, and magazines tend to be more chill, and also more focused on their topics.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

Yo dawg, I heard u liek memes, so we put a reply meme inside ur meme so u can react while you react

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

Do you mean SCP?

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

I heard that foundkey’s development has stalled. I’m guessing we’re gonna see instances move from Foundkey to either Misskey or Firefish?

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

Can someone provide or point me to a quick rundown of how Misskey and Calckey/Firefish differ?

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

(For reference, I have accounts on Lemmy, Mastodon, and Calckey Firefish.)

I’ve thought about getting a /kbin account. Hesitated since there’s a wider network of Lemmy instances and they interoperate anyway. But /kbin is cool too.

If I didn’t already have multiple Mastodon accounts I might be more interested in getting a /kbin due to that microblogging feature. It seems like a neat idea, combining the two. I dunno how federation works though.

I actually don’t mind the term “magazines” that much but it is a little annoying when I have to explain the threadiverse to people and I have to keep saying “communities/magazines”. That said part of the reason I don’t mind “magazines” is that “community” is already a common noun for certain things I often want to refer to while “magazine” is not.

Regarding not seeing old posts: My trick is to just browse the community/magazine on its home instance, if I specifically am looking for stuff from that community/magazine. Then if I ever need to comment I just throw the fediverse link into my own instance’s search bar.

(See how I need to say community/magazine? lol, i could use “subreddit” but I don’t want to refer back to Reddit, heh)

Also it took me some time to figure out the difference between local links and fediverse links. I learned the following:

• basically all content can be viewed in two ways: through my own instance or on its native instance (the “real” location)
• only fediverse links can be looked up by things like Mastodon instances
• if a user from instance A posts to a community on instance B, then that post will show on instance B’s community, but the “real” location of the post is actually on instance A
• if I’m looking at a post in its native instance, I don’t get the fediverse link (which on Lemmy is a little fediverse icon). so if I see that icon it’s actually hosted somewhere else

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

As I understand it, Firefish/Calckey is a fork of Misskey, and both are microblogging so I presume they’re Twitter-inspired but it has a much richer feature set so I’m not really sure of its “inspiration lineage”. Maybe it’s a clone of something else but I just don’t use social media enough to know.

Also, I just realized I actually have a Misskey account rather than a Firefish/Calckey account. I’m that clueless lol

But yeah I’m definitely enjoying the fediverse. It’s proving to be both a useful place to find info and a fun place to just hang out and chat!

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

We should definitely consider eating invasive species. This includes iguanas in Florida, as well as blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

Wait…is this Felix the Cat??

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

I have a whole folder of these, heh.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

Egads! An error SSL occurred. Secure connect to server be not here.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

So that means that programmers are being replaced with debuggers. Human debuggers.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

Yeah, I wasn’t really using Reddit much before Reddit had its meltdown and the threadiverse exploded onto the scene. I’ve had a lot of fun here. Frankly I think I understand how the threadiverse works more than I understand how Reddit works.

I’ve had a similar experience with Mastodon. Wasn’t a big Twitter user, but now I’m more active on Mastodon than I ever was on Twitter. On each of multiple Mastodon accounts.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

(or his mother)

lol, suspiciously specific denial

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona) is fantastic. It’s a two-cour adaptation of a fantasy story (with some inspiration from Korean history/myth I think?) with some coming-of-age undertones. While it didn’t adapt the whole story, what it does have is still excellent.

IIRC it is a shoujo story, with the sorts of attractive male characters and suggestions of romance you might expect. But it’s definitely appreciable even if you’re not here for those things. There’s the politics and intrigue, the drama and adventure of the journey, and the character development.

Incidentally, it actually aired during the same seasons as another two-cour series that partly shares its core premise – Cross Ange. (And the composer for Cross Ange even wrote one of the theme songs for Yona, specifically ED2.) However, Cross Ange is a very different show, in tone, content, plot, and more. I also (unironically) consider it an excellent show with a gripping plot, but for rather different reasons. That said, if you specifically prefer to avoid sexual fanservice, this probably won’t be your cup of tea, despite being a solid story in its own right.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

Your reply made me go wiki-walk the fandom wiki for Yona of the Dawn…and remember some of the more dramatic moments, the memory of which nearly brought tears to my eyes. Indeed, it’s excellent.

Cross Ange is…quite different an experience, to say the least. Its “fanservice” – more like sexual elements, more generally – is integrated into its plot, with at least some of it an intentional portrayal of the demeaning circumstances that horrible people force onto others. More generally, the show doesn’t at all shy away from particularly harsh storytelling, themes, and social commentary. In stark contrast to the subtleties and elegance of Yona of the Dawn, Cross Ange’s storytelling takes a more aggressive, uncompromising, and at times savage style. The result is a much more viscerally emotional experience, which I’ll admit isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Opinions on it vary between those that hate it, those that think it’s hot garbage but ironically awesome, and those (like myself) that unironically think it’s an excellent work.

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

Sorry I just spouted a lot about it by accident, haha.

To be clear, I don’t mind if you don’t like it. :)

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

A keyboard. Any standard computer keyboard.

This post was originally written as a reply to a comment by @redsol2. But it got kinda long and it’s basically my answer to the thread topic. So yeah, lemme tell y’all a story.

I started out playing 2D platformers for DOS, where the default – or more like, only – control scheme was arrow keys to move and Ctrl and Alt to do things (commonly Ctrl to jump and Alt to shoot). I also grew up on NES, GB, and SNES games, and a handful of PC games. Notably, though, I never picked up FPS games as a child, and also never really got anything from the 32-bit era and beyond until much later in life.

With emulators being more integrated into Windows (meaning Ctrl and Alt do important things), I shifted the action buttons to the lower left corner of the keyboard. Emulating an SNES gamepad, for example, I generally map the action buttons in a mirror-image fashion to ZXCS (respectively, ABYX). (A friend of mine maps them in a similar fashion, using ZXAS instead.) This then lets me map the L and R buttons to A and D respectively. And I move this whole ensemble of six buttons up a row if I have ghosting issues. (The Sega Genesis gamepad can be mapped similarly easily.)

This works brilliantly well (at least for me) for 2D platformers, top-down action games, JRPGs, and more. Notably, though, this excludes pretty much anything that requires analog controls of some sort, e.g. FPS games, N64 games, etc… But between a lack of hardware capable of playing 3D stuff (whether natively or by emulation), a lack of a familiar control scheme, and a lack of personal interest (due to just not having ever gotten into them), I pretty much just stuck with emulating up through the 16-bit era, with a little PS1 emulation thrown in. It’s not like I ever had a shortage of excellent games.

And curiously, it turns out my control scheme (arrow keys + ZXC(V)ASD(F)) is the favored scheme for a number of Japanese indie developers who made things like action games and RPGs using 2D sidescrolling and top-down views. So I ended up having even more to play! In contrast, it seems western devs often prefer WASD, even for stuff like 2D platformer Flash games (to my chagrin). And I see (English-speaking) PC gamers these days regarding my sort of control scheme as a “left-handed” setup (which is amusing since I’m not left-handed).

I only learned to WASD as an adult. At first I even tried to use the mouse with my left hand, and tried putting my left hand on the arrow keys, but eventually I gave in and learned to WASD. I still only use this when I need to use mouse aim though, e.g. Terraria (which I played a lot).

For games that actually require console-style analog controls, though, I nowadays have a wired XB360 gamepad that connects via USB. I’ve tried mapping things like the N64 gamepad to a keyboard before but with no success. But now that I have this, funny thing is this means I’m only recently getting into a number of classics from that era.

I’ve considered getting an 8BitDo SN30 or SN30 Pro(?)…whichever basically looks like an SNES pad with added analog sticks. I specifically want a gamepad without “legs” – the two stubs that seem to be meant as palm grips on each side of the gamepad. That’s because I held my SNES pad from the side so that I could press A, B, and Y at the same time with my right thumb. (This was highly useful when playing Mega Man X.) Controllers with “legs” basically make it way harder for me to do this, as I found out when I tried to play MMX4 on my PS1. It felt so awkward, I just went straight back to emulating it, despite having the disc and hardware.

But, for now, I only pull out my XB360 gamepad for stuff that needs analog stick functionality. Everything else is keyboard. (And mouse, if needed.)

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

FYI this was independently also posted to !gamehistory

link: preserve.games/post/13929

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago)

I’ll echo the recommendation of Neon Genesis Evangelion, particularly if you’re looking for a story with insight into the psychological condition and experiences of the protagonist.

If you’re in the mood to ponder other ideas philosophically, you may want to try Time of Eve (Eve no Jikan), Plastic Memories, and Beatless. All of them are stories involving androids, but they explore different concepts. Time of Eve explores issues of identity and presentation (in some ways that are surprisingly salient today), Plastic Memories explores end-of-life considerations, and Beatless explores the roles of AI in the future of human society.

For a couple series with dystopian futures, consider Coppelion and Planetarian. Coppelion is about people who venture into the highly radioactive ruins of Tokyo after a nuclear accident; its visual style deliberately makes use of washed-out colors. Planetarian is about a scrap collector who ventures into a ruined city only to encounter an android who seems oblivious of the ruins around her; her wordy and oblivious optimism contrasts sharply with his cynicism, in this relatively short and also somewhat philosophical anime series. (It’s also available in the form of a visual novel.)

For something more action-packed, there’s Guilty Crown and the Symphogear series. Guilty Crown seems to have some polarizing opinions, though not for lack of effort in the production – it’s quite a spectacle, visually and musically, and it was definitely meant to go big. On one hand I felt disappointed by it but on the other hand I also feel like I really wanted to like it. As with any show, though, you should be forming your opinion of things anyway.

For drama, I’d suggest The Price of Smiles (Egao no Daika) and Str.A.In: Strategic Armored Infantry (Soukou no Strain). Both of them revolve around war and associated tragedies, but in settings with futuristic combat mechs and other technological advancements. The latter takes place in space.

For something with a brighter but still futuristic vibe, try Stellvia of the Universe (Uchuu no Stellvia). Here’s a story about high school in space, with all the laughs, goofs, friendship, smiles, and even romance, as well as interpersonal drama and expectations – particularly heavy expectations at that. As a point of trivia, it’s pretty neat that the main character specializes in programming.

Edit: I wanted to throw in one more recommendation, the Nanoha series. This is a magical girl series that’s renowned for incorporating Gundam-inspired magitech elements, particularly in the various magical abilities the characters use. It’s also got both drama and positive vibes. Good for an affirmation of the power of friendship, backed up by a big stick!

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

Does kbin standardly use “@magazinename” instead of “!magazinename”? (asking this as a Lemmy user)

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

I’ve heard that the official app was initially thrown together at some point around the time Mastodon first blew up due to Twitter…uh, blowing up, in a different sense. Basically, “it would really help onboarding if people had an obvious choice of official app to use”. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Never verified this myself.

Tusky is definitely decent though.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

You’ll sorta have to pick based on your tastes, but here’s a quick rundown from what I know. I don’t know all of them equally well (I know the older ones better), but here goes anyway. IMPORTANT: Games are not connected story-wise unless otherwise noted.

• FF1 - The beginning of the series. Barebones and open-ended by modern standards. You can think of this like a rudimentary videogame implementation of a D&D campaign, where you choose a party based on character classes and then go do quests to save the world.
• FF2 - The series’s first attempt at telling a significant story. Gameplay got weird though. Not recommended.
• FF3 - Character classes are back, but now there are more, and you can switch between them. Also there’s still something of a story too. The most polished NES release.
• FF4 - First SNES FF game. They tried telling a story, but it’s more complex and has more twists and turns (maybe too many? lol), and the gameplay is much better than before. Characters have fixed character classes and well-defined, plot-integrated roles. Your party can change frequently as the story progresses! Also introduces some other innovations like Active Time Battle. Has a ton of different versions, even more so than the other retro games.
• FF5 - A more straightforward (but definitely still solid) plot, but with an even more expanded character class system that you can switch around. And now you can combine abilities from different classes! Definitely recommended if you want to mess with creative combinations of abilities.
• FF6 - Much more complex and involved plot. Characters have somewhat fixed classes but the magic system is now more flexibly accessible. The first time the series went more steampunk/sci-fi instead of only doing traditional fantasy. (Contrast the Dragon Quest series which has kept on doing the usual Medieval European High Fantasy thing since forever.) Definitely recommended.
• FF7 - First 3D installment, with full-motion video cutscenes and all. Lots of steampunk/sci-fi and other influences. Character ability systems are still a hybrid of class-like features and complex customizability. This was many people’s first FF game, though fans of older games like to make fun of it for being overrated. The remake apparently changes the story somewhat (and might even secretly be a sequel or something?).
• FF8 - Went more heavily into the storytelling department. I don’t know much about this but for some reason fans of older games tend to dislike it. (Maybe the gameplay isn’t as great?)
• FF9 - Seems like a “neoclassical” FF in that it went back to its more fantasy-based roots. But it’s still 3D and you still get those prettyboys and such.
• FF10 - I don’t know this one that well but it seems to be solidly regarded. Also the first game to get a direct sequel, “FFX-2”. First PS2 FF game. Minigames and complex skill systems galore, from what I’ve heard.
• FF11 - An MMORPG, surprisingly. Something of a weird turn for the franchise, but it has its fans and apparently it’s still active.
• FF12 - I think this is the first mainline (and non-MMO) FF game to have real-time action for battles.
• FF13 - A massive three-part thing that’s very story-intensive. Apparently some people love the lead character while others hate her.
• FF14 - Another MMORPG. Initially it was a flop. Then they scrapped the game and brought it back significantly better and it’s now quite popular.
• FF15 - Apparently some dudes go on a roadtrip or something. I remember when the reveal was notable because holy crap you’re driving a car in an FF game. Besides this, I dunno much.
• FF16 - I even more dunno lol. If I recall correctly it may have something to do with being something of a prequel to FF1 but I’m not sure if I’m remembering the right thing.

Other FF games:

• FF Legend (1, 2, and 3) - Actually from the SaGa series but rebranded to sell better. Choose your species, and then there’s turn-based battles. For Game Boy. May be a bit arcane by modern standards.
• FF Adventure - Actually the first Seiken Densetsu game (Secret of Mana is the second). Action RPG for Game Boy.
• FF Tactics - Strategy RPG on PS1 with a quite complex story (lots of political intrigue and more). Very well-regarded. Original version has a somewhat iffy translation (leading to some unintentionally hilarious lines); PSP remake “War of the Lions” cleans it up. Character class system is here too.
• FF Tactics Advance - Strategy RPG on GBA. Somewhat similar gameplay but the story is totally different and more lighthearted.
• FF Tactics A2 - Strategy RPG on DS. Again, a different story.
• FF: the Four Heroes of Light - I don’t know much but I’ve heard this is a spiritual predecessor to the Bravely Default series.
• Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon - A game in the Mystery Dungeon franchise.
• Dissidia - Apparently it’s an FF fighting game.
• World of FF - Apparently it’s like a Pokémon game?
• Kingdom Hearts - this franchise is FF-style characters (and sometimes actual FF characters?) crossed with Disney IPs. Somehow this is popular.
• Chrono Trigger - I’m including this since it once shared a disc release with an FF game. Very well-regarded first game in the unrelated Chrono franchise.

If I didn’t mention anything, I probably don’t know anything about it.

Also, sadly, none of them are available DRM-free (legally, anyway), but what can ya do.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

Congratulations!

GlennMagusHarvey, 10 months ago

I haven’t played the game(s?) they’re from but these are quite adorable!

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

Thanks in turn for posting that version.

I’m still a little surprised that the detection of this particularly very reactive species is so meaningful, but I really don’t know much about the chemistry implications beyond being able to picture the structure and bonding in my head. (Wikipedia isn’t particularly helpful unfortunately.) Though I guess it makes sense that if UV bombardment can somehow cause this thing ion to form them its reactiveness on its own means that it can precipitate the formation of other molecules.

GlennMagusHarvey, 11 months ago

The idea of an MMORPG experience but in single-player makes me think of a game I found out about years ago but have yet to pick up (maybe I’ll get it next time it goes on sale on DLsite), called Tkl Online, which is also an implementation of this concept. And I guess there’s also things like the .hack// games and the Sword Art Online games.

I haven’t really played MMORPGs myself but I’ve been curious what it’s like. Well, I have played one MMORPG, but didn’t really enjoy it that much, so I’m curious what an idealized MMORPG experience is like.