196 karma · joined November 21, 2019
In the 90s there were a lot of games that did interesting combinations of genres, like Star Control II, Magic Carpet, Dune CD, and others I'm forgetting. The cost makes these kinds of non-formulaic experiences so much rarer today...
One of my dream projects is a Star Control style game in VR... stay in your Precursor warship and dictate the battle from afar, or hop directly into your ally's cockpit... can you imagine the inside of an Umgah starship surrounding you in full 3D?
I personally prefer more companies rather than fewer. I also anticipate a large brain drain at Activision studios, like what has already happened at Blizzard. But the Activision brands are established enough (and formulaic enough) that it probably won’t matter either way.
There is a bit of flexibility with these formats, but they're standard enough—and many teaching resources are available. Most Japanese university students are already using them to apply for companies in their final year. This contrasts with my time at a California university, where many of my peers had no idea how to write a resume even after graduating.
As a non-smoker who regularly frequented arcades, I welcome this change. Sadly since COVID I've avoided going out entirely, and am not surprised that the industry is dying. I agree with trzy in a separate thread: experiences like The Void[2] which are impossible to have at home are the only thing I can see driving people back to arcades.
1) https://iwanablog.net/gamecenter-kitsuen-naze/ 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Void_(virtual_reality)
I think they are beautiful to look at, and perhaps they are smartly built. But personally they make it so much harder for me to absorb the actual content. In the climate change example, the text is large and framed in isolation from the other elements, to the point that it's difficult for me to parse the overall context of the article. The Joni Mitchell article is a bit better, but the text on the right is squished to the point that it feels stressful to read. I understand the goal is to frame the image on the left, but it feels like overkill.
When it comes to news I prefer the content to malleable and customizable (accessibility, content size, color pallet). I don't mind that these experiments exist, just pointing out that they are a bit anti-web in my opinion.
In the end I bit the bullet and started using Emacs + Org-Mode/Org-Roam. The flexibility and customization are unparallelled. I use it for to-dos, for random scribbles, for in-depth musings. Categorizing thoughts and linking them together is so much easier than any other software I've used.
The first few months are really tough, and for someone who has never used Vim or other terminal style interfaces before learning shortcuts took a while. But after 6 months, I can't go back.
I feel that Borges can insert a bit too much superfluous detail (maybe in an attempt to ground the work?), but the results are still thought provoking. Because the prose is old I sometimes need to force myself to re-read passages when my brain decides to zone out... it was written in a different time.
I resonate with Calvin and Hobbes a lot. There's a mixture of real-world cynicism and blushing optimism that drives me through every day. Despite all the ups and downs, being alive is a beautiful thing.
This is not a true statement for many folks out there, and there are plenty of people who can relate to stories of being in the home. I think the best answer is broadening the things that are acceptable to aspire to, not opening one door while simultaneously locking another.
That's why the neural implant that Musk recently demonstrated excites me to no end. Everything is inside the body, no need to amplify or filter anything, just interface directly with the nerves and compensate for the damage. I hope I don't have to wait more than ten years to get one.
Another nice thing about immersion is that you can engage with cultural events that may not be present in your own country, and gain a deeper understanding of the natives themselves, which ties straight back into the language.
Depending on the country or your living situation it can be really hard to branch out... learning while living in a student dormitory was great because I was forced to express myself, even if I was sick, felt less motivated, missed home, etc.
I bought Beyond Earth for full price at launch out of nostalgia for Alpha Centauri (of course).
Unfortunately it had many flaws: - Much less interesting art direction and characters than Alpha Centauri. - Gameplay was very one note, with little meaningful deviation from a few defined paths. - On release, when you finished the game it showed a "finish game" button which unceremoniously dumped you back to the title screen. No opportunity to see stats or review your empire.
My impression was that it was rushed and had a limited budget, and I never felt like revisiting it. As sibling comments note, there is a sizable niche of mostly PC gamers looking for meaty experiences, and I believe Beyond Earth failed on its own merits.
It's great because I can just see what people I care about post, and you can arrange it so that the people who post infrequently but that you really care about will be in your face when they do post. I find it soothing, and I can't wait for a proper mobile release.