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Latest Comments by Caldathras
Bazzite 3.5 gets updated NVIDIA drivers, expanded handheld support (including Steam Deck OLED)
1 Jul 2024 at 5:24 pm UTC Likes: 2

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried this on a desktop or laptop PC?

Do a little speed-running with the Summer Games Done Quick Humble Bundle
1 Jul 2024 at 5:20 pm UTC

Not sure that I could ever consider Morrowind to be in the category of "Games Done Quick". I have probably logged thousands of hours into that game. I suppose it would be possible to speed-run the main quest but you'd be missing out on so much more that the game has to offer ...

Slow down a bit and go collecting in Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge
25 Jun 2024 at 8:16 pm UTC Likes: 1

I am sure this is an engaging and relaxing distraction, but as a life-long amateur herpetologist I am quite disturbed by the lack of realism in this game. My concern is that this will give people an unrealistic idea of how to interact with amphibians that will do more harm than good.

For example, there is a gif on the Itch.io page showing the player petting the frogs. Frogs do not like to be handled, the salt in our skin is painful to them. Also, during my 45+ years of amphibian enthusiasm, I have never even heard that it is possible to "crossbreed" different species of frogs. The idea of over 500 species in the same region stretches credulity.

Then there's the picture with the sandbox. The only time you will find a frog on its back is if it's dead. Seriously, unless the sand is very wet, a frog wouldn't even be interested. If it is wet, the frog might choose to burrow into it. Frogs do not generally bask in the sun - especially on dry land - too much risk of desiccation.

Finally, frogs are not attracted to "furniture" in the manner being depicted here. The best you could hope for is that they will choose to hide under the "furniture", assuming that it is cool and moist underneath. Some of the "furniture" objects are portrayed suitably but most are not. If you were to substitute a CAT for the frogs then this "playhouse" concept with all the "furniture" makes sense. Amphibians are not cats.

Perhaps the bit about restoring the wetlands is realistic, I would need to look more deeply into that aspect. Certainly, the opportunity to soak in the ponds and hide among the wetlands plant life would be a far more likely attraction to frogs than "furniture" in a "playhouse". The wetlands and the frog sanctuary should be one and the same.

Here is my criticism/feedback. Thanks for reading all the way through my little rant.

Embracer Group put out their plans for AI in game development
23 Jun 2024 at 5:49 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: F.Ultra
Quoting: Caldathras
Quoting: Guest
Quoting: DrMcCoyThe problem with Embracer is that they're not in the business of making games, making art. They're in the business of making money. They don't care how. They don't care the games apart from them being their current vehicle of making money.
That's every game company that is (or is owned by) a company on the stock market. They are happy about an inferior product as long as it improves the bottom line.
This describes most publicly traded corporations. Their lifeblood is money. They don't care how they acquire it nor do they care about the non-financial costs incurred while doing so.
And also most private companies, there is nothing in making it public that makes a company more or less greedy.
PLG's response most eloquently described what I was trying to express when I wrote the post.

Many publicly held corporations tend to be plagued by indifferent shareholders / stock market investors whose only interest is in the financial returns on their investments. This is not to say that investors in privately held corporations are not motivated by greed but that some of them tend to have a vested interest in more than just the profit-generating aspect of the business. Perhaps it is a small-corp vs mega-corp thing?

Embracer Group put out their plans for AI in game development
22 Jun 2024 at 5:41 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: Guest
Quoting: DrMcCoyThe problem with Embracer is that they're not in the business of making games, making art. They're in the business of making money. They don't care how. They don't care the games apart from them being their current vehicle of making money.
That's every game company that is (or is owned by) a company on the stock market. They are happy about an inferior product as long as it improves the bottom line.
This describes most publicly traded corporations. Their lifeblood is money. They don't care how they acquire it nor do they care about the non-financial costs incurred while doing so.

Embracer Group put out their plans for AI in game development
22 Jun 2024 at 5:36 pm UTC Likes: 3

Quoting: JustinWoodThere's an absolutely delightful blog I read yesterday that I feel does a wonderful job about why the AI hype is just grifters overpromising on what generative AI can do. Recommend folks take a look at it! https://ludic.mataroa.blog/blog/i-will-fucking-piledrive-you-if-you-mention-ai-again/ [External Link]
Thanks for this. I am in complete agreement with the author of this blog post. I wish people would stop using the term "AI" to describe this technology. LLM (Large Language Model) may be many things but it is not true artificial intelligence. As I see it, it is, at best, a large database parser, nothing more.

GOG Summer Sale 2024 is live with thousands of discounts
19 Jun 2024 at 3:57 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: emphy
Quoting: kit89Do the above gog links fail to open for anyone else?
They're affiliate links, so common ad-blockers will likely block them.
Vivaldi Mobile used to let these pass, but about a week ago it started aggressively blocking the links. Seems like this has happened with a number of ad-blockers recently ...

Ancient Forge are giving away a custom-skin Steam Deck for Hotel Galactic
16 Jun 2024 at 5:41 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: CybolicUhm, those terms.... (emphasis mine)
By entering this content (e.g., photo, video, text, etc.), You understand and agree that the Sponsor and anyone acting on behalf of the Sponsor or its respective licensees, successors, and assigns, shall have the right, where permitted by law, to print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use in any media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity and throughout the World, without limitation, your entry, name, portrait, picture, voice, likeness, image, statements about the Campaign, and biographical information for news, publicity, information, trade, advertising, public relations, and promotional purposes without any further compensation, notice, review, or consent.
Surely that can't be legal? Signing over the rights to one's name, likeness and voice in perpetuity in order to enter a contest?
When I was running my retail computer store 20 years ago, a local TV studio wanted to film some footage in the store. They presented me with a waiver/contract to sign that was worded exactly like this. I balked and refused to sign. My business partner was quite upset with me. All he saw was the potential free publicity. I was not willing to give up my sovereignty for some cheap media attention.

This kind of waiver/contract is pretty standard with the News & Entertainment Media corporations. It is slimey, I agree. The fact that the terms allow them to use the material for any purpose, not just the original one, deeply erodes my trust in them.

Proton Experimental gets updates for Guild Wars 2, Squad, Sleeping Dogs and more
8 Jun 2024 at 5:08 pm UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: FjolserikInstallation path is too long. Please move your Forza Horizon 5 installation to a shorter path.
You could try setting up another library folder on a different drive and moving the install to that new folder. This is all done within the Steam client software.

However, this sounds like a bug. You would probably be better to report this to Valve/Steam.

ASUS reveal the ROG Ally X with more RAM, more storage, larger battery
4 Jun 2024 at 6:43 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: PenglingI'd been waiting for Linux laptop support to get to where I wanted it to be (I dropped Windows in 2004 and moved to Mac OS X until 2007 while I waited for that), and the original Asus Eee PC proved that it was.
Clearly, the wrong netbook brand attracted my attention. Looking back, the Linux distro on the Acer had a horrible DE. On the other hand, the original Asus Eee PC was running Xandros, a Debian based distro that utilized the KDE desktop. I looked at old pictures of the UI on Wikipedia. I am very impressed by the quality of that DE.

Quoting: PenglingI'm glad that you were able to keep your laptop in service! It really bothers me how many perfectly-usable machines just go into landfill because of Windows' failings, and the way that people have been taught that there "really isn't an alternative".
Thank you. I agree. That laptop was the last computer I ever bought brand new (replaced its AC adapter & battery too). I only buy used laptops now, and not all that often. I am tired of the constant upgrade cycle. I haven't seen sufficient improvement in computer tech to justify it for me any more.

If the new software won't run on my hardware, I'm not interested. There are literally tens of thousands of good games in the back catalogue to choose from that will run on my laptop.