Brotato is one of my favorite games for the Steamdeck. Unfortunately, I had reached a point where my limited dexterity could unlock any new characters or achievements. Last week, when the full release of Paws & Claws dropped, I played several rounds. I managed to unlocked some of the new characters/pets and got a couple achievements. As evidence by the patch notes, Evil Empire has added a good deal of content with this update and it is FREE! Now I am curious to see what Evil Empire has created with the DLC for Dead Cells.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Another way to look at this situation:
Discord is living up to their chosen brand name and perhaps their corporate culture.

From Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Word: discord - noun
1 a: lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, things, or ideas).
b: active quarreling or conflict resulting from discord among persons or factions.
2 a: music
(1): a combination of musical sounds that strikes the ear harshly.

I have had a personal Mumble server for almost ten years. At various times I am forced to use Discord when I play games with the younger members of my family. They dislike Mumble because of it's lack of video/screen casting/screen sharing. I can't convince them that to all you need for gaming and communication is the ability to talk and send text messages (URLs). Kid's these days! :)

View this comment - View article - View full comments

The Discord team highlighted their privacy protections for all this as:
* On-device processing: Video selfies for facial age estimation never leave a user’s device.

This method is likely very similar to the age verification process that is being used by Roblox. When the time came for my two 16 year old grandson's to complete this process on Roblox, they handed me their phone and I followed the onscreen instructions. On completion I got the message "We estimate your age as 21+." I felt young again!

View this comment - View article - View full comments

I was disappointed by the fact that the announcement for Linux/Mac support was a Twitter exclusive. I have never had a Twitter account and never will. But this faux pas in no way compares to the Epic Games CEO, Tim Sweeny's comment concerning "Politicians demanding gatekeepers selectively crush the one that's their political opponent's company is basic crony capitalism." Crony capitalism has been very good to old Timmy boy. Yet one more reason to avoid Epileptic Games.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Downloaded the launcher last night so I was ready this morning to download the game. I initiated the download a couple minutes after the release time. I was expecting the servers to be overwhelmed, but this was not the case. The download took very little time and the game worked flawlessly. At this point in time I think Hytale Studio's approach to game development is to "way under-promise and way over-deliver."

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: 1xokPerhaps we can use AI to program a completely normal web browser?

Funny you should mention this, I watched a YouTube video created by Dave Plummer of "Dave's Garage". Most Linux users probably do not watch Dave's videos. His channel description is:

Dave takes you on a forty-year journey as a software engineer including working on every Microsoft operating system from MS-DOS through Windows XP and Server 2003. He discusses Microsoft Windows...

In the video listed below, he uses AI to create a Windows application that is like the NotePad that was included with Windows XP. He wanted to "un-improved" Notepad because he was tired of the new features and functionality that Microsoft added, particularly those driven by AI. To achieve this "un-improvement," Dave uses OpenAI's GPT Codex Max 5.1 in "extra high" mode to generate a complete clone of the Windows XP Notepad, which he names "RetroPad."

Microsoft “Improved” Notepad. I Un-Improved It.
https://youtu.be/bmBd39OwvWg?si=7Rsk4oxsv-e6XuFX [External Link]

I love this quote from the video:

Well, if it's AI that's making the problems, it better be AI that's solving those problems.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

I have played Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor on the Steam Deck. The controls, graphics and responsiveness were very good. The only problem I had was that the fans in my Steam Deck (512 LCD version) ran at full tilt boogie and the battery life was dismal . It will be interesting to see if this patch makes a difference.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

I have played the original Mining Mechs: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1603180/Mining_Mechs/ [External Link]
The mechanics of the game are very similar to Chipmatic.

On the topic of mining themed games:
I recently purchased Coal LLC: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3361510/Coal_LLC/ [External Link]
The graphics are simple (primitive), but the I have really been enjoying the game play. It is just the kind of game I enjoy:

• A simple tutorial is enough to get you into the game and feel a sense of progress

• A meta-progression system that levels you up from run to run. (roguelite)

• Keyboard and mouse controlled interface

• First Steam game for this developer

• Self-published

• Written in Godot

• Platinum rating on protondb

I tried to play the game on the Steamdeck and it really did not work well for me. In the discussion section of the Steam page, users are also complaining of controller issue.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

As for the Steam Deck they said they don't have the ability to test it right now, and it won't be coming to Steam until "we determine our ability to comply with Steam's policies".

There was an article in Rock Paper Shotgun today that clarifies this obfuscation:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hytale-wont-be-on-steam-right-away-as-its-devs-want-to-avoid-overindexing-on-negative-reviews-from-players-who-arent-as-well-informed-yet [External Link]

In this interview, the producer and team lead, Patrick 'Lyall' Derbic, was asked if the game would be on Steam, his reply was:

"No, not initially," he wrote. "We want to spend our time in early access working with the community and improving the game, rather than overindexing on negative reviews from players that aren't as well-informed yet about what we are doing. Steam is a great marketing tool, but one that we might never need. This doesn't mean we will never be on Steam - just that we do not see the necessity of it yet."

This explanation makes much more sense to me.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

I am excited for the release of Hytale. I plan on "pre-purchasing" it in December. However, like 1xok and hardpenguin, I have number of questions/concerns. I glanced at the website, but could not easily find the answers to my questions. I was not particularly interested in asking my questions on Discord. The easiest and most definitive source that I found was on the Shockbyte website: https://shockbyte.com/blog/hytale-release-date [External Link]

1. My first question was about what platforms are supported (From Shockbyte):
"At launch, Hytale will be available on Windows only. Other platforms (Mac, Linux, consoles) are a long-term goal, but the devs are taking a “no promises” approach. Right now, the focus is on getting the game stable and playable for PC users."

2. Will Hytale be on Steam? (From Shockbyte):
No official confirmation yet, but it seems likely in the future. For now, it’ll have its own launcher.

3. My third question was cost (From Shockbyte):
"Hytale Early Access Pricing:
Base Game – $19.99
Supporter Edition – $34.99
Cursebreaker Founder’s Pack – $69.99
None of these versions offer gameplay advantages"

4. My last question is:
If I purchase the early access edition from Hypixel Studios, will the worlds that I create transfer to Steam when/if the game is released on Steam? This is likely my biggest concern.

View this comment - View article - View full comments