jjjalljs

@jjjalljs@ttrpg.network

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What are some great retro games that I can play with my 5yo?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I played the shit out of bubble bobble as a 3 year old. It has passwords for saves, which was tricky because none of me and the other neighborhood kids could read. It’s a great game, though.

  There’s one level like a third of the way through that baffled us for weeks. Still hard, as an adult. Good fun, though. Lots of “go go go go get it go go go oooh no dang.” moments.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Steam Summer Sale 2025 has begun!⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Plenty of stuff, turns out. But I’m sticking to my guns. I have a big backlog anyway.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Steam Summer Sale 2025 has begun!⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Still unemployed so I’m not even looking. If capital doesn’t want to hire me, they can’t have any more of my money.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨You're not alone: This email from Google's Gemini team is concerning⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I don’t think it saves time on net if you have to read it and then go verify it anyway. Might as well go directly to the more trustworthy source in the first place! And if you don’t care if your answer is correct, why even search? Just make something up.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨You're not alone: This email from Google's Gemini team is concerning⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Well, yes, Google has been becoming shittier for years as they prioritize ads and fail to deal with SEO slop. You have to know what’s a good source, but that was true even when we were doing research in libraries.

  The AI summary is making the problem worse. The information it provides is not trustworthy. It also deprives site owners from traffic. It’s really bad on like every metric.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨You're not alone: This email from Google's Gemini team is concerning⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Well, in this example, the information provided by the AI was simply wrong. If it had done the traditional search method of pointing to the organization’s website where they had the hours listed, it would have worked fine.

  This idea that “we’re all entitled to our opinion” is nonsense. That’s for when you’re a child and the topic is what flavor Jelly Bean you like. It’s not for like policy or things that matter. You can’t just “it’s my opinion” your way through “this algorithm is O(n^2) but I like it better than O(n) so I’m going to use it for my big website”. Or more on topic, you can’t use it for “these results are wrong but I like them better”

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨No JS, No CSS, No HTML: online "clubs" celebrate plainer websites⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  A world there python ran in the browser instead of javacript would probably be a whole lot better.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨No JS, No CSS, No HTML: online "clubs" celebrate plainer websites⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I love this idea. Do you mind if I promote it with some queer folks I know?

  Myself I’m pretty straight and don’t have a website, but maybe one day.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨You're not alone: This email from Google's Gemini team is concerning⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  If a feature is useful people will use it, be it AI or not AI.

  People will also use it if it’s not useful, if it’s the default.

  A friend of mine did a search the other day to find the hour of something, and google’s AI lied to her. Top of the page, just completely wrong.

  Luckily I said, “That doesn’t sound right” and checked the official site, where we found the truth.

  Google is definitely forcing this out, even when it’s inferior to other products. Hell, it’s inferior to their own, existing product.

  But people will keep using AI, because it’s there, and it’s right most of the time.

  Google sucks. They should be broken up, and their leadership barred from working in tech. We could have had a better future. Instead we have this hallucinatory hellhole.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Should I make my game top down or side scrolling?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  A metroidvania a la celeste, cave story, untitled story, hollow knight, nine sols, guacamelee? That’s a genre I like that’s pretty popular. Side scroller for that kind of game is well understood.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Should I make my game top down or side scrolling?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Without more information about what your goals are, I’d do side scrolling. Assuming it’s like a platformer. If you’re making like an RPG or tactical combat game, probably top down.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Tesla Robotaxi Freaks Out and Drives into Oncoming Traffic on First Day⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I’ve been saying for years that focusing on self driving cars is solving the wrong problem. The problem is so many people need their own personal car at all.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Bezos' Lavish Venice Wedding Spurs Demand for Global Billionaire Tax⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  There are so many boot lickers willing to fight for the wealthy so they can have a few more crumbs. It’s upsetting

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is flirting redundant?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  No. A well executed flirt can make someone interested when they weren’t before. You flirt with the cute girl at the party and if she’s receptive, maybe ask her out or ask to kiss.

  Standing there in chaste politeness is going to create a whole different scene with different outcomes.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  You can be an extremely hot man but if you can’t converse better than “idk lol” and never ask any relevant questions, you’re unlikely to have a good time. People like when potential matches are interested in them.

  Your message I’m replying to seems fine, so that’s promising.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Yes and no. Capitalism has lead to shitty experiences for users, but also users self sabotage. It is possible to find success for free, but you’ll probably need to spend time and effort on it.

  On the one hand, they are capitalist shit holes. They want to make money, not find you a partner. There’s not enough competition (match group owns a lot of different apps). Those are big factors in why they suck. They’re going to keep asking you to pay for more, and there’s no competition to drive down prices or force innovation. This absolutely sucks and should be changed, but good luck getting the current US government to do anything good.

  The other problem is many users are frankly bad at using the apps. They have a blank profile, or one that has no hooks. When they get a message, they dead end the conversation instead of engaging. They ghost.

  Don’t be like that. Don’t send generic messages. Have a profile that funnels people into interesting stuff you want to talk about. When the app has a space to write your hobbies, do not write “lol I dunno”. That’s stupid and self sabotage. Write something (true) that gives people an entry point to talk to you. “I really like making pizza! I’m working on perfecting a stuffed crust recipe” is basic but gives them something to talk about. Many people fuck this up and then are like “why does no one send me interesting messages??”. They don’t know you. If you don’t present anything interesting, they’re not going to know.

  Once you have the conversation going, ask them out. I’ve heard many people complain about this problem. Guys will match and then text and text and text for days or weeks, and never ask them out. Then they complain “I never get a date!”. Self sabotage. Match, ask a question about their profile, have one or two exchanges, clear any deal breakers (eg: if you’re divorced or have kids), then ask them out. That’s it. That’s the game. People fuck this up and blame the apps.

  You don’t need to be mega good looking. That’s just a bullshit self comforting excuse. I used to have a horrible cave man beard and none of my clothing fit right. Still got dates. The bar for men is in hell. If you can converse, be kind, and pay attention to them you’re already ahead of the curve. Getting a good hair cut, clothes that fit, and a good photo helps, but do not think you are immutably unattractive. That’s nonsense.

  Your location matters a lot more. If you live in bumblefuck, Wisconsin, where there are 23 people in your age and gender range, you’re going to have a bad time. There’s a special place in hell for people who lie on their profile, though. Don’t say you live in New York when you “might move there some day” or commute in for work.

  I never paid for the apps. When I’d use them every day, I could typically get a date a week. Some were just the one date, some lasted weeks, and a couple lasted longer. I’m about 40 and largely unremarkable. You have to put time and effort in. Every day, go through profiles and send quality messages. Most will go nowhere. Don’t be discouraged.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How often do thieves (and identity thieves) actually get caught and served justice? Are there actual examples of law enforcement actually doing anything? (Because I think most cops are just lazy)⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I was burgled. The cops came and looked around. Looked for finger prints. Didn’t get anything. The guys who came were polite, at least.

  They supposedly caught the guy because he left his wallet at another place he broke into.

  I didn’t get my stuff back. They didn’t even try to help me get my stuff back.

  Overall a 3/10 experience.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Monster Hunter Wilds game reviews hit "Overwhelmingly Negative" on Steam — can Capcom turn it around?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:
  • Mods
  • fan patches
  • backwards compatibility stretching back ~50 years
  • indie games aren’t always on consoles
  • fewer subscription fees
  • hardware can be cheaper over time depending on details
  • games, especially older games, can go on sale for deep discounts
  • piracy
  • can avoid supporting megacorps like Microsoft and Sony

  Just off the top of my head

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Palantir may be engaging in a coordinated disinformation campaign by astroturfing these news-related subreddits: r/world, r/newsletter, r/investinq, and r/tech_news⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I haven’t thought through all the scenarios and edge cases, but generally spying on the public seems dicey and ripe for abuse. Especially if it’s just like “the public, all the time, whenever we feel like it,” instead of “ok we got a warrant signed by a judge to investigate Joe Bombguy”.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨RuneScape player pulls off a personal Shawshank Redemption: Grinds his way out of one-zone house arrest by grinding a raid 2,000 times over 10,000 hours: 'It was all worth it'⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I guess everyone needs a hobby but this one sounds less rewarding to me than others.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Baldur’s Gate 4 may happen eventually, but not with Larian Studios⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I would be surprised if it was as good and big as bg3. I doubt they’ll give it to a small studio with a lot of heart, so it probably won’t be good.

  Though I don’t know, maybe if they gave it to whatever’s left of obsidian it wouldn’t be the worst?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨America’s drone 9/11 is coming — and just like on 9/11, we aren’t ready⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I don’t think the current government is capable or interested in making sound decisions. I don’t think the public is capable of electing a better government. For profit orgs don’t have the public’s best interest as a priority. So this is bad

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Probably any game with a story. Voiced might be better, but written has advantages, too.

  Might not want games with a lot of fictional words or idiosyncrasies. Like Baldur’s Gate 3 is really good and well acted, but you’d pick up a lot of less useful fantasy words.

  Just looking at what I’ve played lately.

  Guild Wars 2 is a great game. Lots of content. Most of it voiced. There’s also other players you can talk to, and some might speak your native language. It has some fantasy jargon.

  Grand Theft Auto 5 would probably teach you swear words and other stuff you shouldn’t casually say. Be careful with that one.

  My time at Sandrock was fun. That probably would give you some vocabulary.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Study: Remote working benefits fathers while childless men miss sense of community⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Ownership will abuse labor as much as it can. Sometimes to make more profit. Sometimes for murkier reasons. I think some management are just stupid and they’d hurt the company to follow their unfounded feelings.

  Labor should organize.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australia condemns LA Police for rubber bullets after quietly arming our own⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I read the headline as Australia was arming their journalists and I was confused by the escalation.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨'No gay, no pay': The RuneScape community is absolutely mauling Jagex's new CEO over his decision to cancel new Pride Month events⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  CEO seems like an idiot and/or coward.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What are some good places/activities where a middle-aged man can new make friends?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  DND is tricky to recommend. On the one hand, as far as RPGs go it’s mega popular. On the other, it’s a very specific kind of game and rather finicky.

  Many people who don’t want to play fantasy dungeon crawling tactical combat would enjoy other genres, but finding those groups can be harder. One of my friends has no real interest in fantasy, but immediately was like “LET’S DO IT” when I mentioned a game of Vampire.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What are some good places/activities where a middle-aged man can new make friends?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  The tabletop game meetup I know of (in New York) is explicitly friendly to new players. One of the hosts said their first game ever was at the meetup many years ago.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I was hoping you would explain what you meant by “There’s not a reason to fight most enemies in most video games to be honest”. I don’t think that’s a true statement. I think most games do give reasons to fight enemies.

  I haven’t played enough BotW to really weigh in on it, specifically.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  There’s not a reason to fight most enemies in most video games to be honest.

  Hmmmm… that’s a thinker.

  In the older zeldas, you didn’t especially need to fight stuff on the overworld. I’d usually just run by, or kill the ones that were in my way.

  In most FromSoft games, you can run past enemies but that can quickly spiral out of control. Killing them gives you time to explore safely, on top of the XP rewarded.

  In shooters like Doom, you could probably run past most enemies, but they’ll keep attacking. Clearing them makes you safer.

  Monster hunter it’s the whole point of the game.

  What games are you thinking of where fighting is pointless? I don’t think it’s “most” games.