WTF did I just read? Fuckin weirdos. That is uncomfortable on so many levels. Poor kid. I remain traumatised from the time I had to remove all the malware from my dad’s computer. That was twenty years ago, he’s dead now, but I still carry the abominable image of him in his wheelchair, pulling his decrepit knob to Thai ladyboys, with the dogs lined up on the sofa watching. Ignorance is bliss. Ho hum, conservatives eh?

Looks like I’m unaware of something horrible. . ?

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I think that was kinda the idea - war production meant steel was in great demand, and this seemed like a really cheap way to make ships. I wouldn’t want to try sailing one round the Caribbean, but they might have been okay in the north sea, for example. They didn’t work out though, can’t recall why but it’s not impossible that melting may have been a factor!

Lol okay, I do try to listen to recommendations like that - I’ll put it on my list. It’s a pretty long list tho!

IIRC this type of thing isn’t new - there was research into the possibility of making ships out of ice mixed with sawdust in WWII.

So, i started gaming as a kid on the Sinclair spectrum. Though I had a Tandy trs80 before that and a zx81, iirc they both had 1k ram so weren’t really able to do much other than pong. The spectrum, though, had 48k, the BBC b had 32, and they could load and save files to a cassette tape. You could do so much more with them, and on the BBC at least you could code both basic and assembly. Anyway, I really enjoyed gaming on both of them - the graphics were either 8 bit ASCII or basic line drawing, but that didn’t detract from the enjoyment. And I didn’t know that a better visual experience would ever be possible, I was just delighted that games existed.

Later on, I got more into coding and later still into stuff that wasn’t computer related. I had a PS2 for a while but didn’t use it much. Fairly recently I picked up a steam deck and have started playing games again, I’ve got a few decades worth of stuff that I missed - played bioshock for the first time a few months ago! I’m entranced by how much the experience has broadened and deepened from those early platformers on the spectrum - it’s incredible progress.

But I don’t get a lot of screen time so I’m cherry picking - a lot of my wishlist comes from recommendations on here actually.

And yeah, I’ve noticed that some of those recommendations are for games with retro style graphics. I understand that it’s maybe easier for smaller developers - but developers can surely manage 2D without that blocky 8bit look, I think they choose not to and I think it’s a fashion choice. Same goes for sound. I guess if you live long enough, your childhood stuff really does become cool again.

I’ve not played any of the games you mentioned - maybe I’m missing out, but there’s plenty of stuff I find visually pleasing, I’m unlikely ever to run out.

Otherwise, though, I’m happy - albeit slightly perplexed - to see that the pixelated look is somewhat en vogue. Maybe it’ll help the games I so enjoyed as a kid to survive and even find new audiences. It’s just not my thing, not anymore. Personally, I enjoyed games like that when they were all that was available but now my eyes have been opened, I’ve seen the future, and have no desire to go back to my pixelated past!

It’s been a while since I played deathloop but I seem to remember you can only save the game certain times, I think only when you’re in the tunnels and time has passed.

Yeah, I’d travelled to Asia, had a bunch of jobs, and left university by then. Time flies eh.

Edit - probably my age is why I can’t abide games with the pixelated retro style graphics. Having grown up with that stuff I have no desire to return to the days of terrible blocky graphics. Though it’s nice if it enables younger ppl to enjoy older games.

I mean, I’m sure these jobs exist, social media manipulation is neither new or difficult. They’re probably outsourced to India or somewhere though.

But it’s a bit of a pathetic excuse for bad managers to use to cover their failing. I think they should have some sort of evidence before they start squawking about it.

Yeah I’m playing cyberpunk for the first time and really enjoying it. i don’t know how much it innovates, but I’d say it was certainly a good game.

It’s abuser tactics - “You’re lucky you’ve got me, no-one else would have you, now take more shit.” It’s cheaper than making employees feel happy and valued. And yeah, some very successful companies absolutely see their employees as disposable. I’m hoping this’ll become a problem for them when they’ve burned through the available pool of vulnerable staff, but we don’t seem to be there yet.

It’s not a stupid question. From what I hear, people try stuff like this all the time, stuff like putting a bit of code on your employer’s system that’ll erase important files if you get shit canned and no longer appear on the payroll. It’s why a lot of companies no longer give notice when ppl are fired, just have security walk them out. And unfortunately this stuff is often traceable, which means they’re risking quite serious prosecution.

I don’t like much of what I see, I think it’s becoming clear that some new tech is going to have wide ranging and harmful effects. I’m not sure that doing luddite stuff will help but I can understand why people would think that way.

I feel bad for all the engineers etc who are working really hard on these projects, only to see their efforts tarnished by the flyblown image of the wanker who owns the company.

I’ve heard the same. I’m sure it certainly doesn’t help, but I think also what they’re trying to do is really difficult

Eve is older than star citizen isn’t it? I don’t play either but I think it’s fair to say eve had a twenty year headstart.

Yeah, me too. I grew up with heavily pixelated 70s & 80s graphics and I have zero desire to return to that now that technology has improved so much that it’s not necessary.

Shame, because it means there are some games that I just won’t enjoy, but so it goes, there’s lots more stuff to play.

Yeah, I didn’t finish it but I loved the style and the colours.

Yeah, horrible innit? When I used to go to the cinema as a kid in the 70s and 80s, you’d get maybe ten minutes of trailers before your film. And I never minded that, I don’t dislike watching trailers. These days, totally different. Last time I went to the cinema there was maybe half an hour of ads. Some trailers, but mostly just advertisements for crap.

It is so fuckin disrespectful to their customers. If I wanted to see all that bullshit, I could have stayed home and watched it on TV. Except I don’t watch TV because the experience is so poor - largely because of ads.

I understand that cinemas have been struggling ever since covid, even before, and I understand that advertising revenue pays the bills. But cinema isn’t cheap, for me it’s an occasional treat when there’s something I really wanna see on the big screen. I do not want to spend that much money and get treated like a fuckin farm animal being fed crap. Wankers.

I can’t be alone in feeling this way, who wants to pay to see ads? Who thinks that sounds like a great evening out? It ruins the experience, and it’s insulting, by the time the movie starts I’m angry. I’d rather pay a bit more and just have a couple of trailers.

I recently went to a small autonomous cinema with a mate and saw Mulholland Drive. Great experience, comfy seats, could bring in drinks from the bar, no fuckin ads. But for new films there aren’t many options. So I don’t often go to the cinema.

Sorry for this long and bitter diatribe! You just hit on something that really pisses me off too.

Maybe y’all can’t shoot the cars when they go Christine on you.