Posts made by Thenomain

@bladesurfer said in Podcasts:

@Lisse24 said in Podcasts:

99% Invisible

Ditto this.

Oh good, I've been running out of podcasts. I mostly listen to radio drama, which don't come out regularly.

This became very, very long, so I'll title this section:

=== Thenomain's Ten-Second Reviews =======================

My current list, in order of my adding it, and what I think of it.

• Decoder Ring Theatre: "Black Jack Justice", because I like noir, and some Canadians doing detective noir is fantastic. Great half-hour mysteries, but waaaay too slow release schedule for me. They're currently doing an audio book, one chapter at a time, but you want to listen to at least the first season just to feel connected with the characters. Classic radio drama.

• Welcome to Night Vale: Do not look into the dog park. We've gone over this one on Soapbox before, but if you like a mix of Garrison Keeler's slice-of-life and Lovecraftian strangeness, then you're going to like WTNV. Some of the seasons do drag on (I'm not a fan of The Smiling God), but it's always trying something fun and strange. Presented in a style of listening into a local radio public service announcement.

• Our Fair City: The world freezes over and the only known survivors live within what was originally an insurance company. Yeah, imagine your dystopian future is controlled by a business structure and everyone is known by their Policy Number, not their name. Sci-fi near future, but the science is more for show and gives often a silly, adventure-show veneer over the horrible future. This series is commentary on corporate culture, but I think they find logical reasons for their decisions, which makes me almost sympathetic with the iron-grip of tyranny these people live under. Good cast, absolutely fantastic audio effects.

• Alice Isn't Dead: The second show from Night Vale Productions (see: WTNV, above). A travelogue, a woman takes a job as a truck driver and leaves her life behind to find her wife who she presumed was dead for several years. She hauls freight through Twilight Zone style situations, monologue her day's events to a dead CB channel so she can try to piece together what's going on. Pretty good; I like the writing, but it feels loose.

• Ars Paradoxica: Another classic radio drama, heavy on the drama. A woman's science experiment from 20xx interferes with a naval experiment in 1936(ish) and gets sucked back in time. Time-travel is discovered, but can only go backwards to that point in time, and all the issues that arise. I like this series, but I have the same problem with it that I do many non-arc shows: Is anything going to get better for these people?! Paranoia, government agency, science, and a good hard look at what time travel means.

• Within the Wires: Another Night Vale Production. I admit, I'm hooked. Season 1 is over, a complete and compelling storyline, a very The Prisoner undercurrent to this world where children are brainwashed at age 14 so they can be properly integrated into society, and The Institute who has collected our protagonist for being too interesting, for seeming to remember some stuff from before. The entire Season 1 is made of pre-recorded tapes from someone else who is there to prepare our protagonist for what comes next. A+, can't wait to see what they do next season.

• Wolf 359: Three unlikely spacemen and one glitchy AI are waiting a long stint in a creaky space station around the star Wolf 359. At first I thought this was going to be a goofy slice-of-life show, like a toned down Red Dwarf, but by the end of the first season it became more like a study in paranoia and trust 7.8 light years from home. Classic radio drama. I'm probably going to drop this because it suffers the same "why must I listen to endless emotional pain" as Ars Paradoxica, but isn't, I think, anywhere near as compelling.

• The Bright Sessions: A psychiatrist apparently helps people with psychic powers (TKs and TPs mainly) come to terms with their unusual physiological and emotional issues. Starts very slow with short episodes as a build-up to the main plot. Presented as a series of audio journals taken at the sessions; my favorite being the girl who can read minds who starts out believing that she's being guided by angels. Now that the main plot of Season 1 is complete, I'm worried that we will be treated with the same "never-ending soap opera drama" of Ars Paradoxica and Wolf 359. I do like it, tho, so I'm going to give it more time.

Non-Fiction:

• The Myths and Legends Podcast: Myth-loving history buff tells the myths and legends in his own voice, summarizing quite a bit very well; if he skips something, he'll tell you; if he takes great liberties, he'll pause for an aside. I added this one on a lark after seeing it in the "New & Notables" section of iTunes' podcast listing. Partially because I need to brush up on my folklore, and partially because eh, why not. What a great choice.

• Science Vs.: Recommended by a co-worker. A woman with a science degree asks questions of modern issues and tries to find whether or not science supports or debunks them or, in some cases, neither. The episode on hypnotism was really great, and listening to this Aussie's voice is good. It's presented in a very Gen-X/Millennial or "Bill Nye" way where if we're going to put in sound effects to keep the mood very light then sure, why not.

That's it. That's all I got.

Myths & Legends: Because you need to brush up on your Beowulf and your Jacalope and your Loki and your Sleeping Beauty derivatives and your nerd summarizing, well, myths and legends.

@SG said in Good Comics for People Who Don't Like Comics?:

You can't go wrong with Aliens V Predator stuff.

I already find a lot about Aliens silly in a "Resident Evil 5" kind of way, and Predator silly in a monster-of-the-week style. (Don't get me wrong, the Alien movies are strong as fear of the unknown, very Lovecraftian, but the justifications for the mythos doesn't jive with this hep cat.)

80s TMNT was a lot of fun. In tretrospect, I'm very surprised that I'm not a furry after being so into ninja turtles for most of my life.

Because you are sane.

@fatefan said in Good Comics for People Who Don't Like Comics?:

@Thenomain @VulgarKitten In all seriousness, "Afterlife with Archie" and "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" are two of the best horror comics out right now. https://afterlifewitharchie.com/

Josie and the Murdercats.

Saga

This has been sitting on the top of my "huh, could be good" list for a long, long time, but there are a lot of ways for a Romeo & Juliet Demon Space Opera to go wrong. There are probably a lot of ways for it to go right, tho.

@Ganymede said in Politics etc.:

@Lisse24 said in Politics etc.:

And when are you opening a game, hrm?

Shut up.

My system needs playtesting. I'm this close to getting the rule set ready for alpha. Then it falls to my trusty coders to do their work on their time.

I've heard this before.

Also, your system has no politics in it; only combat!

@Misadventure said in Coming Soon: Arx, After the Reckoning:

However, here, well its funny to admit we aren't so great at passing on the wisdom.

I'm a firm believer that wisdom cannot be taught; it can only be learned.

@fatefan said in Good Comics for People Who Don't Like Comics?:

Do you have a local library system that would let you use something like Hoopla to check stuff out digitally for free?

Looking at their website? No. But doing an explicit search for it? Yes!

@VulgarKitten said in Good Comics for People Who Don't Like Comics?:

Have you tried Archie comics?

Why would I want to read about your home town?!

@Roz said in Good Comics for People Who Don't Like Comics?:

What kind of movies do you like? What kinds of books? There's comics in pretty much every genre imaginable, just like any other form of narrative media.

Movies: My Dinner With Andre, Superman (Christopher Reeves), Bringing Up Baby, Up, Inside Out, Singin' In the Rain (Danny Kaye, my hero), X-Men 2, Logan, Total Recall, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Evil Dead 3 (Medieval Dead), Ladyhawke, The Producers (movie and stage plays), All Of Me (but not The Jerk, which was good but isn't a favorite), almost any telling of Cyrano de Bergerac, Love's Labor Lost (this one, which stars the guy from Hackers who also plays and voices Shaggy nearly everywhere in the past decade), Fight Club, Pulp Fiction (but not Reservoir Dogs, sorry), Blade Runner (Director's Extended Cut only), The Matrix, Raiders of the Lost Arc (all three of them, really), WALL-E, Star Wars (original trilogy), Blade Runner, Fargo, Kill Bill (Volume 1 more than Volume 2, but they're both good), Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail, The Princess Bride, Twelve Monkeys, La Femme Nikita. The Muppet Movie (original).

Books: I've only recently fallen out of endless gushing over anything Terry Pratchett, but his writing style is still among my favorite. Obviously also Douglas Adams, tho I haven't read Catch-22 for some reason. Neil Gaiman I like but I find his short form stories to be more engaging than his longer works (tho of what I've read of his outside "Snow, Glass, Apples", Neverwhere's my favorite). I likes reading the Nero Wolfe books (by Rex Stout) because I really liked the TV show, tho I normally don't like how most mystery novels drone on. Note a few noir-era movies above; it's not that I don't like mysteries.That said, I really liked "Who Censored Roger Rabbit" which was entirely different than the movie, all in good ways. I seem to have saved all of the Gregory Maguire I've bought, though I like Wicked the most; I did learn quite a lot from "Mirror, Mirror" vis a vis a more historical way to view dwarves. I've read all three "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books and only enjoyed the first; the second two seem far too obviously a Marty Stu situation. Come to think of it, I read quite a few "The Cat Who..." murder mysteries. Hm. William Gibson. China Meiville, tho I haven't read anything but his Bas Lag series, "Un-Lun-Dun" which was fun, and his short story anthology specifically for "The Taint" which is perhaps the single best short story I have read alongside "Snow, Glass, Apples".

Comics: I own two "Flight" compilations (one and two), three "Rat Queen" books, a whole lot of "ElfQuest" older stuff that I kind of wish I could get off my hands but I still appreciate the original story. I also own the bible-bound compiled story of Bone by Jeff Smith. I can't remember if it's signed, but it is numbered; it's both a fantastic story and I enjoy supporting a local. Also the ones I mentioned above (The Maxx, Mage, etc.).

I read a crap-ton of web-comics, but the one I would throw money at the most would be Kill Six Billion Demons.

I'm probably forgetting quite a lot.

Hello, my name is Thenomain and I'm looking for advice.

I like sequential art, I like illustrated stories, but I just don't like "comic books". I like the occasional story (Red Son, Mage, The Maxx, Rat Queens), but I don't want to need to know enough about all of it to know what authors or artists to follow. I just want to pick up something from time to time that I know I can enjoy, and not invest a lot of mental time worrying about the rest.

Is this Humble Bundle worth it for someone like me? :: https://www.humblebundle.com/books/creator-showcase-comics-bundle

Thanks.

@Misadventure said in Coming Soon: Arx, After the Reckoning:

One day when I am a game tyrant, I would hope people would try to reality check me on behalf of players they have long term trust with.

Then you wouldn't be a tyrant. You would be a peer.

@Ganymede: You could be a terrible villain with a terrible villain's-cat. It would be adorable, and you'd be so confused why everyone thinks of you fondly.

@Ganymede said in Coming Soon: Arx, After the Reckoning:

@Cupcake said in Coming Soon: Arx, After the Reckoning:

I kind of feel compelled to point out that this isn't a static issue.

I kind of feel compelled to point out that, while many of you have expressed seeing @lordbelh go, few seem to be intent on why this occurred.

I also kind of feel compelled to point out that, while at least one has expressed the fear of saying anything contrary to the status quo, no one has given many fucks as to why, or what will be done to fix that.

You know, Gany, it's unusual for you to mention something twice. I imagine this is your version of getting quiet, stroking a white, long-haired Persian cat. You can borrow mine, tho he's very playful and not white and he sheds a lot. Not a good villain cat.

I will say that I assume from the mood of the thread and my own experience that if staff felt that this was a problem they would address it, though staff seems to wisely be not too present for another round of their game being questioned.

If staff does respond to this, indirectly through action, it would do quite a bit of good for someone to repeat it here. It directly affects people's willingness to try the game, advertising thread and all.

@Ganymede said in Coming Soon: Arx, After the Reckoning:

A friend of mine here once reminded me about the importance of standing up and making a point, regardless of whether it benefits me personally. That is the case here.

Good on you and your friend.

(edit: grammar)

@saosmash said in Coming Soon: Arx, After the Reckoning:

I can't believe we're on page 47 of this thread and the prostitution conversation is happening again. Hold me, somebody.

@Sparks said in Forum Game Thread:

It was a dark and stormy night. And then the murders began.

"It was the a dark and stormy night?!"

And then he murdered the author.

@Arkandel said in Politics etc.:

Invest in good people and trust them to be themselves. They will solve problems for you code can't.

"It is very difficult to solve a social problem with code; be careful."

I'm no good at politics. I'm barely good at social maneuvering, and mostly only when under duress which results in stress for myself and those involved.

It's not that I don't have good stories to tell, but they're all by association with people who do enjoy or are good at politics or social maneuvering, or when these two things aren't important and people are letting everyone be themselves.

                     CAMILLA
        You, sir, should unmask.

                     STRANGER
        Indeed?

                     CASSILDA
        Indeed it’s time.
        We have all laid aside disguise but you.

                     STRANGER
        I wear no mask.

                     CAMILLA
        (Terrified, aside to Cassida)
        No mask? No mask!

        (Cue murders.)

@2mspris

I barely played with him, but even I notice when he's not around. He makes an impact of the sort that games are better for his efforts.

@SG said in General Video Game Thread:

@Thenomain Keith David playing Keith David was the best.

No, best was the "Opposites Attract" duet. I sat and listened to the whole thing. (No spoilers, but it's well-written; the joke set up hours before the punchline.)

I think that Borderlands has a better tongue-in-cheek-gangsta feel, but I strongly disagree with Yahtzee that Saint's Row 4 goes too far into silliness. It's silly for silliness' sake, and that's okay.

The Big Bad is an 80s-era stick-up-ass douche who would, in another context, be shaking with rage and yelling, "Nnnneeeeerrrrrrrrrdss!", and that is perfect.

@Insomnia said in General Video Game Thread:

Plus it has a great soundtrack, and you can run around naked.

Not naked enough.

I've been playing Saints Row 4, which I got as part of some Humble Bundle some years ago. It's also okay. If it weren't for the humor, it would be boring as sin, but with the humor it's more like watching a bad movie that is still fun to watch.

@faraday said in Web-based MU poll:

With a wiki the bar is higher because people are used to it.

I think you were right the first time; the bar is high because the integration tools must be maintained with the projects it's grafting onto.

One thing I was surprised to not see in reference to Arx's website is that is mainly a CMS with most of its content on the game and formatted for the web. (And yes, a good search engine is hard.)

Maybe you could think of the core web system as a CMS, as you're halfway there.