Katana314

@ Katana314 @lemmy.world

Posts

40
Comments

2850
Joined

3 yr. ago

1h ago

A quick Chinese lesson
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Katana314 @lemmy.world 1h ago
Wait. I’ve played a lot of Fatal Frame, and they only signify the Zero Lens by its kanji, and it’s not that square shape. So now I’m confused…
Maybe its ghost folklore origins put it more on the Chinese side?

1d ago

Online child safety campaigners call for US inquiry into Roblox

If you've ever been to a family party, there's often a kids' area, but they're not just "chatting" about recent news, or new jobs, or medical problems. That's pretty boring for a kid, and they don't have the life experience to drive a conversation. Sharing memes is something, but it doesn't prompt a lot of back and forth to learn about anyone.They're usually playing, having some structured activity to generate their excitement and drama from.

It makes sense for kids to group up around a social game online. The problem is, what such space can exist that isn't going to be relentlessly targeted by pedophiles.

1d ago

Online child safety campaigners call for US inquiry into Roblox

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 1d ago

After a year of evil legislation driven by “protect the children”, I will admit: Yes, this is probably a decent action to protect the children.

That said, in some ways feels like any online center that attracts children can garner these problems. I’m a little curious; for any parents in the discussion, where should kids spend time online? Especially if they want to have communication with the kids they know, on days when they can’t visit in person.

1d ago

How is it possible that Bungie didn't get in real legal trouble due to all that "vaulting" bullshit during Destiny 2?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 1d ago

In some ways it indicates the world needs to come up with more terms to describe owning something. If I own a copy of Mistborne, the book, that doesn’t mean I could produce a Mistborne movie. I’m only permitted to read the works of another person, not make my own off it.

That licensure arrangement has existed a long time, while the word “own” has been in use for both cases.

1d ago

I’m driving less. I don’t want to see the world through a driver’s eyes any more

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 1d ago

Very poetic article, and it’s true. I’ve had moments on my bike when I can hear the dad and his kids on the sidewalk next to me, and notice/call out when one of the kids drops their hat.

I’ve taken side paths built for their scenery, in the middle of a dense city, and pulling to the side to take a picture is easy.

I’ve even started to understand a bit more the people behind the driver’s seats - though that is a bit harder to notice, by design. I think half the reason pickup trucks were built into destructive tanks is to make an imposing look.

2d ago

Has there ever been an industry that's been "enshittified" and then un-"enshittified"?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 2d ago

I think so, yeah; not as though the quality stops right at Germany's borders, several other European countries can follow the same style very well.

2d ago

Any good indie games on steam? Can be any genre.

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 2d ago

I got an amazing amount of content per dollar spent on Onirism, a third-person shooter where you play as a 10-year-old girl searching a dream world for her stolen stuffed animal. That premise sounds like it would make for a simple, cutesy kids' game - but the main inspirations for the gameplay come from Serious Sam and Doom Eternal.

Tyrion Cuthbert: Attorney of the Arcane is one of the standouts of many indie games imitating Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney's famous formula. At some point it even got an overhaul to the script of multiple cases.

Motorslice is a new one, most directly influenced by the classic Prince of Persia: Sands of Time series, having you leap around between obstacles to navigate a world of cement and evil construction machines.

2d ago

Has there ever been an industry that's been "enshittified" and then un-"enshittified"?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 2d ago

This is on top of warping the entire US transit system so that many cities require cars to do anything, and most places aren’t walkable. And, intentionally designing those SUVs to look “tough” in a way that completely ruins their pedestrian visibility from the drivers seat. That shittification definitely hasn’t been walked back.

2d ago

Has there ever been an industry that's been "enshittified" and then un-"enshittified"?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 2d ago

Apple did make an effort with Apple Arcade. The idea is it’s a curated list of decent indie games, none of which have monetization. But, you pay a monthly fee for them.

2d ago

Has there ever been an industry that's been "enshittified" and then un-"enshittified"?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 2d ago

I used to think I didn’t like beer, until I tried it in Germany. Now I just seek that style out.

I’ve also had an anger inducing moment when a forum debater claimed Government regulation always harms industries. I pointed to German beer, which in part remains fantastic because it has regulations to avoid devolving it into American slop. The damn liar pivoted directly into claiming their beer is terrible.

2d ago

Has there ever been an industry that's been "enshittified" and then un-"enshittified"?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 2d ago

And all it took was for one of RSS’ authors to be murdered by MIT.

2d ago

Toronto's Highway 401. Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 2d ago

The key feature is, this /c won’t be able to post overhead pictures of the underground traffic.

2d ago

What piece of media thoroughly disappointed you?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 2d ago

The autopilot does not work. On multiple occasions it caused me to crash directly into a drifting object, or veered well out of its way to dive into the sun.

3d ago

What piece of media thoroughly disappointed you?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 3d ago

Were there ever shortcuts that didn't require taking off from the home planet and landing on a second one?

I feel like in my time, I discovered a series of shortcuts. They still didn't make things fun to repeat to finally figure out what exactly you were supposed to gain from an area.

3d ago

What piece of media thoroughly disappointed you?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 3d ago

At least The Matrix Resurrections successfully lampshaded the concept of its characters being stuck in a forced cycle.

3d ago

What piece of media thoroughly disappointed you?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 3d ago

I think this aimlessness is more common than people realize.

For instance, dare I say it: Half-Life. The games were made with questions never meant to be answered, and even the supposed "concluding episodes" have kind of landed with a thud. Even the release of Portal with Episode 2, tying Aperture Science into the world, didn't end up making much sense or having direct effect on anything.

3d ago

Destiny developers reflect on the end of an era: 'We all worked so hard to maintain the quality bar under unrealistic constraints'

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 3d ago

I'd even say that much as most people commenting here would ignore/hate every Ubisoft open world game made, quite often a lot of the people working on them are talented, thoughtful people, just doing their best to respond to the whim of managers that understand this audience only buys 2 games a year and needs 100 hours of content.

Once in a while, even in those open world slopfests, you do see flashes of brilliance from those designers.

3d ago

Christian charity says ‘it’s a problem boys don’t rape girls anymore – they rape boys’

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 3d ago

It can also be helpful to realize, doomer headlines like this one about nothing-assholes are common on opposite political spectrums too. There are probably some liberally minded feminists who have given horrific takes like "We should just round up every white man born in a red state, and dump them all in a landfill, with no trials." And as stupid and evil as that is, some news site has probably quoted them to make manosphere centers feel even angrier towards "evil feminists".

3d ago

Steam removes horror game after malware steals player data

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 3d ago

Long ago when Linux was a complete underdog (0.001% of users or something) it was touted as being vastly more secure than Windows, and that was probably true. But, convenience always battles with security in adverse ways, and Steam does aim to be very convenient.

I remember for a time any Xbox-app game would prop up a UAC permissions dialog each time you'd newly installed a game. Those apps are also un-moddable due to package signing. It was very annoying, but part of me thought "...Theoretically, Steam should be doing at least something like this."

3d ago

What are your thoughts on people who are against pacifism?

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Katana314 @lemmy.world 3d ago

This is something I’ve wanted to write into a character in a fictitious world, but one that’s not even openly in foreign war.

He insists that people need to peacefully understand each other, rather than run lives by settling conflicts with bullets and bombs; he staunchly believes that war is the most horrible thing ever. But a second character points out to him, oppression delivers much of the same circumstance as war in a state of permanence. At least violence can lead to change. The summary quote being just “Everyone is at war.”