Oh. my. god. This is such amazing news!! Chesko was an amazing modder, and economy design was one of the often-changed areas of Skyrim, so to hear that he had a hand in Starfield’s economy is incredibly exciting to me.
Source: https://bethesda.net/en/article/1wOjXJY0FvNxadcmQR8nfM/meet-zachary-wilson-senior-level-designer-on-starfield-at-bethesda-game?linkId=100000215493316
I have a personal Discord server that I drop links into - fully intending to get them out of Discord and into my notes someday, though let’s just say I’m quite behind on that.
Mostly I find it useful because I can drop a link on from my phone and quickly access it from my PC, or vice versa. There is some organization into channel types (food, music, games, etc) but these days I just use a general channel as a dumping ground and figure I’ll sort later, ha.
This is it right here, at least for me personally. I’m a huge Dragon Age fan (played through DAO and DA2 before Inquisition’s release) who has always been vaguely interested in Larian’s Divinity Original Sin games but never made them a priority in my backlog. Seeing the cinematic cutscenes and the 3rd-person voice acted dialog for BG3 made me immediately interested and now I’m 10-ish hours deep into Baldur’s Gate and loving it!
Also slowly resigning myself to DA4 not even coming close to matching BG3 in quality given the circumstances of its development.
I’ve had good success using it to write Python scripts for me. They’re simple enough I would be able to write them myself, but it would take a lot of time searching and reading StackOverflow/library docs/etc since I’m an amateur and not a pro. GPT lets me spend more time actually doing the things I need the scripts for.
Inspired by u/kturker92's inverted countdown for Tears of the Kingdom, I forked it for Starfield! Here's a description of how it works, from the creator:
> Its basically how much 1 day of waiting is compared to the journey we have left. > If there's 1000 days left, 1 more day of waiting is insignificant (0.1% of the rest of the journey) > If there's 1 day left, 1 more day of waiting is all that's left of the journey! 100% > But if there is no journey left, 1 more day of waiting is.. infinite journeys hahah
We're getting pretty close to only one month left of waiting! :)
I’m curious, how are you discovering new music this way? my understanding of soulseek and nicotine+ is that they’re great for finding music by artists you already know, but idk how they would work for discovery..?
sick! do you think you’ll ever print these physically? I’d love to pick up a copy if you ever do. :)
sick! do you think you’ll ever print these physically? I’d love to pick up a copy if you ever do. :)
degree in Visual Art, work in digital asset management for a marketing (blech) studio. I'd love to get into a DAM position at somewhere less ethically awful, like a symphony or museum or something, buuut my position pays really well relatively speaking to other similar similar jobs I've looked at, so that'll have to wait until I feel more established in life.
took a couple basic comp-sci classes in college, though, and went to a coding bootcamp before I got my current position. running linux on my laptop, might switch to it on my desktop. I make use of bash for renaming files a lot at my job.
there's a lot about tech-heavy areas that interests me, but it'd drive me crazy to be around too much of it. I think there's a lot of good in the liberal arts that tends to get missed by the sort of hard rationalists that tend to hang out in tech spaces.
Thinking about reducing plastic fucks me up and it’s been on my mind a lot lately. Noticing every single time we bring new plastic into the household, and how hard it is to avoid. Chicken comes in plastic wrap, and even if we got it at a butcher counter, they still toss it in a plastic bag before wrapping it in brown paper. Bags of potting soil, our toothpaste tubes, peanut butter jars… it’s endless.
At least the majority of my clothes are cotton or wool, but another source is carpet and there isn’t anything I can do about this apartment carpet.
I don’t know anything about GPU design but expandable VRAM is a really interesting idea. Feels too consumer friendly for Nvidia and maybe even AMD though.
very cool! loving these low-res rices - there's something really appealing about them. this also reminds me of my chromebook that I've done a similar thing with (turn into a writing-focused machine).
I'm not usually a fan of cursors outside of the regular black & white, but that cursor goes perfectly with the whole theme here!
I completed all of the shrines before I beat the game, and found it enjoyable. I also really enjoyed running around the depths collecting all the lightroots. I enjoy exploring caves and wells too, so that’s next on my list to complete. Grinding for armor sets is tedious to me so I’m skipping it…
I can’t believe someone has paid for that domain name for 23 years… O_O
Nice, thanks! I haven’t tried customizing the default KDE bars yet; it’s cool to see they can be changed a decent amount.
Nice, thanks! I haven’t tried customizing the default KDE bars yet; it’s cool to see they can be changed a decent amount.
I like the friendlier feeling of Seaford (the o shapes have a little tilt to them rather than being straight on the grid), but I’m guessing they leaned towards the most “generic” of the five because as a default font you want it to become “invisible” almost. I think a more unique font would stand out and then become a little grating over time given how much it would be seen.
About 4 years ago I got a 13.3" Thinkpad laptop to replace an old Chromebook for portable development, and installed Arch + i3 on it (btw). After a bit of ricing the configs, it started feeling really homey. I love using workspaces here! They feel perfectly suited for laptop screens which have minimal space, allowing me to keep my browser full-screen and my IDE full-screen while still quickly switching back and forth to reference one or the other.
On the other hand, I don't really use workspaces when I'm on my desktop PC (I use a 27" monitor). I just installed KDE to get ahead of the Windows 10 EOL, and while I looked into combining i3 and KDE, I haven't really felt the need for i3's workspaces or using KDE's virtual desktops. With a 27" monitor, I feel like there's enough space to split my browser and IDE half-and-half on screen, and I'm ok using a file browser or terminal window as floating windows. Another consideration is that I'm always using a mouse on my desktop, so switching between workspaces with the keyboard wouldn't feel as natural.
What about you? Do you use workspaces differently between devices? Does screen size affect your choices at all?
> Link to the doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EmbmCwL3gJqKX1ul4radDpYYdm9usnvcdhSdmO667QI/edit?usp=sharing > > Link to a downloadable version that you cant preview in google docs but is only 300mb: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A6jv2fWf36MyFhu6_hF2VaSc70HsEwWb/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104820491290205215928&rtpof=true&sd=true > > For those this don't know, before the 2022 showcase for Starfield came out, I made a 120 page document going through every single interview, trailer, and concept art that had ever been released about Starfield. With so much information so spread out, I wanted to make a single source with all of it. Then, after the 2022 showcase, I increased that to a massive 409 pages, and up to 459 before this years showcase.
Talk about dedicated fan analysis! :)
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This looks like an awesome character creator to use, and I can’t wait to spend hours in these menus once the game releases, ha. Here are my thoughts on the various features:
I hope the body types are a little more subtle and less exaggerated than previous Bethesda games, and I’m glad they’re still included. I’d honestly forgotten the body type options were in Fallout & Skyrim, having more recently played games like Dragon Age and Cyberpunk that don’t let you customize your body shape. Seeing body type and walk style labeled 1 vs. 2 is a nice gender-neutral touch. It’s great to have the ability to customize the walking style, as I’m flashing back to horribly exaggerated female walking animations in other games. cough Dragon Age Inquisition cough
The shape customization options for face shape and other face parts seem solid. Playing with shape blending via sliders feels like something you only got in Skyrim via an extended character creation menu; I prefer that to Fallout’s method, where you click and drag on the face model itself. Given the shots of NPCs and possible characters in the direct, it looks like a good range of wildly different character appearances can be created.
What are your thoughts on the character creator? Do you like creating the most off-the-wall bizarre faces or something more realistic? Are you going to recreate yourself in the game or go for something different?
In the fall of 2022, my workplace decided it was time to enforce return-to-office and informed us we had to be in the office 3 days a week or else. The only bags I’d used to this point were hand-me-down promotional backpacks or an over-the-shoulder canvas bag - neither of which worked well for what I take to the office when I drive in.
I’d initially considered the Brevite backpack primarily because they demonstrated the water bottle holder expanding to accommodate a large hydroflask. However, I wanted a bag quickly, and they were out of stock then. I was also looking at more commonly recommended brands like Belroy, but none of their water bottle holders seemed compatible with my 40 oz stainless water bottle. Finally, I decided on the Moment MTW Backpack 17L (I’m short). It met the following qualifications:
- Separate laptop compartment that fits a 16” Mac Pro
- Large/expandable external water bottle holder
- Luggage passthrough
Since then, it’s been my primary work bag and personal carry-on bag on several flights, and I’d recommend it depending on your own needs.
The laptop compartment is one of my favorite parts of the bag; the two pockets give my wireless mouse and AirPods a permanent home, and the laptop sleeve juuust barely fits my work laptop. The main compartment has very little in the way of organization – just one mesh zip pocket – but that also means it’s flexible in what I pack in there (lunchbox for work, clothes for an overnight stay, or my Switch, a book, and snacks for a plane ride). The front zip pocket has more pockets for organization, which I don’t use much day-to-day but are suitable for organizing all the little things you might want to bring on a trip, like headphones, pill bottles, etc. I’m a keys-in-jeans-pocket sort of person, so I don’t use the pocket’s attached key holder much.
The water bottle holder does indeed stretch to fit my 40oz bottle, but it’s a pretty tight fit and pushes into the main compartment space. My partner’s 32 oz bottle fits much better without pushing into the side of the bag as much. Ultimately I’ve found it more convenient to put my water bottle in the main compartment when commuting, but having the external holder for travel is handy.
In general, with the 17L bag, there’s not a huge amount of room, and filling up one section will reduce the space available in others. I like a smaller daily-use bag, so I’m cool with that.
When I was researching the bag, people mentioned that the fabric does collect dust, and scuffs can show up noticeably on the darker fabric color. I chose the green to avoid that, and aside from a few faint scuffs, I think it’s still looking good. From a quality perspective, all the materials feel good in the hand, though there are a few loose threads on the bag’s inside pocket.
Do be aware that while Moment’s website says, “We designed the base so the bag doesn’t fall over when it’s set down,” that is definitely not true for my bag, especially with a laptop in it. The back feels like it has a rigid plastic backplate in it, and even when empty, the bag will always fall forward. I don’t find it a huge annoyance, but some folks might.
Reviews also mentioned the sternum strap mechanism is fiddly – personally, I removed it as soon as I got the bag and haven’t used it since.
A closer look at the slide in the recent direct that breaks down all ship parts that can be used to construct a spaceship.
I think most of them are self-explanatory, but I wonder what the distinction between grav drives, engines, and reactors is, and what exactly fuel tanks affect.
I also wonder how cargo capacity manifests, and if there's cargo that we can't carry on our person but only on our ships. It would be a bit silly if we could carry tons of ore in our spacesuits to our ship, so having some way to transfer directly from outpost resource collectors to our ships would make sense to me.
More questions answered.
- Outside of major cities, the procedural systems pull from a pool of handcrafted content & chose where to place it on planets when you land.
- Only 10% of planets have alien life (roughly 100 out of the 1k worlds)
- Some planets are single biome, others are multi-biome
- Major monetary rewards for fully surveying planets
- No land vehicles
- "the 4 Constellation companions are the romanceable characters"
- Ship-building is deep and expensive, meant for late game
- Modding confirmed; implication that Creation Club style modding will continue
I noticed that there are "advanced skills" (green bar) and "expert skills" (blue bar) - I'm guessing the last bar is "legendary skills". Advanced skills might unlock after spending 4 skill points in the tree, while unlocking Expert skills seems to require somewhere between 7, 8, or 10 skill points. I wonder if ranking up skills might reduce the number of skill points needed to unlock Advanced/Expert/Legendary skills?
Discussion: What skills are you most excited about? What do you think the un-labeled skills will do? How do you feel about the new skill challenges as the way to gain ranks within skills? Are you going to focus on combat skills or non-combat skills or a mix?
Text breakdown of the known skill descriptions, ranks (what gameplay effects the skills have), and challenges (gameplay challenges that "rank up" skills) below:
PHYSICAL
- Stealth: For a combatant who values discretion above all else, the ability to approach a target while undetected and kill with a silenced weapon is as terrifying as it is effective.
- Challenge: Perform 10 sneak attacks
- Weight Lifting
- Rank: Increase total carrying capacity by 10 kilograms.
- Wellness: By embracing an active lifestyle and good nutrition habits, one may improve their overall sense of health, and even gain prolonged life expectancy.
- Rank: Immediately gain 30 points of health.
- Decontamination
- Rank 1: Slightly increased chance to recover from infections naturally.
- Challenge: Recover from 5 infections
- Martial Arts
- Challenge: Deal 250 damage with unarmed attacks
SOCIAL
- Commerce: In the Settled Systems' free market economy, almost anyone with the right skillset can open and run a successful business.
- Gastronomy: Access to brand new worlds means access to brand new ingredients, and there is almost no limit to the delicious foods and drinks a talented chef can prepare.
- Rank: You can craft specialty food and drinks, and research additional recipes at a Research Lab.
- Persuasion: In the Settled Systems, the nuanced ability to listen and discuss can often accomplish far more than simply shooting first and asking questions later.
- Rank: Gain an increased chance of success on speech challenges.
- Scavenging: There are those who can find just about anything, and their success is usually dependent on knowing how, and where, to look.
- Theft: While not entirely honorable, and certainly not legal, it is nonetheless occasionally necessary to discreetly remove property from someone's person.
- Bargaining
- Rank: Buy items for 5% less and sell for 10% more.
- Diplomacy
- Rank: You can force a target NPC at or below your level to stop fighting for a while.
- Intimidation: The ability to strike fear into an an opponent, causing them to flee so that you can escape or attack first, can prove critical in a battle.
- Rank 1: You can force a target NPC at or below your level to flee for a limited time.
- Challenge: Successfully Intimidate 5 different people
- Rank 2: You can force a target NPC up to 10 levels higher than you to flee for a limited time.
- Challenge: Successfully Intimidate 25 different people
- Rank 3: You can force a target NPC up to 20 levels higher than you to flee for a limited time.
- Challenge: Successfully Intimidate 50 different people
- Rank 4: Intimidated targets now flee for substantial amount of time.
- Instigation: When combat is required, it can be advantageous to convince others to do the fighting for you.
- Rank 1: You can force a target NPC at or below your level to attack their allies for a limited time.
- Leadership
- Rank 1: Companions gain affinity 15% faster.
- Challenge: Sprint 1000 meters with an active follower
COMBAT
- Ballistics
- Rank 1: Ballistic weapons do 10% more damage.
- Challenge: Kill 20 enemies with a ballistic weapon
- Rank 2: Ballistic weapons do 20% more damage.
- Challenge: Kill 50 enemies with a ballistic weapon
- Rank 3: Ballistic weapons do 30% more damage.
- Challenge: Kill 250 enemies with a ballistic weapon
- Rank 4: Ballistic weapons range is increased by 30%.
- Dueling: Considered by many to be a lost art, close attacks with a melee weapon can often be deadlier than ranged combat when carried out by a skilled practitioner.
- Challenge: Melee weapons do 10% more damage
- Lasers: Personal laser weapons are in widespread use across the Settled Systems, and specialized training can greatly increase their effectiveness.
- Rank 1: Laser weapons do 10% more damage.
- Pistol Certification: Considering the popularity of the personal sidearm in the Settled Systems, familiarity with such weapons is often considered essential.
- Rank 1: Pistols do 10% more damage.
- Challenge: Kill 20 enemies with a pistol
- Shotgun Certification
- Challenge: Kill 20 enemies with a shotgun
- Demolitions
- Rank 3: Explosives do 30% more damage and have a 30% larger radius.
- Challenge: Kill 125 enemies with explosives
- Heavy Weapon Certification
- Rank: Gain 30 Damage Resistance while aiming down sights with a heavy weapon.
- Challenge: Kill 20 enemies with a heavy weapon
- Particle Beams
- Challenge: Kill 20 enemies with a particle beam weapon
- Rifle Certification
- Challenge: Kill 20 enemies with a rifle.
- Rapid Reloading: In the chaos of combat, the seconds needed to reload your weapon could be the difference between life and death.
- Rank: Gain a chance to reload your weapon twice as fast as normal.
- Challenge: Reload 150 empty magazines
- Sniper Certification: Only a trained sniper truly understands all the elements necessary to patiently and effectively neutralize a target at excessive range.
- Rank: Scoped weapons are steadier and have less sway.
- Targeting
- Rank: Greatly increased accuracy and range when shooting without aiming.
- Challenge: Kill 125 enemies without aiming
SCIENCE
- Astrodynamics: Advanced technology is one thing, but it takes skill, patience, and a little bit of love to coax even more capability out of a ship's grav drive.
- Medicine: Only through advancements in medical training and technology has humanity been able to withstand the galaxy's many dangers.
- Rank: Med Packs heal 10% more.
- Surveying: Humanity now has access to untold alien worlds, and the ability to decipher all that data while on the ground has become an essential skillset.
- Chemistry
- Rank 1: You can create improved chems, and research additional chems at a Research Lab.
- Challenge: Create 10 chems
TECH
- Ballistic Weapon Systems
- Challenge: Deal 1000 damage to enemy ships with ballistic weapons
- Boost Pack Training
- Challenge: Boost jump 10 times while in combat
- Security: While the standardized digital locking mechanism is renowned for its security, any code can be broken with the proper training.
- Rank 1: You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and 2 auto attempts can be banked.
- Challenge: Pick 5 locks
- Rank 2: You can attempt to hack Expert locks, and 3 auto attempts can be banked. Rings now turn blue when the pick can be slotted.
- Challenge: Pick 15 locks
- Rank 3: You can attempt to hack Master-level locks, and 4 auto attempts can be banked.
- Rank 4: Expend a digipick to eliminate keys that aren't required to solve the puzzle. 5 auto attempts can be banked.
- Particle Beam Weapon Systems: Ship weapons utilizing particle beam technology are the preferred choice for captains who prefer to damage multiple ship systems at once.
- Payloads: Any pilot can haul cargo, but it takes special determination and training to maximize cargo space.
- Robotics: In an age where robots and autonomous turrets are employed in a combat capacity, the study of robotics can be instrumental in gaining a tactical edge.
- Rank: You deal 10% more damage to Robots and Turrets.
When Barrett hands you the compass for the first time (presumably after meeting you at Argos Mining and telling you to head to the Constellation headquarters), he says that it tells the time.
Well, how do you represent the time of day in a game where you visit lots of planets and moons? By showing the terminator line dividing day and night as it moves over the planet you're on. Pretty clever!
favorite songs in order of appearance:
- geometry and theology
- red oleanders (straight 🔥)
- ecclesiastes
(also posted here)