OT: HFPens Community Lounge: Party like its 1999

[Ogrezilla]

I didn't think the world map was that overwhelming TBH. The game does a pretty good job of not making you comb the entire countryside if you don't WANT to and there are some really cool ways that the game is always pointing you in the right direction.

okay well those other things are still in my way of playing it anytime soon, but I'll keep an eye out for a good sale, it does look really good.

Yeah the organic "sign posting" is really great. I never felt lost, like I sometimes did with the Switch Zelda games (which is half the fun there tbh), but more like I was playing an epic chambara film.

oddly enough BotW is one of the few open world games that I actually loved. But I think the key is that it is designed to just wander almost aimlessly, so I didn't feel like I was doing something wrong. And getting around the world was just fun itself.

I just finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3 the other day. I really like all 3 of those (haven't played X) but the combat can get to be a slog by the end. I think 3 took me about 70-80 hours and could have easily been 10-20 hours shorter without feeling like I missed anything important. And that's skipping a good chunk of sidequests. They aren't bad, there are just so many.

Time to roll a D100 and pick my next game from the pile

 

[HandshakeLine]

@Honour Over Glory , @Tender Rip and all who celebrate, Happy New Year of the Snake! 新年快乐!

 

[Randy Butternubs]

oddly enough BotW is one of the few open world games that I actually loved. But I think the key is that it is designed to just wander almost aimlessly, so I didn't feel like I was doing something wrong. And getting around the world was just fun itself.

I very much preferred TOTK over BOTW. And now that I have more time after work to play video games maybe I should get back into it. I've pretty much only been playing Vampire Survivors these last few months.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I very much preferred TOTK over BOTW. And now that I have more time after work to play video games maybe I should get back into it. I've pretty much only been playing Vampire Survivors these last few months.

I preferred botw and I can't really place why. Totk just never hooked me. Botw I couldn't put down.

I played like 40 hours of vampire survivors in way too short of a time, really liked it, but haven't gone back

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I preferred botw and I can't really place why. Totk just never hooked me. Botw I couldn't put down.

I played like 40 hours of vampire survivors in way too short of a time, really liked it, but haven't gone back

For me I was only just getting back in to video games when I had BOTW. Meaning I really sucked and the Guardians scared me. Hyrule seemed mostly dead to me too.

It's wild how addicting VS can be. The Castlevania DLC is massive.

 

[Deport Ogie]

I'm way late to the switch but my wife got it for me specifically to play BotW and TotK. About halfway through Tears now and I do think I prefer BotW though how much of that was just due to rose-colored glasses of finally getting to the open world Zelda games I can't be sure.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think TotK was an amazing game, but it had the problem of being a follow-up to BotW. TotK was a "play through once and love it" game. BotW was "play through multiple times because of how good it is". BotW is legitimately the best game I have ever played, TotK was just a terrific game.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Instead of firing up TotK last night I played Vampire Survivors for an hour. Dracula is absurd once you get him.

Speaking of Castlevania, I've heard that Nocturne season 2 is better than the first. Which is good to hear because that season bored me and I stopped watching.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I did a replay of SotN a few weeks ago and damn that game still slaps.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I think TotK was an amazing game, but it had the problem of being a follow-up to BotW. TotK was a "play through once and love it" game. BotW was "play through multiple times because of how good it is". BotW is legitimately the best game I have ever played, TotK was just a terrific game.

See I doubt I replay either. I played the hell out of it until I discovered everything I was going to naturally discover and finished it, and never looked back. Classic dungeon Zelda games are much more replayable for me.

A link to the past is still easily the best Zelda game imo, with ocarina being the closest. But the fact that breath of the wild made me enjoy a wandering open world was a hell of a feat.

I did a replay of SotN a few weeks ago and damn that game still slaps.

I have never played a Castlevania game I don't think. Not intentionally, just hasn't happened.

I'm out of town a ton the next two weeks but I think Unicorn Overlord is going to be my next game once I'm back. I know very little about it but heard it's great.

Also is there a good way to get laptop games onto a tv without input lag etc? I have so many steam games but I'm old enough to just really really prefer a couch can I just plug it in like a monitor? I suppose that's so easy I could find out

 

[HandshakeLine]

Play Symphony of the Night, friend. It’s where the term “metroidvania” was coined and it owns.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Play Symphony of the Night, friend. It’s where the term “metroidvania” was coined and it owns.

Yeah it's maybe the game that's been on the mental list the longest time. Like I've known about it forever.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

See I doubt I replay either. I played the hell out of it until I discovered everything I was going to naturally discover and finished it, and never looked back. Classic dungeon Zelda games are much more replayable for me.

A link to the past is still easily the best Zelda game imo, with ocarina being the closest. But the fact that breath of the wild made me enjoy a wandering open world was a hell of a feat.


I have never played a Castlevania game I don't think. Not intentionally, just hasn't happened.

I'm out of town a ton the next two weeks but I think Unicorn Overlord is going to be my next game once I'm back. I know very little about it but heard it's great.

Also is there a good way to get laptop games onto a tv without input lag etc? I have so many steam games but I'm old enough to just really really prefer a couch can I just plug it in like a monitor? I suppose that's so easy I could find out

Extra long HDMI cable?

 

[HandshakeLine]

Extra long HDMI cable?

You should see her SCSI drive.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Don't you just love it when you buy a new desk for your WFH station, only for your bozo used cars saleman CEO decides that WFH is done and everyone has to be in the office 5 days a week?

I don't even mind working in person and some sort of return to office policy, but f*** this guy

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Don't you just love it when you buy a new desk for your WFH station, only for your bozo used cars saleman CEO decides that WFH is done and everyone has to be in the office 5 days a week?

I don't even mind working in person and some sort of return to office policy, but f*** this guy

What's the commute like? And you still would have moved from Seattle knowing this, right? If not, big oof.

I'm worried about an RTO and have asked about our downtown office. They've gotten rid of most of their floors (15?) and are down to just 3. But allegedly I can use their valet parking.

 

[Empoleon8771]

What's the commute like? And you still would have moved from Seattle knowing this, right? If not, big oof.

I'm worried about an RTO and have asked about our downtown office. They've gotten rid of most of their floors (15?) and are down to just 3. But allegedly I can use their valet parking.

It's not a bad commute, I'm only 10 minutes away. My old company also was implementing a RTO mandate, but it was only 4 days a week. I was expecting it but how it was delivered (by my bozo CEO in the middle of a company all-hands) was definitely annoying.

I'm generally okay with returning to the office but I don't see a single reason why anyone should have to be in the office more than 3 or 4 days a week. 5 days a week RTO is just bullshit, there is enough busy work that people can do from home 1 day a week.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I would be devastated if they told me I had to come in to the office. I feel like very little of it has to do with productivity or work quality; its just control and not wanting to look stupid paying for empty office space. Luckily I think I'd need to change course in my career to feel worried that it might come back up for me. I'm in a position that didn't go to the office even before Covid.

 

[Pens1566]

I would be devastated if they told me I had to come in to the office. I feel like very little of it has to do with productivity or work quality; its just control and not wanting to look stupid paying for empty office space. Luckily I think I'd need to change course in my career to feel worried that it might come back up for me. I'm in a position that didn't go to the office even before Covid.

Topic came up in our company (given recent gov policy changes, and we're gov adjacent). But we've never had more than a token office space footprint and zero physical locations outside of 1 in NOVA. Only people that will be "in office" are those required to be physically present on customer locations.

I'd just retire if forced. Maybe do some consulting work on the side if things got uncomfortable. Plus, there's always onlyfans.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I do not think teaching is doable online, especially not at the university level. But I have no problems doing the rest of my job online. As is, I am only in the city I have my main university position at 2 days a week, at maximum, and they are fine with it.

 

[Deport Ogie]

I would be devastated if they told me I had to come in to the office.

Same honestly. It doesn't help that I'm part of a team that's all across the country and am the only person in Pittsburgh so they can't even play the "in person face-to-face" card. I'm definitely more productive at home than I ever was in the office.

I feel like remote had started to creep into the workforce but the c-suites were mostly still crusty old folk who refused to believe anyone who was work at home would actually work. Then covid came along and forced their hands and then they had to acknowledge that in general, productivity mostly went UP and not down once it occured.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I do not think teaching is doable online, especially not at the university level. But I have no problems doing the rest of my job online. As is, I am only in the city I have my main university position at 2 days a week, at maximum, and they are fine with it.

Oh yeah teaching in person is certainly the way to go. Some jobs it certainly does make sense. I just assume the vast majority where it makes sense to do it have already gone back in person I guess.

Topic came up in our company (given recent gov policy changes, and we're gov adjacent). But we've never had more than a token office space footprint and zero physical locations outside of 1 in NOVA. Only people that will be "in office" are those required to be physically present on customer locations.

I'd just retire if forced. Maybe do some consulting work on the side if things got uncomfortable. Plus, there's always onlyfans.

My main job is visiting customer facilities so yeah I am happy doing that, just don't make me come to some pointless office in between customers

 

[Ogrezilla]

Same honestly. It doesn't help that I'm part of a team that's all across the country and am the only person in Pittsburgh so they can't even play the "in person face-to-face" card. I'm definitely more productive at home than I ever was in the office.

I feel like remote had started to creep into the workforce but the c-suites were mostly still crusty old folk who refused to believe anyone who was work at home would actually work. Then covid came along and forced their hands and then they had to acknowledge that in general, productivity mostly went UP and not down once it occured.

Id be similar as the only Pittsburgh person in my group. We have labs here which is likely where they'd have to give me a desk. But they'd have no way to do it for the others so I'd be very annoyed.

 

[Deport Ogie]

I honestly think, in a lot of cases, RTO initiatives are not truly about returning to in-office or desk space; it's a way for companies to drive a lot of employees out without having to lay off and pay severance.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Speaking of those government changes, my old company was mandated to remove any sort of minority/women/LGBTQ+/ect organizations within the company due to the executive orders. I was genuinely disgusted when I heard that, so much for sticking up for your employees. This wasn't the one in Seattle, it was the one in Pittsburgh.

I was warming up to the idea of going back to working for that company, but it's an absolutely hard no going forward. I will never work for a company that won't stand up for their employees in the face of hate.

I'm scared this may happen to my company as well since we do get a lot of government funding, but I'd hope that my CEO would tell the government to pound sand. But like I said above, it's not like I have much confidence in this guy.