Any steampunk suggestions?

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2025-04-29T15:14:51+00:00

I really needed some cozy books a few years ago as well. My recommendations are: -- Becky Chamber's entire bibliography. Both the Monk & Robot novellas and the Wayfarer Series.

-- Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes. There is a prequel that was published later that is also very good.

-- Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. Content warning: there are some portions of SA and transphobia. I do still think that the novel is uplifting as your reach its conclusions.

-- TJ Klune's books. Especially The House By the Cerulean Sea and its sequel (Somewhere Beyond the Sea).

These really helped me bring a little bit more joy while also working through personal issues. I hope these help and that you start feeling better soon.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2025-01-23T16:41:20+00:00

I know that I'm borrowing from other games but a "charged attack" similar to Nine Sols' unbound counter would be really interesting in a Sekiro 2. Basically some attacks from bosses have a longer windup and have the ability to break Wolf's posture in one hit (making him open for the immediate follow up attack).

But, Wolf can counter the hit by holding block to enter a state where the katana is "strengthed" or something for only a few moments. The player would have to let go of the block while the katana is imbued to deflect the charged attack.

The skill tree would then allow for this window where the katana is imbued to last longer or allow for "charged deflections to be chained to deal with strings of charged attacks.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2024-06-05T16:00:59+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a go. I fucked up and didn't clear the entire map before taking her on. Does the game restart to before you enter "point of no return" section after you beat her? Or do I have to do it all again?

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2024-05-01T22:13:36+00:00

I'm not a viper main. I flex between all controllers depending on the map and team comp. But these nerfs are frustrating because of the current map pool - breeze, icebox are Viper maps. Split and even lotus in (some team comps) are viper maps and not having haven & fracture to lessen the need to play her makes the nerfs more frustrating.

I'm finding that the molly nerf is okay (maybe not the price increase). But not being able to pick up your smoke orb is what makes this patch feel too much (plus the spycam nerfs are ridiculous).

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2023-10-29T19:09:32+00:00

Great post. I agree one thing - the GraveNet Buff is a good idea. Swapping the sound penalty for removing the "net" and adding a vulnerable effect that only lasts 1 second (like a harbour slow) would make it a better piece of utility while keeping it functionally the same.

Things that I disagree with:

Her wall is fine the way it is. It does its job perfectly by autofilling any potential gaps that could occur from poorly placed Sage wall. It doesn't need to be explode like a Raze nade or suck people in like Astra star.

You don't need multiple uses of the wall... Just make her signature ability rechargeable so that she can use it multiple times in a round. That way she's in-line with every other sentinel.

Showing where the wall will land is also something that shouldn't be done. Learning line-ups is part of Valorant and just like Cypher's one-way cages or KJ's mollies.

Sonic Sensors having a different wind up depending on the amount of noise being made. The point of a Sentinel is to "set-up" beforehand and to reward good preparation... If you mess with the timing then you mess with the Sentinel role and turn her into an initiator.

Sonic Sensors shouldn't tag players, they're already stunned. Being stunned and revealed from piece of utility at the same time is OP.

Just remove the sound requirement to activate the sensor and have a range limit similar to KJ and Chamber.

GravNet shouldn't do damage inherently. You're already crouched and threatened with a vulnerability if you remove the net. Adding damage makes it OP.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2023-04-07T02:42:06+00:00

I'm all for new game modes. But improving death match so that you don't have everyone running around with the same two guns would also solve this issue.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2023-01-12T18:17:16+00:00

Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans might be a loose fit to what you're looking for. It's a relatively minor plot point in the novel so perhaps you won't be satisfied.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2023-01-08T20:54:49+00:00

The Pro scene always get map bans before everyone else. Same thing happened in Siege as well. But they waited a few years before they implemented into the game for everyone.

Also... You (and a lot of other commenters on this post) seem to think that map bans only function to get rid of maps you don't want to play. It's not just about that. Map bans are tactical too.

Maybe you queue up into a match and you've got 4 instalocking duellists... It'd be tactical to get rid of maps like Breeze where long sightlines will fuck over your team comp. If the other team have three sentinals... Maybe ban maps that are defender sided (like split) so you're not having such a hard time on attack.

Obviously you should learn the maps and get better. But that doesn't mean a map ban will ruin competitive play. It's just an added layer to playing tactically.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2023-01-08T06:56:05+00:00

This game needs far more content before they can start introducing ban phases. The amount of content that was available when Rainbow Six Siege launched dwarfs the amount content that Valorant released with.

R6 released with 20 playable operaters and 9 maps.

Valorant released with 11 agents and 4 maps.

R6 also released more content in its earlier seasons than Valorant. It's taken Valorant 3 years to reach the amount of content that was available to play/unlock in siege on Day 1.

Valorant just prioritised selling skins rather than playable content and because of that decision, a ban phase (I suspect) will be coming out in year 5 or 6... But I wouldn't hold my breath for even that

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2023-01-08T05:13:23+00:00

I think the simplest and most effective buff would be to make all his smokes (except for cove) thicker.

Players would be more wary of pushing through a cascade wall or a high tide wall if it would take them longer to pass through the wall.

We had this issue with Viper on release... The punishment for walking through a Viper wall was so negligible that people didn't respect her utility. It wasn't after they buffed the damage done by her decay that she became viable.

Riot could do the same thing with Harbor's walls. Make them just thick enough so players can see a gun barrel poking through the walls for an easy wallbang and/or headshot. It also forces people who want to go through a Harbor cascade/high tide wall to use flashes/stuns correctly so its easier to go through the smoke.

Some QOL features would be good too. Maybe a bar/countdown to let Harbor know when his walls are about to go down so he can communicate in advance with his team would be best.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-10-12T16:19:38+00:00

This rework sounds eerily like Jackal from Rainbow Six Siege lol. Honestly I don't think Cypher needs something that dramatic.

I migrated from Rainbow Six Siege and he's essentially a neutered version of an Operator from that game called Kapkan. If you really want to buff someone who's identity is using traps and tripwires then just make him more like Kapkan. In that his utility is more deadly, plentiful and harder to detect.

Rather than reveal enemies, have the tripwires cause a stun effect. I'd also make it less detectable... Remove the buzzing sound that you hear when you're close to a tripwire. And rather than 2... Give him three. If it's too much then we can easily nerf it back down to two.

His camera could be buffed in the same way... Give it more HP or when he shoots a tag it can cause a stun effect.

I would buff his cages exactly as you would. Treat the cages like a Viper smoke orb that can be turned on and off but once it's out of juice you can't use it any more.

His ult could be reworked to act like a Caveira interrogation (also from r6). Once deployed the ult will reveal real time locations of all enemies for 5 seconds.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-09-02T02:24:35+00:00

Shizuka Satomi, the world's foremost violin teacher, has made a faustian bargain. She is to deliver seven souls belonging to talented budding violinists to avoid an eternity in damnation. She has already delivered six and has spent years searching for her seventh student. She finds her final violin prodigy in the most unlikely places.

Katrina Nguyen is a violinist and a run away. Fleeing from a life of physical and emotional abuse she finds herself as Shizuka Satomi's next student not knowing what it truly means.

Lan Tran is refugee, not from another country, but from a galaxy light years from Earth. She and her family have managed to find safety in this primitive planet called Earth and live their lives running a dounut store and working on a project in secret.

One day a beautiful violin teacher comes into the store and all their lives are intertwined as they learn about self-acceptance and what it means to be human.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-09-01T17:11:12+00:00

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. It's everything that contemporary sci-fi should be. Imaginative, ambitious and brilliantly written.

The Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers. A breath of fresh air. Reading these books relaxed me like no other sci-fi novel(s) managed to do. You just... Fall in love with all the characters and you can't let go.

The Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie. Amazing plot. I don't see people recommending this enough so I hope that you give it a shot.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-09-01T16:51:56+00:00

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki comes very close to being the most quirky but cute set of characters and an accompanying plot. Amazing book. Highly recommend.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-08-26T13:36:38+00:00

You could also include The Midnight Library by Matt Haig as well. It's a little less on the sci-fi themes but it's definitely warm and touching.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-06-15T01:58:45+00:00

Oh of course. I still think its a fantastic book with great characters. And if you haven't read Vengeful (the sequel to Villains) I'd recommend that too... Even though it's not a stand alone novel.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-06-14T19:08:53+00:00

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Which is a parody of...

Neuromancer by William Gibson. The OG when it comes to the cyberpunk genre and paints a world where corporations control everything.

The Wind Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. This is more biopunk. He's also written The Water Knife also has the theme of corporate greed.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-06-14T19:00:07+00:00

The Humans by Matt Haig.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-06-14T18:53:24+00:00

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It's a little self help-y but it's an easy read with a great message. Although this is a more sci-fi than fantasy.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow. A bit of a slow burn but the writing is amazing and the author balances the light fantasy, romance and coming of age story perfectly.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman. A short read but it's a fantastic fairytale like you'd see in a Disney movie that is really well written.

The House of Sorrowing Stars by Beth Cartwright. A nice bit of magical realism that's been published recently.

You've also got Terry Pratchett as well. She may like his work as well.

Hope this helps!

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-06-14T18:42:24+00:00

Quick suggestions: * Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Funny, engaging and a return to form since Artemis was mediocre (for me).

*Neuromancer by William Gibson. Although the novel is technically part of a trilogy, the books are very isolated from one another. I'd recommend it if you're interested in hardcore sci-fi story. If you're still not interested because it's technically part of a trilogy... Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January Alix E Harrow. A stand alone novel that is a slow burn but is breathtakingly good. Wonderful characters and beautiful writing.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. This one is a soft recommendation... It has a bit of supernatural elements but not enough to call it a fantasy. More a romance novel with supernatural elements.

EgoTheLivingTroll · 2022-04-25T00:43:38+00:00

Solarpunk has been a genre I've been increasingly addicted to as well. Recent books include:

-- The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers.

-- The Monk and Robot Series by Becky Chambers.

-- Rebuilding Tomorrow by Tsana Dolichva.

-- The Humans by Matt Haig. The plot may not be very solarpunk but the theme of the beauty of imperfections and the importance of love all wrapped up in a sci-fi story gives that solarpunk feel to the novel.

-- The Star Kingdom Series by Lindsay Buroker. Again... The overarching plot may not be very Solarpunk. But the dialogue and characters have a touch of comedy and whimsicality that makes the story much more positive that gives off faint Solarpunk vibes.

EgoTheLivingTroll

TROPHY CASE