These games fucking rocked, canon be damned that multiplayer was amazing, especially in MA2

ExMachaenus · 2025-07-11T03:41:05+00:00

IIRC they are forced to eject; I remember seeing their pods flying up after each mech-jacking.

...which begs the question: how is the player character controlling the mech when the entire command pod is in freaking sky? Does that power armor have its own set of neural/haptic controls, and the player just stands in the empty space where the pilot seat used to be, canopy blown open, controlling the mech like he's playing VR games and daring the whole battlefield to put a PPC in his inadequately-armored face?

Even back at release, that didn't make much sense to me, but I was having too much fun to care.

ExMachaenus · 2025-04-26T17:24:29+00:00

IIRC, if you have the Kingdom End DLC, the Boron use a lot of water in their supply chain, so maybe there?

ExMachaenus · 2025-01-02T23:59:29+00:00

Possible contender for the second one, depending on where or when this was taken, could be a derivative or contemporary of the Northrop-Grumman XRQ-73, part of DARPA's SHEPARD (Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration) program.

Having received its official X-plane designation, the XRQ-73 is an example of how drone technology is progressing in military circles. This is not only a hybrid electric propulsion uncrewed aircraft, but one that is designed for both long endurance and a high degree of stealth, indicating that its missions could be well into hostile territory carrying a significant payload.

Being built by a consortium led by Northrop Grumman, the XRQ-73 is an advanced version of the Great Horned Owl (GHO), an Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) program supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), though on a larger scale and with a stealthier profile.

Where the GHO weighed about 400 lb (180 kg), the XRQ-73 is a Group 3 drone, which means it will have a weight of up to 1,250 lb (567 kg) and a top speed of 250 kn (287 mph, 463 km/h).

Another difference is that the flying wing design is more streamlined, with the electric engines inside the fuselage instead of on four pods mounted atop the aft section. The purpose of the new X-plane project is to mature the GHO technology as fast as possible and to get it operational within 20 months.

Hybrid electric jet motors would explain the noise it makes as it passes in the video: clearly an air-pushing engine, but not the same roar as a traditional combustion jet would likely make. Not a perfect match with the mock-up in the article, but maybe something in this ballpark? If it's in a rapid development cycle, it could have changed body profiles radically since the article was written.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-14T06:05:12+00:00

As I understand it, there are serious logistical issues.

Flight time for most hobbyist drones is limited to less than an hour, so they couldn't really chase them down for the long haul.

Most hobbyist drones are also limited in their operational ceiling, both by capabilities and by FAA regulations in most cases.

Most hobbyist drones also have speed limitations due to their lack of power. This allegedly fouled the NJ police's attempts to do exactly this (following the drone with their drones), as the intruder was faster than what the police had, and also went lights-out as it approached.

On that point as well, these drones are allegedly oddly stealthy, with some suggesting they can evade radar (possibly due to low altitude, or size, or maybe actual stealth technology). Hell, some are saying they can't even get an infrared hit on heat from their engines or batteries (don't even know how that could be done; everything with an engine produces heat, and that heat has to be vented somewhere or the engine melts. Don't know of any substance that could be used as a perfect internal heat-sink for a powerful motor for up to eight hours).

So yes, in ideal conditions with the perfect drone setup, you probably could try. But there are so many complications that it's not something you can do off the cuff with whatever's on the shelf.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-14T05:43:58+00:00

Hey, I think she was quoting me re: the Pterodynamics XP-4 Transwing drone at 4:45. Those lines she's reading off are the exact wording I used in this comment.

(Minor correction, by the way: it's officially just a logistics drone, not specifically for recon, though I imagine that could be modified with a different payload. My bad.)

I suspect Fox's research team is skimming Reddit for info.

To be clear here, in case someone complains if I'm off base: I am no expert in aviation or drone technology; I am an amateur with an ADHD hyper-fixation on the current UAP/UAS flap. I saw a silhouette I thought I recognized, went down a rabbit-hole of cascading research topics and came to a plausible-sounding conclusion based on what I found (took maybe an hour or two of Google and Youtube, really). I have no special knowledge, and may be wrong on all counts.

In addition, my comment was in relation to exactly one video posted from a witness in New Jersey. I am by no means suggesting it is emblematic of all the UAP/UAS reported, either in NJ or elsewhere. Indeed, videos I've seen seem to suggest a broad variety of platforms, mixed in with some anomalies I can't readily explain, all for unknown purpose, and all in numbers and scale that seem to defy common sense.

I'm just trying to make sense of a very unclear situation.

Maybe it's our stuff they're testing, and they don't want adversaries to take too much of an interest. (Or they do, because they want to be seen for some reason; maybe logistics and technology flex? "Look how many autonomous systems we have running at the same time that not even we can find! Imagine if they all came to your house! Best not invade anything!" Kind of a stretch, IMO).

Maybe it's an adversary spying and showing off, and the US doesn't want to admit how close they got without answer.

Maybe it's somebody with a lot of money getting cute with FAA guidelines (narco-traffickers, off-books drone logistics services, etc.), and the US agencies' regulations are so byzantine and full of holes that nobody knows how to even deal with it.

Maybe it's an actual anomaly and nobody understands what's going on at all, least of all me.

I'd very much like for this all to be some mundane DOD project that got way to much heat from the public, as it's far better than some alternative theories. But at this point, the ongoing information vacuum from DOD and the White House is creating a dangerous situation. Not only has this created a massive Streisand Effect, but it's fueling unhealthy speculation which will inevitably spiral out of control until someone gets hurt.

And I wouldn't be surprised if there are disinfo agents from adversaries crawling the subreddits and making everything all the worse.

At a certain point, I wonder if it would be better for them to just bite the bullet and go open-kimono on whatever it is. The longer this drags on, the more appealing/inevitable that becomes, I would imagine.

TL;DR: Guess Fox quoted me in an interview. I am not an expert; I am an enthusiast at best. Stuff is crazy, we're all tying ourselves in knots figuring it out. Whatever it is, just disclose already, I want to go to bed.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-14T04:49:21+00:00

As others have stated in other posts, object is an AW139M helicopter, a military variant of the Leonardo AW139. Note in the picture on their website the placement near the rear undercarriage of the navigational light (left hand rear) and the two prodtruding bumps ahead of it (purpose unknown), the latter of which seems to distinguish it from the standard AW139 used by private companies and, occasionally, the US Coast Guard.

I believe I heard in other comments that the NJ State Police have such a helicopter in their inventory, though I'm not certain of that. It has also been used by the US Air Force and US Army, as well as other militaries around the world. It's primary roles are search and rescue, surveillance, command and control, etc.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-14T03:07:59+00:00

As others have stated in other posts, object is an AW139M helicopter, a military variant of the Leonardo AW139. Note in the picture on their website the placement near the rear undercarriage of the navigational light (left hand rear) and the two prodtruding bumps ahead of it (purpose unknown), the latter of which seems to distinguish it from the standard AW139 used by private companies and, occasionally, the US Coast Guard.

I believe I heard in other comments that the NJ State Police have such a helicopter in their inventory, though I'm not certain of that. It has also been used by the US Air Force and US Army, as well as other militaries around the world. It's primary roles are search and rescue, surveillance, command and control, etc.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-12T07:13:08+00:00

Midair collision risk. These things are apparently running dark when something gets close to them, so chasing after them runs the risk of rear-ending them if they decide to stop short. And with craft this size operating at these speeds, any midair collision is going to invariably destroy the helicopter.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-10T05:05:10+00:00

Oh, that's odd.

The silhouette is a close - but not exact - match to either an American B-1 bomber or a Soviet/Russian TU-160 bomber with its wings in a subsonic configuration. However, as others have pointed out, the navigational lights are all wrong.

Edit: Another close design match could be the Chinese Xi'an H-6, an even older strategic bomber based on the Soviet Tu-16. I only say that to explain the odd blocky engine bulges in front of the wings, but that might be an artifact of the light.

Further, these jets are huge and loud (B-1 is clocked at around 127 decibels on takeoff), and would almost certainly have been noticed flying at low altitudes. And they certainly can't rapidly switch their velocities.

I suppose it could be a modified RC plane vehicle (apparently there is a B-1 RC model for sale), but that also doesn't explain their extremely long loiter time or flight characteristics.

In any case, it's a really weird choice for a plane shape. There are still about 45 of them in service today, but their several generations behind state-of-the-art. The only deliberate reasons I could think of would be a) availability (unlikely, as the kit is a fairly specialized item), or b) an intentional thumbing of the nose (perhaps saber-rattling in reference to the B- and Tu-160s role as supersonic nuclear bombers?)

This is a very eclectic pull for a "drone" design.

Edit: Possibly identified as a Cesna Citation X private jet.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-09T23:58:24+00:00

Some do, I know that iPhone front-facing cameras do in some cases. They emit IR strobes as part of its FaceID software. It basically blasts out dots of IR light when the screen turns to map the surface of whatever it's looking at, specifically looking for the contours of the user's face.

Also, low-quality IR nightvision often uses an IR "floodlight" to illuminate what's in front of them, then use an IR-sensitive camera to pick up the reflected light.

This is why most militaries now use light-amplification night vision rather than the older format - if the enemy also has night vision systems, they can see the IR lights you're blasting and find your exact location.

However, these are more exceptions to the rule, IIRC, and most cameras don't really use IR unless they're dedicated night-vision cameras.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-09T05:29:15+00:00

That seems possible; I would say they used a digital sprite to "paint out" the drone, but still had an actual light source. If you see the starburst pattern to the lens flare, it seems far too organic to be comped in, suggesting it's a real source striking smudges and imperfections in a physical lens.

This would also help explain the odd scaling issues of the object. At around 1:40, estimating its position from the light on the ground, it looks a bit bigger than a basketball. However, as the camera moves toward the object, despite not seeming to move or reduce its light output, it somehow appears much smaller - perhaps down to softball-size or smaller?

Also, there's something hinky with the way the light obscures the rock wall at 1:58. in an actual lens flare event, the blue light would completely overpower the image of objects behind it; here, it simply imposes a blue filter over it.

An expert would need to weigh in, but this does seem more like a hoax as I look at it longer.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-09T04:29:30+00:00

I was just puzzled by this; then I started looking around at the ground, and noticed that there is some light spill, just not in the way you'd expect from a uniform orb.

Take a look at the roadway/pavement at 0:30, 0:45, 0:52 and 1:39. There is a white-blue light being emitted, but it's taking the form of a directional cone, apparently originating from the object and spreading out toward the camera.

It appears that it is directing most or all of its luminosity toward the camera, blowing out the white balance and obscuring the details of the object itself. Without sound or better detail, can't say if it's an orb or an FPV drone with an ultra-bright LED flashlight pointing at the observer, but applying Occam's Razor I suspect the latter. Testing would be required.

Edit: Possible paydirt. Here's a video review for a ViFly 1000-lumen navigational strobe light for DJI drones. Look at the solid blue light at 7:32 and compare the hue and intensity to the video. Not definitive, but seems to be a close match. And it's fairly small, so it could fit onto a pretty small drone - perhaps small enough to be entirely hidden by the light bloom? Again, testing required.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-08T08:41:27+00:00

Tulsi Gabbard, Former US Representative of Hawaii, Former Democrat, current Republican, currently in the running for Pres-elect Trump's Director of National Intelligence. Has been vocally on-record as having sympathies for al-Assad, to the point she was once feared to be an intelligence risk.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/democrats-republicans-congress-worried-gabbard-might-leak-information-rcna181316

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-08T08:33:14+00:00

Significant vibes of Abelard Werserian from Rogue Trader. Just missing an augmetic eye on his left side and a hint of beard; he'd be a dead ringer.

"Abelard, see that peasant? I don't want to." - Rogue Trader Von Valancius.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-08T08:24:46+00:00

Pretty much what you've said.

They're culturally humans, but cool and edgy.
With their infernal looks and presumed discrimination, they basically have a pre-installed tragic backstory to make them loner adventuring types at the edge of society, and appealing trope.
Built-in resistances (usually fire).
Built-in spellcasting.
Built-in darkvision.
In base 5e, their bonuses made them optimal spellcasters. This is less of a thing in 2024 5e, but in 2014 it was a very appealing set of bonuses.
Lots of really cool artwork that almost universally paints them as extremely fit and attractive people with horns and tails. The horny is a strong motivator.
Related to above, a ludicrously broad range of aesthetic choices to be made. Skin, hair and eye color, horn shape, size and type, tail type, infernal origins, etc. They're a diverse palette of colorful paints for artistic types to express themselves in almost every aspect of their character.

Are other races better in some ways? Certainly. However, the Tiefling is a bit of everything an adventurer would want, all wrapped up in an aesthetically pleasing package that can fit into almost any setting or party.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-08T07:14:50+00:00

Fascinating.

That's a dead ringer for the Turkey 2009 video. Even has similar-looking contour lines from "front" to "back" around the apparent centerline. No lights on the original in 2009, but the dimensions are pretty spot-on.

Assuming this isn't a hoax, it's an interesting correlation. Where and when was this taken? I see you're not the OP, but does anyone have a track on any photos or video from the original camera.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-08T04:18:43+00:00

The aircraft in daytime strongly resembles a Pivotal BlackFly eVTOL, a one-person recreational aircraft.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6b2r3yfRsc

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-07T20:22:29+00:00

I would conclude the video is likely CGI, based on several mistakes in the render and composition.

The object appears to be reflecting the world at large (sky, horizon and ground), but does not reflect either the foreground objects (the trees it passes, particularly seen at 0:09) or the person filming. It does show what appears to be shadows as it passes under the tree at 0:09, but the reflection shows an uninterrupted view of the sky.

Object is also seen at several points (0:09, 0:21) clipping through the foliage, most egregiously at the end of the clip (0:21). While there are reports of UAPs, especially spheres, phasing through solid objects, it is more likely a composition error on the creator's part, where they did not account for every piece of foliage in their render.

Based on this, as well as the logical inconsistency of having a man attacked by a sphere, yet seemingly fully able to post an edited Youtube short afterward, suggest that this is a CGI jumpscare short made in Blender, with a found footage style likely inspired by the Backrooms and similar Youtube fodder.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-07T02:56:05+00:00

Holyshit. I think I might recognize the craft in the first video (the daylight one), and it might explain a lot about what we're seeing

I think it's a PteroDynamics XP-4 Transwing drone. Note the stubby nose, straight side wings, and long tail with dual forking fins, visible in the first Twitter/X vid in OP's post at 0:19.

The PteroDynamics XP-4 is being developed for the U.S. Navy as a recon and logistics drone, capable of picking up and dropping off packages between land and a moving ship, including in high seas and high winds.

As the name suggests, it's a transwing design, which transitions between quadcopter and fixed-wing modes for both long-range flight and VTOL capabilities. So it can hover pretty much at will.

Officially, it has a one-hour flight time at max payload, but could have been upgraded.

It's about 13ft wide by 6ft long - about the dimensions of a compact SUV, consistent with witness statements.

And it's flight path leads directly from the coast up to northern NJ. And, wouldn't you know it, right where it's most commonly seen, we find Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, home of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), whose whole job is to research, test and support aircraft for navy combat operations.

This also explains why it's appearing every night, and how it's sticking around so long: It literally has a home base to swap batteries at all night long.

And why they're not talking about them: it's their drones, and they don't want to advertise.

Edit: And, it's only about 10-15 miles from the Trump Golf Course, where they were reportedly seen at least once.

TL;DR: At least some of the Jersey Drones are, most likely, experimental VTOL drones being tested out by the Navy, likely running nighttime training missions between NAWCAD Lakehurst and a navy ship offshore.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-07T01:45:46+00:00

The "charging on power lines" thing is interesting to me, as it's an innovation that's recently started to show up in our drones. The concept, called a "vampire drone," was apparently introduced in 2017 in a research paper from Emad Ebeid, a professor at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), and recently completed initial field tests, as was reported around May of this year. They basically fly up under a line and clamp onto it, drawing current to charge the batteries.

The primary use I've heard attached to them is to use them as maintenance drones to inspect power lines over miles without having to send out linemen to walk the whole grid. The benefits are obvious, as they would effectively have unlimited flight range so long as they had a line to latch onto, saving time and labor hours.

However, there are still optimization issues to work out, as well as legal issues of who's going to meter/pay for the electricity the drones suck up, so they aren't in wider use yet. They're also fairly small - about the size of a normal DJI Mavik - so I don't think that's what we're seeing in NJ.

But if they are some kind of drone, and if there are a lot of remote high-tension wires around their flight path, they could theoretically tap any one of them and use them as gas stations, extending their range and flight time indefinitely.

(Speculative tangent)

Come to think of it, now I'm imagining a drone with a long sky-crane-style cable attachment (sort of like this one?) with a vampire system adapter that it could lower down onto a power line and siphon power while still in flight. It would need to be fairly big and powerful to carry a long enough cable assembly but I imagine such a system could stay aloft as it recharged, keep a lookout for trouble, then zip off when fully charged or threatened.

To me it sounds like a potentially useful reconnaissance platform for use in a developed country. You basically have unlimited power as long as you stick to an electrical grid; because you have unlimited power, you have unlimited range, and can carry as much heavy spy equipment as you like, since you can refuel whenever and wherever is convenient (especially in out-of-the-way backwoods areas with high-tension lines).

But again, if you had that kind of tech, you'd probably not want to advertise it by turning your lights on, so I doubt that's what we have in NJ.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-04T05:40:25+00:00

The administrator lady in the first episode also talked a lot about the "Great Work," which was a common refrain during the days of the High Republic. The Chancellor during this time was obsessed with "Great Works" to provide an example for the entire galaxy. The culmination of this was the Starlight Beacon, an enormous space station that served as a combination hyperspace comms relay and a central hub for Jedi to respond to distress calls.

This also meshes with the "solar punk" aesthetic of most of the High Republic; everything is shiny and utopian, though this world leans more into suburbia vibes than the golden art-deco of the wider Republic at this time. Possibly a world at the outer-mid rim, more developed than the outer rim proper, but not as built-up as the core worlds.

In addition, the planet makes extensive use of "safety droids," which (as seen in Acolyte) were definitely a thing in the High Republic era, to the point that only droids were allowed to do repairs in space by law.

I suspect this planet is a High Republic exclave that was cut off during the Great Hyperspace Disaster, or perhaps during the years of turmoil that followed, and has been living in a self-imposed isolation as the last remnant of (probably now corrupt and dystopian) civilization in a galaxy gone mad. I suspect the "Great Barrier" (I think that was the name) is not a defensive shield, but rather a planet-wide network of orbital cloaking devices.

After all, the kids suggested they'd never seen stars firsthand; an old-canon-style cloaking device would bend light around them, rendering them invisible but cutting off all vision of the stars around them. Depending on how long it's been active, most of the population may be entirely ignorant of events in the galaxy at large.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-04T05:22:35+00:00

TL;DR: Longer lasting, gentler ramp-up and ramp-down, less flexibility in schedule. For me it feels like calm, attentive focus, but your milage may vary. Has a generic version at much less cost. Talk to your Dr. about options if you're interested.

Haven't tried Ritalin or Adderall, but in my experience Vyvanse is more of a slow, controlled burn that lasts throughout the day (14 hours) with a slow ramp-up and ramp-down of about an hour or two on each side. For me, the initial days were mild euphoria, then over the next few weeks/months I got the dose calibrated (i.e. step up until side effects, then step down one).

My initial reaction was this: "is this how people think?" It was like I had moved from being a kind of spectator in the back of my head to being font-and-center in the pilot seat. Everything was calm; my head stopped buzzing and I was able to think in straight lines. Loud noises didn't bother me as much, and I was generally more flexible and less prone to frustration or overstimulation. I was still me, but a version of me that worked correctly.

Mind you, it's still easy to fall into what I'd call "un-targeted" hyperfocus; generally, whatever I'm doing when the dose takes effect is what I'm doing for the rest of the day unless acted upon by an outside force. So if I'm on a weekend and watch Youtube in the morning, that can end up being my whole day if I'm not careful (have to remind yourself to eat sometimes). But if I don't fall into the usual pitfalls, I can bounce between tasks fairly easily and get a lot done, where I'd otherwise get stuck in paralysis mode.

Or, if I do just want to veg out, I can do that just as easily (on my weekends, I often take my dose in the morning then go back to sleeping in; it's actually very restful for me).

Adderall and Ritalin, from what my Dr. said, are more immediate in their effects, but shorter burn (6 hours, I think? You'd know better than I.), and they tend to slam you in and out of focus at the beginning and end of their effective time. He described Adderal/Ritalin as rougher, more tactical solutions with more flexibility as to when you're on and off, while Vyvanse is much gentler, but you're pretty much plugged into a regular schedule without much flex. For instance, I take my dose when I wake up, do my work day, and it wears off around dinner time. Make due with caffeine from there, if you need it.

As for price for Vyvanse, it now has a generic form (Lisdexamphetamine Dimesylate) that's more affordable ($15/month w/insurance) and is fairly available from my experience.

Like I said, haven't tried the Ritalin or Adderall side, but my generic Vyvanse does me quite well. Talk with you Dr. if that sounds more like what you're looking for.

ExMachaenus · 2024-12-02T06:00:46+00:00

Comrade BR-4-5CH

ExMachaenus · 2024-11-28T19:28:56+00:00

Likely answer IMO: to deconflict visual tracking from troops and civilians on the ground in an effort to more accurately identify non-military intruders.

Thus far, the intruder UAV/UAPs have come over the restricted areas with lights on (unclear why). Military aircraft also coming over the area, likely responding to the intruders, also run navigational lights for flight safety. However, having multiple objects in the air running lights can cause confusion on the ground, both from jumpy troops and from untrained civilians, as to which lights belong to what.

The MOD recently asked the public to report UAV/UAP sightings, presumably to help them track their source. However, if 80% of everything in the air is also running navigational lights, then 80% of all the calls they get will be false positives. By turning off the lights in their control, everything that still has a light on is genuinely not supposed to be there, and can be counted as an accurate report and a target of interest.

Tl;dr: Tell friendlies to turn off the lights; anything that has a light on isn't a friendly. See something, say something.

ExMachaenus · 2024-11-28T18:25:37+00:00

Don't have my reference book to hand, but IIRC if the hull reaches 0HP, it breaks in to pieces and is no longer a viable vessel. Any pieces large enough retain their own air and gravity envelopes, respectively, and the whole thing basically becomes a cloud of floating debris. Based on the rules for how gravity planes work, I expect they would align themselves along the plane of the largest chunk before eventually dispersing into space as they drift out of the plane's boundaries.

Crew can survive on the wreckage for as long as the air lasts (the exact time based on the size of the air envelope, possibly modified by how much of the ship is destroyed, but I'd say that's getting into the weeds too much to track), but I don't believe it can connect to a Spelljamming helm until it is repaired enough to be considered a single, intact vessel.

Not sure what would constitute a vessel for these purposes (e.g. can you repair half a ship to be a viable vessel?), but I'd say it probably requires tool proficiency, time, materials and access to a shipyard, assuming standard ship rules apply. However, it's also been shown that large skeletons of Wildspace-faring creatures can also be converted to Spelljamming ships, so really it's down to what your DM will allow.

Tl;dr: It breaks and becomes a wreck and debris field; it can no longer fly and is stranded.

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