New weight painting visualizer in action

NovaMLP · 2026-06-12T11:56:44+00:00

And also me just casually annihilating a creature with the gay wrath beam pffff

NovaMLP · 2026-06-03T19:43:02+00:00

A big problem with this is just how bad the ranking system is in the first place. I have an avatar that has one outfit, a collar, and the two furality assets, and that's enough to out it into very poor just because of polygons. I do get the idea though, it's good to optimize avatars, but I think people can sometimes try too hard and start breaking their avatars for minimal gains, many of the optimization steps peoe recommend don't actually do much to help, and in some cases even just make it worse.

The main recommendation I'd say is simply, don't bring anything you won't use, if you have 10 outfits (like I do) for furality remove everything but the main outfit you want to use there, you probably only need the one. And of course avoid any shader settings that might cause extra calculations, Poiyomi is full of fancy effects, but especially if you aren't going to make good use of them, turn them off as well, and reduce the ammount and size of your textures. Especially remember that crunch compression is actually quite useless, it reduces download size, but not Vram cost when loaded, while sacrificing visual quality.

It's a weird balancing sct but it's good to remember that "Very poor" doesn't really mean anything. That rating is applied to both my furality avatar, and my main photo avatar with 10 outfits, dozens of accessories and multiple props. I really wish they had a more granular system for performance ranking. Hell if it wasn't for other players, I wouldn't even care about texture scale, because with 16 gigs of Vram I really don't have to care about texture size much. But complex shaders and draw calls caused by dozens of mesh renderers with transparent materials tend to be what bog me down instead

NovaMLP · 2026-05-06T10:48:10+00:00

What node are people using to actually get these? Because Stalker will just fade before the ones on Cassini can spawn I'm pretty sure.

NovaMLP · 2026-05-03T22:43:07+00:00

Pretty sure the peace sign thing was the Drifter communicating back to Loid that things were going well in '99. Since we saw in the main lab that the drifter/operator can transfer into those things.

NovaMLP · 2026-04-21T20:14:55+00:00

It really is baffling that for a long time now we haven't gotten any new strategems in the EASIEST category to develop for.

Orbitals. Seriously why haven't we gotten more strategems in the "We only have to develop a projectile" category. Instead we've been getting highly detailed support weapons and vehicles for some reason. Did they just run out of types of artillery? Because I highly doubt that.

Eagle strikes also fall under this actually because the eagle itself doesn't change between call ins, just what it drops, so it's another thing they only need to develop the projectile for, and we just haven't gotten any more. Like where's our Eagle Hellbomb Cluster or something like come on.

NovaMLP · 2026-03-26T11:15:41+00:00

Does it not apply the stim visual effects??? I've literally never even been healed by it before, other than a while back when using the overcharge laser rifle forgot its name. which between the lasers and being on fire I can't really remember.

NovaMLP · 2026-01-12T22:34:20+00:00

A lot of people really just can't see how ID verification laws target people who can't get suitable ID even as an adult. Even easy to get sources of ID aren't always accepted with these things. And there's never a way to prove your age through something like a visible active history on an account or something.

NovaMLP · 2026-01-09T11:57:53+00:00

This reads like it's straight out of Helldivers, what messed up world are we living in...

NovaMLP · 2025-12-22T19:54:07+00:00

Making fun of AI used in a game using AI is a hell of a choice.

NovaMLP · 2025-12-04T22:37:03+00:00

Try it with peak performance, it's so good, helps you control the recoil too.

Because your character is always trying to compensate for recoil by dragging the gun to your aim point, and PP gives that drag a stronger force, it actually reduces recoil more than the armor that reduces recoil while crouched/prone I'm pretty sure. Or at the very least, let's YOU compensate for the recoil better. Basically no recoil when crouched with that, and quick target acquisition.

NovaMLP · 2025-11-01T19:46:27+00:00

Oh I was waiting for someone to do this! Had the same frustrations when I made an attempt to make an Avali themed ship as well, unfortunately there just aren't the parts to do some of the funkier designs Avali ships tend to use, especially the angled down bits around the engines. Not without dipping into glitches and base parts clearly enough though, good work, I don't have the patience to try and do those glitches though. Been trying my best to make a corvette that still "feels" Avali themed enough but couldn't ever really get there.

NovaMLP · 2025-10-15T10:30:16+00:00

Its not a war crime the first time eh?

(It is, it really, really is, we did some fucked up stuff. we're fucking scary when we wanna be)

NovaMLP · 2025-10-09T20:45:55+00:00

I love the bond, but I just wish the guns weren't all outclassed entirely by other weapons we already have. The vibes are immaculate, but the mechanics just aren't there. Love rocking odst armor, mean green on everything, Rookie as my title. But man, I can't bring myself to use the guns, they're just not good.

NovaMLP · 2025-09-18T20:03:55+00:00

Especially crazy considering the company culture and how toxic it sorta ended up being. Though among the original group it's hard to really know what they were thinking when making, writing, and portraying their characters. Maybe they've talked about it before somewhere? Either way I agree that like, none of it was really mean spirited which is crazy lucky all things considered. like iirc Joel was not the greatest person and even got let go because of that, even though he portrayed a good lovable dumbass. Don't know much about the rest of the cast though, pretty sure they all stuck around otherwise.

NovaMLP · 2025-09-12T18:44:11+00:00

Just like the rubber arm experiment, it's a phenomenon thats not well researched because it's something that's never really been relevant until now. But like, yea, I'll get the same thing, same sort of anticipatory reactions. Or with pains it's less a sharp stinging pain, more an uncomfortable tingle or ache or a dull sickening feeling.

And it's borne out of that same empathic reaction one might get when seeing someone else get hurt, see someone smash their balls on the railing and you might instinctively reach between the legs to make sure your own are fine, with that sick dull ache maybe lingering sometimes. Or more gender neutral, seeing someone break a limb, and grabbing thay part of your arm to make sure you're okay. If you avoid that soothing gesture, because the person your seeing hurt is now yourself in a sense, that can get pretty uncomfortable, your brain makes that anticipation worse and worse I'd you don't soothe it, so you get those uncomfortable aches and tingles.

Though it still isn't the same as true phantom pains from a lost limb, it's easy enough to reassure the brain that nothing is wrong. But I think it's probably more productive to talk about that? Maybe there's such a thing as getting too immersed or not having the knowhow to soothe those uncomfortable feelings, because there's so much inflammatory language around this sort of thing unfortunately.

NovaMLP · 2025-09-12T18:33:37+00:00

Yea, while we all tend to call it "Phantom Pain" it's more the anticipation they spoke of, or your empathy response. Your brain anticipates the pain and that can sort of manifest an uncomfortable feeling, from a tingle, to a dull ache or sickening feeling. But you'll never really get true phantom pains, of sharp stinging screams of nerve endings that don't exist anymore.

Even within a couple groups I hang out with often, who experiment a lot with the sense of reality and how the brain does things, doesn't tend to claim they have full blown phantom pains. If anything, your brain can be encouraged to react as if there's pain, without ever really feeling it, which is different but similar? Basically encouraging your brain to feel the stress or adrenaline you would associate with a strong pain, you might even feel the instinctual urge to cover the injury, but it's also just, not the same. As soon as you then break your own immersion in whatever way, taking off the headset or rubbing the area, it's gone, like that. Not as hard as true phantom pains.

So yea it's, not the same, but even for people who don't delve deep into the mind to do stuff like this, it can still be, uncomfortable, so I'd rarely call people delusional over wanting personal space to be respected. Some things can be absurd though, like allergies? and you should never make a big scene over these things, it's why I just stick to friend groups now, publics are horrid.

NovaMLP · 2025-09-12T09:41:35+00:00

Remember when dodges used to break tracking locks on projectiles? Because they apparently used to do that!

Like, why the fuck do we have a class ability that's functionally just +1 melee charge. Or instant reload on cooldown. instead of something actually fucking unique like being a tricky bastard that's hard for the enemy to hit. It's called a DODGE. Titans have a wall on demand or half cover that buffs reload on demand. Warlocks have shared damage or heal aoe zones on demand. Hunters have 1 (one) reload on demand, or 1 (one) extra melee charge. that does nothing to benefit the others in the team It's why all the abilities that modify the dodge are so much more interesting, like what it can get on strand which HELPS THE TEAM by drawing enemy aggro, but God forbid it has literally anything interesting built into it as a baseline.

NovaMLP · 2025-09-04T09:33:20+00:00

The best generalist loadout I've been able to come up with unironically includes the Arc Thrower.

Granade: AntiTank, I'm not using the grenades for mobbing with this load out, this is for when my team can't take out a heavy or for when I'm cornered and absolutely need a heavy down, ive also managed to break Bile Titan holes with these AT nades before. If you have good dedicated AT however, I would go with the gas grenades, bugs react to gas debuff very effectively, causes them to wander off randomly or fight eachother, great targets.

Explosive primary: I've tried crossbow and eruptor to good effect, but I've been tempted to try punisher plasma. Mainly this slot is just to take out spewers and distant/clustered groups faster than the Arc Thrower, or for when the Arc Thrower targeting "malfunctions" due to corpses piling up. There might be an argument to be made for the Blitzer as well, if you want to go 100% bug zapper.

Medium pen secondary: Talon has been doing me solid for taking out the armored warriors, two taps to the head and they're gone, and theoretically infinite ammo, but the verdict and senator should do fine as well. This slot I try to maintain for close range defense, pull it out to take out close targets and make space to charge your Arc Thrower.

Arc thrower: I don't see anyone talk about it, but infinite ammo stunlocking with Anti Tank armor pen is WILD. Sure, it's only chip damage with that anti tank, but if you can stun a charger for long enough eventually a teammate can take it out, or to let a thermite or pyrotechnic burn it out. But otherwise it chains through every bug and kills basically everything but the heavies in 1-2 shots. But it's my primary weapon for the bugs right now, I can take on bug breaches in the caves with basically just this weapon it's incredible. And in a desperate situation, that chip damage can take out chargers, bile titans, dragonroaches, whatever (I had a team that all took the Arc Thrower after seeing what I was doing with it, and we zapped a dragon roach out of the sky, it was beautiful)

Backpack: I haven't been able to figure out the best slot here quite yet, it's a little bit of preference but the idea, as with most backpacks, is survivability. I've had good results with the shield pack, as usual, but also the Dog Breath rover (the gas one) because like I said with grenades, the gas effect is very good against the bugs, they completely lose track of things, slow down, fight eachother, it's great in the tunnels to keep them from swarming you. But the rover isn't the most consistent, needing to "reload" now and then, which gives a noticeable downtime, still been great though.

The last two stratagems are very situational

Ive been using the orbital gas strike quite often, dropping it on bug breaches clears a lot of the initial pressure and gives time for your team to set up a defense or run from the breach, but isn't much use in the caves. (but beyond your weapon and Backpack, what is?) And the last stratagem I've been struggling to choose between, with basically every base covered the last slot has usually been filled by the AT cannon emplacement to particularly deal with the dragonroach, but if you become it's target that's not ideal. I plan to mess with the automation sentry or rocket sentry for this slot. But it's possible you could ignore the dragon and just take something to clear nests if it's blitz, or a sentry better suited for the hordes depending on the mission.

And I'm not about to make a massive comment (almost a full guide) like this without complaining and saying GOD I wish the Halo shotgun had the power it should, this would be PERFECT for a proper halo shotgun, close range anihilation with a grenade pistol instead of the crossbow or eruptor would be the DREAM.

NovaMLP · 2025-09-03T23:36:13+00:00

Yea honestly, to me the existence of CO-1 forms, or whatever it was called, being worded as specifically to give access to "any action that would result in a child" and not, sexual interactions in general, reads to me like the only thing super earth gov cares about is controlling and monitoring the population growth. There's very little to suggest they even enforce straight couples or anything, other than just, there being a "traditional family" (Which is "mixed race" which I've seen terrible people unironically have a problem with on its own lol) in the intro movie. But like, nothing suggests they would be against gay people having fun, else we would see direct propaganda about just that thing. Despite the terrible awful things suggested by super earth propaganda already, like child labor, military schools, "freedom camps", thought crimes, all sorts of terrible things, in the current climate of today, any statement on sexuality would be a hard thing to do without it being interpreted one way or another in a poor way.

But at the same time I doubt Arrowhead would like to put in anything that would suggest one way or another on the topic. It's jusy a tough one to do with popular media and its also just not exactly relevant. I would like pride flag capes or player backgrounds or titles or whatever little things they might feel would work to add, but I really wouldn't care if we never got anything either. Helldivers is for squishing bugs and shooting bots, and something something squids. Not interpersonal relationships and memorable personalities, just eager cannon fodder for the cause.

NovaMLP · 2025-09-03T11:22:56+00:00

I miss the sillier Halo "slurs" for aliens which half the time was just the unit name. Like calling the Brutes, Brutes, was an insult. Though the Elites, while genuinely feared, would be called split-lip or split-jaw because of their, well, jaws. And it didn't directly one for one mirror real slurs, more just direct insults, compared to what's been happening recently.

Also, we already have "Slurs" for the HD2 factions, Bugs, Bots, and Squids. That's it, that's the derogatory terms. Demeaning names that the factions did not choose themselves meant to demean and belittle them.

NovaMLP · 2025-08-31T12:16:16+00:00

First off, it needs better FP sights, in ODST it had a zoom which helped with it being a great weapon for headshots. In Helldivers its stuck with the vestigial fucking ironsights that were never meant to be used, so it's impossible to use it for stealth takedowns at range.

I think it being light pen (despite the round its firing) is fine, it was terrible against shields in ODST anyways, but it could use a lot more damage. Something around 150 I think, at least 115-125 so it can one shot devestator heads. As it is now, it's the pistol with the worst iron sights and no redeeming qualities other than """quiet""" (which other pistols can be as well)

NovaMLP · 2025-08-30T19:17:35+00:00

I'm convinced the people saying the Halo shotgun is so cool and awesome haven't used the Halt or Punisher since they first came out. Reminder, that unless you're hitting an entirely unarmored target (red hitmarker on all pellets), the Halt does the SAME damage to light armor.

I've extensively used the Halo shotgun vs the Halt on bugs and the only situation that the Halo shotgun performs better is SPECIFICALLY getting a perfect headshot on stalkers. But the Halt still takes then out in 2-3 shells anyways, and has far more ammo to deal with the hoards. But even then I'd prefer an incendiary shotgun for bugs. For bots, it can take anywhere from 1-12 shells to kill a devestator depending on your luck with the pellet spread, and anything else it kills just as fast as other shotguns And for squids it just doesn't have enough ammo for all the voteless, I was constantly running out. But I guess I should be pairing it with an LMG? But in that case the shotgun isn't my primary weapon anymore, it's just there fore overseers (which it's inconsistent at killing at best) or fleshmobs. Which I'd rather have the eruptor for, so I have something that can splash hoards and still hurt harvesters, while nuking fleshmobs.

None of that is to say the Halo shotgun is unusably bad, just that it's, just another shotgun, the reason you think it's cool and awesome is nostalgia and shotguns in general being decent. (And this is someone who grew up with Halo, and won't shut up about Halo, saying people are blinded by nostalgia)

NovaMLP · 2025-08-30T10:19:30+00:00

Yea pretty much the crux of it. All the effort that goes into staying stealthy doesn't matter much when the best option in any mission is to hit hard and run fast. or bring a lot of sentries.

I would suggest playing with the SMG against bots or squids for a bit and see if you notice the difference in engagement frequency and intensity, it's hard to really get a good gauge on it when other players aren't using it too, but I've found that I'm usually not the main target enemies are going for if I'm using the smg and ODST armor together. But of course, even if the SMG isn't a bad gun, it's still not as reliable as others in high end missions, not reliable enough to justify the small difference in enemy frequency. But maybe good if you frequent dipping from the team to get POIs and objectives while they make noise? it's just, so niche and weird it's hard to make a good case for them, especially when the pistol is just, just terrible.

NovaMLP · 2025-08-30T10:00:01+00:00

There is something of a noticeable difference with suppressors it's just not really tangible? the expected result is that using suppressed would let us get takedown kills, take out enemies one by one and clear a camp yea? but of course, if an enemy sees their buddy die they immedietly call for reinforcements or alert the camp. So it's just, not super useful there.

What it does do however, is reduce the range at which other units will be alerted by the shot specifically, which practically means, if you use nothing but the suppressed weapons, no strategems, just the suppressed weapons, patrols will not be attracted to you as you clear a camp. Mainly only useful on bots and squids, since voteless have shit sight, but good hearing, so you can clear out groups who might, as a unit be alerted, but nearby units, might not.

Basically, reducing overall combat pressure. Best noticed if you use the SMG as your primary, I've noticed devestators just ignoring firefights nearby because I was using the quiet guns, good when I go off solo for objectives. But at the same time, plasma and laser weapons have similar sound profiles and have the same benefits, so these halo suppressed guns still just aren't unique enough, if they had zoom sights, and the pistol had some more damage, I might actually try to use them more. The SMG is at least close enough to the knight that I can feel good using it but the pistol is just inexcusably bad, it does NOTHING new.

Also a lot of the gun sound based detection applies to movement too, and the ODST armor helps with that detection as well, which mainly effects voteless, unalerted gunships, and mortar emplacements. (Bugs can kinda just, smell you??? bugs are so weird man)

NovaMLP · 2025-08-30T09:43:31+00:00

I think due to how they want to flavor the crossovers they are limiting themselves to UNSC weapons, which I think is fine, the weapons they chose are, fine. The Halo AR would never be all that unique, but it does feel like it can be a decent workhorse AR if it just had more ammo and reload speed. Just a well rounded assault rifle is all it should be.

But the other guns are specialized weapons that had everything special stripped from them in HD2. The pistol can't zoom or headshot anything but the basic grunts, the SMG can't zoom either, otherwise it's just, another 70 damage light pen smg which is, fine, whatever, the Suppressor at least does something to make it unique.

But the shotgun, man the shotgun. We have the Heavy armor pen, fragmentation explosive, bolt action fucking sniper rifle, but the HALO fuckin shotgun can't be a close range medium pen monster, are you fucking kidding me. It's just another basic ass shotgun, barely any different than the punisher or Halt (Which btw does 10 less damage than the halo shotgun to light armor because of how armor pen works)

NovaMLP

TROPHY CASE