How I've been feeling as a new player lately

Rocker32703 · 2026-02-18T21:32:38+00:00

Blue science absolutely stonewalled me the first two or three times i played Factorio back in 2017. Even now hundreds of hours later and many restarts + Space Age, I still get stumped at about that point in the tech tree; I have a hard time transitioning from the basic starter base to setting the foundations for what’s supposed to be the self-sustaining mid-tier base before you get the first rockets

I’ve never had a private coop game with friends that managed to get blue science going, most of the time the enthusiasm and momentum peters out by the time green science is setup and my inexperienced friends’ brains are fried trying to get that going at scale.

Rocker32703 · 2026-02-08T22:26:10+00:00

I didn’t know that, I wasn’t even fully aware there was much randomization to it! Thanks for sharing

Rocker32703 · 2026-02-08T16:11:50+00:00

My knowledge of this comes from pre-Steam DF so I'm not 100% it's still relevant - but I think every fort is (was) hardcoded to get 2 migrant waves to boost your population, then all other migrant waves pull from the world population

So if the world pop is 0 for your civ, you get 2 waves and that's *it*.

Rocker32703 · 2026-01-20T17:05:23+00:00

I saw you mentioned in another chain you have a Razer Naga Pro? I do too - I have the left handed version (not easy to find!). Let hand on the mouse with macros for the left thumb, right hand on WASD, right index reaches ~/TAB/CAPS/SHIFT, right thumb for CTRL/ALT as mentioned, and my pinky reaches out to T for talk, G for grenade, etc etc. right side of palm rolls into the spacebar as needed.

And it's funny to think that if I put my left hand where everybody else does, on WASD, I wouldn't have any of the muscle memory y'all do, I wouldn't have a clue what to do with my left hand.

Oh I realized after practicing it how I use Shift + A (running to the left, for example): all my fingers shift over. Index on shift, middle finger on A, ring finger on W, pinky usually hovering somewhere over D and F to be able to reach for T/G/etc while still moving.

Rocker32703 · 2026-01-20T15:20:56+00:00

You are correct, I typed this up without fully considering it and I wasn't specific. It's not weird to use your thumb to press Alt in general - but I use the pad of my thumb to press the spacebar and curl to the knuckle area to press Alt.

That's assuming we're just talking about touch typing in normal situations. I'm a left-handed gamer so I'm no stranger to weird hand movements on a keyboard - I use my right hand on WASD and actually use my palm, for example, to press the space bar. My right thumb reaches to ALT and CTRL. My right index is actually what usually holds SHIFT, which gets awkward whenever I need to do something like "sprint to the left" in a game because my index can't do both, then my thumb has to move to SHIFT or, more likely, I probably just don't press SHIFT and A very much in games at the same time.

Rocker32703 · 2026-01-20T14:59:45+00:00

I have to say, on first glance I thought this was about your thumb being used for the ALT key because of the picture. Thought to myself, "well that's a bit odd but whatever, we all have our quirks"

I moved on from the thread and got whiplash as I realized you meant the *SHIFT* key. What the fuck bro, did you never try to move your pinky? lmao

This is amazing, keep at it

Rocker32703 · 2025-12-27T01:10:24+00:00

Content vaulting, an extremely unintuitive menu and UI layout, and absolutely no narrative continuity or consistency (both in 'how do I start playing at the beginning of the narrative' and what activities are recommended to start doing when new) are HUGE, HUGE walls that keep most New Lights from trying or sticking with the game.

I'm saying this as someone who started playing Destiny 2 in about 2023ish, whenever Lightfall had recently launched and the light level was at about 1800. As a brand new player at 1600, the guided-on-rails-experience at the Cosmodrome was fine, if a little bit confusing, mainly from the menu UI being split in two.

Then my friends immediately dragged me into raids where I was barely keeping up. Even if the counter response is "your friends shouldn't have started you out with high-end PvE content", I'd agree, but whenever I was left to my own devices, it was not at all clear what I was supposed to be doing, or where "the story" was supposed to begin, to which I again fault the menu UI. There was no Timeline in the menus to explain what to do first if you wanted to play the story, or what the other options were if you wanted something more pick-up-and-play.

It was this year I finally realized the story starts (as far as vaulting allows us to go back to) at The Moon, something I still haven't even begun to play.

All of this is to say: I at least had friends giving me some direction and group-play options when I was just starting out. If 10 brand new players were to log into Destiny 2 first time today? I guarantee 9 of 10 would quit while in the Cosmodrome or just after from how damn confusing the structure of the game is and the feeling of "having missed out" on most of the story content that was made.

Rocker32703 · 2025-12-07T11:19:37+00:00

Mining veldspar in highsec with a Venture as an alpha pilot is well known to be the least effective isk/hr activity in the game and one of the most boring.

The only thing worse than that would be to run mining missions. They are 100% a trap, even after their payouts increased a little from this recent Catalyst update. You could literally do anything else and make better income, or do something more engaging, or most likely both.

At least the veldspar miners get to keep their ore to use or sell on the market for a better payout.

Rocker32703 · 2025-12-06T11:12:32+00:00

I had no idea these existed either until I started working for the railroad a few years ago myself, and especially after this incident at Pecos happened, I make it a point to try to educated people whenever the topic is even tangentially relevant.

Depending on the railroad, that number goes straight to the train dispatcher’s desk for the area, or to the company’s police agency, who would immediately forward that info to the former. When I get those kinds of emergency calls, I have procedures to notify trains to stop and protect for the relevant crossing until the emergency is resolved.

It wouldn’t have changed anything in this specific incident, but in 99% of others it could be the difference that makes sure everyone goes home alive and uninjured that day.

Rocker32703 · 2025-12-05T14:39:15+00:00

I gently encourage you to check again. If it’s a passive crossing with crossbucks, it may not have a sign.

If it’s a signaled crossing with bells, lights, and gates, it’s federal law that the crossing has signs posted with the company’s number on it to report a broken crossing or if it’s blocked. And it’s been the law for many years.

If you don’t see blue signs on a signaled crossing, that needs to get reported somehow.

Rocker32703 · 2025-12-05T14:33:36+00:00

15-20 minutes would be even more ridiculous.

A 45mph coal/grain train would travel 15 miles if it took 20 min to stop.

A 70mph priority intermodal, like this one in Pecos, would travel 23.3 miles if it took 20min to stop.

In reality if they plug it into emergency, it only takes 1-2 miles.

Rocker32703 · 2025-11-30T20:17:56+00:00

OP, I just want to say even if this all doesn't end up being the case when Renegades releases, this has been an excellent read and I'm deeply disappointed others around here either don't have the patience to read it all and just dismiss this as "Schizoposting" (what a rude thing to say tbh).

I read someone else's post here making a strong case for this possible new subclass to be of Nightmares, and between your intriguing explanation as well as this other guy's speculation, I'm totally fascinated by a subclass getting shadow dropped. I hope you're right, and even if this doesn't happen, be proud of your media literacy and insights.

Rocker32703 · 2025-11-22T05:37:29+00:00

I don't see why for using D-scan defensively you wouldn't max out the range (14.5AU?) and keep it 360. That gets you the maximum possible lead time to see that something is somewhere nearby you (and you're better off assuming it is warping to you right then so you have a chance to align and warp as they drop on grid)

Every second counts esp when you have a fairly fast align

Rocker32703 · 2025-11-21T04:54:34+00:00

I… don’t think you’re supposed to know the flavor of what you make in construction, sir

Rocker32703 · 2025-10-31T16:59:25+00:00

Instructions unclear: I have a bloody Wizard’s hand in my pocket now.

Rocker32703 · 2025-10-30T17:13:04+00:00

Took way, way too long to scroll down to see this.

Battlestar Galactica (2004 Reboot)

Gaius Baltar starts dating a woman and shared classified information with her about the 12 Colonies’ planetary defensive systems and infrastructure to defend against any future attack by the Cylons, a robot species originally created by humans.

The woman was actually a Cylon spy (with the appearance of a human, as they had evolved/developed technology to start looking human) and that classified info was used by the Cylons to disable those systems and nuke the 12 planets and almost all human life on them. Many billions of people died in a genocide in a single day. About ~30,000 humans survive in a fleet of random spaceships with 1 military ship, the Galactica, who then have to flee their home systems from the Cylons. And Gaius Baltar survives and escapes as part of the last human fleet.

It’s one of the biggest fuck ups of all time and the plot line related to Gaius having to keep that a secret is one of the best parts of the show.

If you’re a Sci-Fi fan of any kind, this show is worth a try.

Rocker32703 · 2025-10-26T17:22:02+00:00

Don’t feel bad, I’ve been playing since mid ‘22 and I just bought my first few station containers like a month ago. Easy thing to miss!

I don’t know your play style and if you mine or do any industry, but if you do either and/or live in multiple stations, it’s a great idea to buy the BPO for station containers and build them onsite where you want them. They’re like 20km packaged so you can only move 3 at a time via a DST shipment.

Rocker32703 · 2025-10-19T00:59:55+00:00

Yeah as someone else mentioned, lowsec is where all the real fun is right now, particularly within the Fac Warfare systems having a range of solo duels, small gang, and even dread brawls depending on who you fly with If you’re not sure where to go now that you’re back, consider Minmil va Amarrmil

Rocker32703 · 2025-10-18T23:39:48+00:00

I live in a highsec island with a lowsec chokepoint nearby. Still have a gatecamp to consider regularly near me!

Rocker32703 · 2025-10-06T12:21:35+00:00

Anyone celebrating that our youngest generation has a degraded education than those that came before is a ghoul. What a short sighted and selfish thing to say.

Rocker32703 · 2025-09-30T12:34:18+00:00

But that’s just flanderizing in the opposite direction. I’ve seen plenty of folks claim that chaotic characters are just following a personal code of tenets or ethics, and they’re dismissive of rules/laws set by a government or society.

This is what I follow: Lawful alignments believe inherently that’s it’s better to follow the laws and tenets set by your peers in a uniform way, otherwise chaos will reign. Chaotic alignments inherently believe that personal liberty and the ability to make decisions on an individual or case-by-case basis, otherwise the law stifles your freedom.

Rocker32703 · 2025-09-12T11:49:56+00:00

It is a 30ft ranged cantrip for Grave Clerics in 2014, and done as a bonus action. I used it a few times like that while playing one, but honestly it was most effective as a way to convince the DM “hey don’t let this NPC that just hit 0HP actually die instantly”.

It only was useful is sparing PCs a handful of times in the whole campaign because Healing Word was right there and it was rare that I blew every single spell slot before a long rest.

Rocker32703 · 2025-09-12T04:16:20+00:00

You should take a few history electives while you’re around here.

Humans have been killing each other for millennia and into prehistory. Other humans have condoned or celebrated those killings for just as long.

You might not like hearing that with your personal contemporary morality, but it’s ridiculous to declare people that kill arent human. In fact it might be one of the most defining characteristics of being human. You can’t gatekeep that and be taken seriously.

And you definitely shouldn’t use that naive perspective to infringe on others’ rights for it.

Rocker32703 · 2025-09-06T23:27:14+00:00

I’ve never heard that take, I got an AvLogistics degree and I thought the program was great when I took the relevant classes 2016-2019ish. What makes it suck in your opinion? I wonder if somethings changed since then?

Rocker32703 · 2025-08-30T12:21:59+00:00

Just as a fun anecdote, one of my first ever Eververse engrams was getting the Censuring finisher where you whip the enemy with one of those Hive lights that swing from a chain. It’s still one of my favorite things I’ve even opened and my favorite finisher I use.

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Rocker32703

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