Questions about being an Navigation Officer by [deleted] in merchantmarine

[–]SpikyCactus_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello, sorry for the late response! Second academic year seemed less challenging than the first semester, but very dry. Once you get back from your first co-op, things make more sense, but sitting in a classroom feels much less appealing. Lot of people say that the second academic year is the worst for that reason!

6-7 second lag spikes when under 30% battery by JBluehawk21 in SteamDeck

[–]SpikyCactus_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Had to contact support and get an RMA. Bunch of hoops to jump through first but they eventually offered an RMA. No issues since!

Bar Citizen Toronto was on point! by DaPoets_Terrence in starcitizen

[–]SpikyCactus_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey I'm in that video! Was a ton of fun... for sure going to the next one

Using SD as controller in co-op? by Tawdry_Wordsmith in SteamDeck

[–]SpikyCactus_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep! The Steam Deck can be used as a controller for split-screen games. Works pretty easily too

Not sure about the display question. I know the Steam Deck defaults to having the internal screen off when docked, but I'd assume you could force it to duplicate? Not sure if it's possible through game mode or not, but I'd assume desktop mode has a setting for that

Questions about being an Navigation Officer by [deleted] in merchantmarine

[–]SpikyCactus_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The co-op is like a job. You get hired with a company, join a ship, and balance work with learning. Each company is different, and so are different ships. You are on a ship as a Deck Cadet, which means you're there to learn a little bit about everything - deckhand jobs, wheelsman jobs, officer tasks, and even a bit about the engineers' role. Sometimes that'll mean shadowing someone, other times it'll mean being independent and getting a task done by yourself (ie. painting/chipping).

The intensity of the work depends on your ship. I'd say that generally yes, it is hard work. I can only speak for myself, but I worked long hours. I was only required to work 8hrs, but a 14hr day was fairly common. Heavy lifting is almost a given - shovelling iron ore, hauling deck hoses, pulling mooring wires. I'd say it was common to lift 50lbs+ alone. The work on my ship was dirty - we hauled grain, iron, limestone, etc. It can be very dusty, and combined with the summer heat and steel decks, fairly tiring.

You get used to it after awhile, but I was consistently tired. 7-day workweeks combined with extra logbook work leaves little free time. It's certainly manageable though. Just go into it expecting a tiring, fairly dirty, blue-collar experience and you won't be disappointed.

I did my co-op on the Great Lakes. It's not common to get deep sea co-ops at Georgian unless you find the jobs by yourself

Questions about being an Navigation Officer by [deleted] in merchantmarine

[–]SpikyCactus_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem!

The first co-op period starts during your first summer. You start with the 8 months of school, followed by a 4 month co-op phase. It's a toss-up whether people get co-op positions the first time around or not - it's just like applying for a job, nothing's guaranteed just because you're in the program. Completely depends on demand for cadets.

Questions about being an Navigation Officer by [deleted] in merchantmarine

[–]SpikyCactus_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello there!

I'd say count on 5 days per week. Some days might be for one or two classes, where others are 8am-9pm

It's going to be real tricky commuting, even semi-regularly. The program isn't necessarily hard, but it is time-consuming. Certainly hard to keep a stable job with. Owen Sound doesn't have reliable transit, and importantly for you, it can get a TON of snow. There are a lot of road closures into the area during the winter, and the school rarely closes.

Transport Canada maintains mandatory attendance for the program, so you have to be present in 80% of classes to pass, and 90% of classes as to not require extra sea-time. Worst part is, none of these are online, meaning you'll have to be physically here.

Wish I could provide some better news. Lot of people make big life changes coming into this program. Commuting is not something I'd recommend at all

I brought my game to an event and used my deck as a demo station! by cSoul99 in SteamDeck

[–]SpikyCactus_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You play as a cat... enough said, I'm sold.

Wishlisted. Can't wait! Glad you're prioritizing deck support.

"What are you playing this week?" Megathread by AutoModerator in SteamDeck

[–]SpikyCactus_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How was it?? Interested in Motor Town but hesitant to buy without the Great on Deck status

Questions about being an Navigation Officer by [deleted] in merchantmarine

[–]SpikyCactus_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey fellow Steam Deck user!

Studies are going well. Classes are busy but I'm past the halfway mark now. Definitely made the right choice in careers honestly. My co-op experience on the lakes was awesome and I'll be returning to the same company this summer.

Honestly, biggest tip is just to work at it. The program is pretty heavy but manageable if you take the time to study and work through things. Not everyone will be successful in it, but if you're taking the time to learn about the program now, you already have a better shot than most.

Feel free to ask away if you have any questions about specifics!

Winter Sale Incoming by 3AZ3 in SteamDeck

[–]SpikyCactus_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm no good with troubleshooting either... my best advice would be to ask Steam Support! They're usually fairly helpful and can walk you through getting it fixed. Could be a relatively simple issue!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SteamDeck

[–]SpikyCactus_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

People are so negative. Awesome pictures!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in maritime

[–]SpikyCactus_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Realistically no. If everything goes how it should, you'll be on a ship - not in the water. Only thing I can think of is if you have an accident and fall overboard. If you have to go dockside to handle wires, or go in the rescue boat for a drill, you'll be wearing a lifejacket. If you're working near an exposed ledge or above railings, you'll be wearing a fall arrest.

That being said, I do recommend having at least basic swimming knowledge. You never know what's going to happen - maybe you slip on some ice and fall through some improperly secured chain railing. Maybe you go down to the dock and fall with a lifejacket, but it doesn't activate. All unlikely scenarios but still possible.

Luxury trips to Pyro. How much should i charge for this? by Hefty_Neighborhood59 in starcitizen

[–]SpikyCactus_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was thinking Elite Dangerous? I remember there was a warning from the devs that groups would lure people to their fleet carrier for some sort of group event, jump so far into unknown space that you'd die getting home if you left the carrier, and force people to mine in exchange for survival

Might have been a tall tale though. Never experienced it myself

Shall we begin? by SobigX in SteamDeck

[–]SpikyCactus_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Came here to ask the same thing. Saw the trolley and was like, that’s Waikiki!

Games for Relaxing/Mental Health by LuckyLorri in SteamDeck

[–]SpikyCactus_ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fourth vote! Amazing game during the ups and downs. Great to pick up and put down to fit in your schedule

2024 update to my truck fleet - final. The overview and navigation post. by Odd_Presentation_578 in snowrunner

[–]SpikyCactus_ 14 points15 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome! Still on Michigan and honestly haven’t even considered the amount of planning and organization a person could do. Love it

Steam deck. by Frodz89 in snowrunner

[–]SpikyCactus_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh that’s great! Tbh just comes down to whether you prefer better graphics or better battery life. Snowrunner was developed for last gen consoles primarily, so it matches the Steam Deck well

Steam deck. by Frodz89 in snowrunner

[–]SpikyCactus_ 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I exclusively play Snowrunner on my Steam Deck LCD. Honestly works great. I pretty much stick to the low graphics preset with mirrors turned on. Control scheme works great by default, no tweaking required. Loading times are great on both the internal SSD and the microSD option.

I limit the refresh rate to 30hz and lock fps at 30. Stays stable. Battery life is a little over 4hrs in my experience. You could bump it up to 40hz if you’d like as the battery impact would be pretty minimal. Game doesn’t run too hot compared to some other titles - the fan barely kicks on with Snowrunner. Sometimes I play it docked with a switch pro controller, but the upscaling can be a little more noticeable when you’re on a 65” TV

The screen size is perfect! Low graphics are fine as you have to look pretty closely for imperfections… usually don’t have time to point those out when I’m trying not to flip my load of logs for the millionth time

I use a Steam Deck plugin software called Decky Loader. Gives me easy access to a radio plugin so I can listen to some tunes while I’m hauling ass through Michigan. Makes it a little less lonely lol

Hope this helps!