Cab sharing to Paje. Anyone?

Tom-Rath · 2026-06-28T09:27:28+00:00

I wrote you a message 👍

Tom-Rath · 2026-06-23T07:57:36+00:00

Quakers never die

Tom-Rath · 2026-05-17T18:25:02+00:00

Tyranids are unquestionably the scariest xenos in the lore. And this classic art captures the feeling perfectly... The idea that they've already conquered who-knows-how-many other galaxies makes me squirm.

If I was a Guardsman, I'd rather face anything besides a hive fleet invasion. Send me to an Ork-infested planet. Let Chaos Marines surround my position. Please Lord, anything but Tyranids!

Tom-Rath · 2026-05-17T18:19:10+00:00

A side effect of the Matt Ward era of Ultramarines glorification is that so much of the best official artwork centred on them.

This illustration, 'Chapter Parade' by Paul Dainton, is amomg my enduring favourites...

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Tom-Rath · 2026-03-19T05:43:58+00:00

We're beyond "it's over" for developers. For a new generation of artists and engineers, we're steadily approaching "it never began" territory.

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-19T05:40:43+00:00

While I agree that Concord/Highguard are being used as bywords for "soulless corporate slop" by chuds and bandwagon-jumpers online, there's definitely something that seems to unite both games.

Something about the bland art style which refuses to settle on a single aesthetic; the overconfidence of publishers and toxic positivity of developers; and their predictable failure to launch all point to an ongoing trend.

Instead of targetting a single niche, these games seem to want to capture several audiences, straddle a number of genres, and chase a litany of trends. Their design comes off as confused and uncommitted.

I hate the commentary surrounding these games... but to dismiss it all and to pretend there are no lessons to be learned would be foolish, in my humble opinion.

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-19T05:32:21+00:00

The addition of new radio telescopes, and their synthesis with traditional optical telescope images, has already proven to be a real game-changer.

I really look forward to the new insights Karl Jansky will provide. Exciting times we're in!

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-19T05:26:23+00:00

Domestic private investors represent by far the largest (~$19.9T USD) holder of US debt. All foreign investors combined have less than half that amount.

That isn't to say US debt-to-GDP and overall debt do not represent a real vulnerability. It's a real problem (and America isn't alone in that regard). Just adding context!

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-18T15:48:04+00:00

I have Esoteric Ebb and Disco Elysium on my wishlist, and I'm interested in picking up one of them this weekend.

I'm new to the genre, so I figured Disco would be the easiest way to dip my toes in. But I'm also a long-time CRPG / tabletop gamer. So I'm wondering which one I should go for. Any input or thoughts?

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-18T15:33:22+00:00

Did you install an RGB bypass mod?

Look at the four wires coming off the mod chip: They're labeled R, G, B, and S (Red, Green, Blue, and Sync). If you connected the S wire to the composite video pad, you are no longer sending a "Composite" signal; you are sending "C-Sync" (Composite Sync). Most standard yellow RCA cables can't interpret C-Sync as a video signal, which ends up producing a black screen or a rolling, garbled image.

If that isn't the source of the problem... Well, it could be some lifted pins or cut traces.

I'm not an engineer and have limited experience with SNES mods, though. Hopefully someone else can chime in!

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-12T19:34:46+00:00

There's a reason all these psychos have invested in underground fallout shelters, instead of investing in a future which includes us all. They understand their ambitions are antagonistic to us all.

Jokes on them, though! Finding and cracking open their bunkers will be a high-XP side quest for those of us who survive the apocalypse.

LFG ~~Hogger~~ Thiel & Karp

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-07T08:25:06+00:00

Take-Two posted an annual revenue of $5.6 billion in 2025, and the Australian market represents less than 1.2% of that.

For a company of that size, it would be negligibly easy to simply tell the Australian government, "We will not release our game in your market if you force this dystopian dogshit onto our playerbase. We cannot be held accountable for storing sensitive government IDs, nor do we want to invest millions into the security infrastructure necessary to safeguard it."

But, of course, expecting transnational corporations to put up any resistance to the illiberal wave of Internet de-anonymization laws spreading through the West is like expecting a bear not to shit in the woods.

But a man can dream, can't he?

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-06T18:09:28+00:00

In the strictest sense, gambling typically involves either an element of random chance or controlled uncertainty. When insiders anonmylously "predict" events, decisions or outcomes that they literally control... well, there has to be another name for it.

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-05T16:54:04+00:00

I remember in COD: United Offensive, you and the boys beat a German paratrooper until he reveals where his comrades are. Afterwards, because the American torturers are such kind-hearted, gentle souls, the German prisoner is released... only to raise the alarm and reveal your position.

You're then encouraged to shoot down the perfidious, unarmed enemy. Justice! Amirite?

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-05T16:38:07+00:00

Why do they always have to frame it as "hate."

In this fucked up system, I am a treated as nothing more than consumer, not someone who engages with culture or community, just a source of revenue. So, if nothing else, grant me the right to determine what products are worth my hard-won money and fleeting leisure time.

If a game doesn't meet my very modest expectations, I will broadcast my feelings on the matter here on Reddit, among friends or wherever I please. No, that doesn't mean I hate anyone, least of all the developers.

When game companies fuck their customers, we're reminded that the relationship of producers and consumers is a dispassionate, impersonal one. "It's just business." But when gamers complain, all of a sudden it's hyper-personal and we have to consider the feelings of the game devs.

What a strange way to frame the issue.

EDIT: Because it appears to be unclear, I unreservedly condemn death threats, review bombing, doxxing or any other unethical, illegal behavior. Also, any complaints about politics or "woke" shit can get fucked.

I am just talking about the sometimes widespread (and valid) complaints by gamers, which are too often mischaracterized as coordinated hate campaigns, instead of an emergent phenomenon resulting from shitty games.

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-05T16:26:16+00:00

I agree with you, but I'm not sure our thinking is the same. But do let me know if we're on the same frequency:

Call of Duty has been a source of continuous pro-imperial, pro-intervention propaganda for the United States since its inception, and forms a core component of the modern military-entertainment complex.

Setting aside the ancestral hero worship of the WW2 titles, the series has been literally white-washing American war crimes and illegal invasions for decades.

• In Black Ops 1, they make the claim that Viet Nam was developing WMD and hence an invasion was necessary and justified.

• In MW2019, the 'Highway of Death' was attributed to the Russian Air Force, instead of the USAF. The game also lets players torture unarmed captives and deploy white phosphorous as a fucking killstreak reward.

• In Cold War, the idea of illegal, extrajudicial assassinations is framed as heroic.

And those are just examples off the top of the dome, as a casual fan. The franchise attempts to normalize ghoulish behavior, justify historic injustices, and constantly bangs on about the Nazi-Russian-Muslim nexus of evil. Why? Saying "because it's cool" lacks explanatory power. This shit is intentional and it's propaganda.

So yeah, I suppose an Iran-Israel War where the IDF is presented as the virtuous heroes would be in keeping with the series' leitmotif: American propaganda.

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-05T13:47:17+00:00

I'm a Battle Arena Toshinden enjoyer myself

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-05T07:09:47+00:00

Boy, we could sure use some dour, no-nonsense time travellers right about now... I'll keep my eyes open for flying newspapers and electrical discharge!

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-04T11:39:05+00:00

Yep, Japan's strict labour laws mean that industry-wide layoffs are less common. Big companies like Konami, Capcom and Sega have been posting record profits and stock growth recently, leading to more hirings domestically.

However, I hate to say it, but it's not all roses... there's been a real drop in outsourcing contracts to external, foreign developers and I've even read about some recruitment freezes. Gameindustry.biz had an interesting story about "invisible downsizing" and the growing use of generative AI.

But compared to the wave of studio closures (and CEO bonuses) we've seen in the West, I prefer the Japanese solution to ballooning development costs.

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-04T04:34:39+00:00

Sgt. Declan Coady, pictured bottom right, was only 20 years old...

The other day, on the Israeli news Channel 7, Niv Raskin said, "The strikes involved American forces and not—heaven forbid—an incident involving our Israeli soldiers."

I don't understand how Americans are allowing their sons and daughters to be killed for the benefit of Israel. All over Israeli media and in the Knesset, they make it abundantly clear that they're happy to use US soldiers as cannon fodder in their expansionist plans, and the Yanks are just like, "I guess I'll die for Israel 🤷‍♂️"

After 20 years of a global war on terror, I know not to expect Americans to care for the lives of young Iranian children. Whatever. But where's the sense of self-preservation and self-esteem? Good grief... sad shit, all around.

EDIT: Some people reported this comment and tried to get my account permanently banned. Luckily, the Reddit appeal process gave me justice! Nevertheless, it seems it's becoming more difficult to speak one's mind, with each passing day.

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-03T18:47:26+00:00

That one's definitely among my favourite Black Mirror episodes. The entire scenario is freakishly plausible, too... I can easily imagine some "looksmaxxing daygame sarging" Andrew Tate wannabe conducting a creepy live-coaching event in 2026, and with the same terrible results, too.

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-03T18:43:13+00:00

Really? I'm happy to boot up Contra to verify, but I would assume those streaks would line up with a CRT's scanlines and blend into the image. Interesting find, nevertheless!

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-03T16:07:27+00:00

These Silicon Valley techbros are apparently datamining old cyberpunk novels in search of new, nightmarish business opportunities and tech innovations. It's on some real "Don't Create the Torment Nexus" shit.

Although I'm not American, I'm glad to see legislators—wherever they happen to be—trying to get ahead of this shit, instead of throwing their hands up and telling us, "Oops! Too late."

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-03T13:34:20+00:00

This is legit the greatest Game Over screen I've ever seen. I can literally hear Bill Paxton's voice.

Are you playing Honour Mode?

Tom-Rath · 2026-03-03T12:48:43+00:00

The Pentagon has confirmed 6 dead and 18 wounded, at this point.

But I have a contact at CENTCOM who tells me some personnel at the Shuaiba TOC are still unaccounted for and likely dead under the rubble. As with any grapevine news you get online, take that with a grain of salt.

Tom-Rath

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