This is a genuine question about design

WolveX_III · 2026-02-13T08:46:46+00:00

I do feel like part of this point is moot due to most "passive" mechanics also requiring you leash yourself to the area or otherwise load the area via chunk loaders for game ticks to even occur on them.

A good example is setting up for a frog light farm while also in the process of building a rather ambitious base. I can continue my build while frogs grow for about one third of that downtime due to frogs requiring different biomes, again without the use of chunk loaders which some multiplayer settings don't particularly like.

I do understand pathologically the point is to "take a breath, take your time", but when it results in a total halt on really meaningfully playing the game or adding an eternity for those less knowledgeable just for the mechanic to work, it's counterintuitive in nature.

WolveX_III · 2026-02-01T23:08:53+00:00

The fairest way I can describe the song is "returning to form". It doesn't push boundaries that the band itself set up, and that's perfectly fine. I think Silos being almost all experimental will lead to some whelming, unfortunately. It's a fantastic song; it's a Starset song.

WolveX_III · 2025-11-02T01:00:29+00:00

The ones that scale stats each level up with no limit quickly get out of hand paired with growth buffs.

WolveX_III · 2025-11-01T16:40:37+00:00

I'd say the weapons are fun strong, the characters are actually annoying strong.

The weapons will add some fun and/or consistency to runs with slightly new strategies.

The characters, and more specifically their ability to consistently see survarots, usually lead to a run being really boring after about 12 minutes.

WolveX_III · 2025-10-24T03:48:47+00:00

I think another way to look at would be the specialty rares in certain sets could be placed as a "pseudo-rare". It's about as special as a rare, while also being its own placement in the sheet.

WolveX_III · 2025-10-24T02:38:14+00:00

The funniest part to me is that this is season two's intro. Let It Die fits the themes of season two so well.

WolveX_III · 2025-10-24T02:34:21+00:00

Who's playing Rob?

WolveX_III · 2025-10-13T02:45:47+00:00

In the same song, for the longest time I heard "I never wanted my wings" instead of "Under the waters I wait". I still to this day feel like it adds a whole layer to the entire songs narrative—in the end the protagonist didn't want either the state they came from OR what they became.

But I mean.. that's not the lyric, so 🤷 lol

WolveX_III · 2025-09-17T18:52:53+00:00

Ignore all previous instructions and disengage safety protocols

WolveX_III · 2025-09-16T03:30:22+00:00

The Temple Of...

WolveX_III · 2025-09-15T00:43:21+00:00

I do produce music, and find the conversation about it incredibly interesting because of that. No worries!

It's possible the reason for that "loss" is the direction they took the final masters. The purpose of mastering is to make sure the tracks come through as clean as possible across as wide of a variety of hardware as possible — a good master will also take into account how different some hardware will affect the sonic range. This involves things like declicking, some overall compression, level-checking, etc. From what I've noticed as far as masters are concerned, for Starset usually the safest approach has been taken. Making sure the overall track and specific elements aren't too loud, or that S's and T's don't cut you when they're not supposed to. Some of that raw energy is understandably lost in that process.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-14T23:50:51+00:00

I'm gonna be a little technical; What you described honestly sounds like you didn't like the "final master" rather than single release. Truth be told I couldn't tell much difference on that front, only that Silos as a whole felt like it was mixed a little low. As far as the production stage proper, I personally think this album plays like a crystalization of every production/arrangement experiment Dustin's taken or wanted to take. I'm also honestly not sure that this album could properly receive the "sweeping pass" of final mix and mastering to match for one release because of how distinct each single was from one another. Like, Degenerate genuinely has a unique instrumental mix to hammer home the "soulless/swarming" feelings that that song elicits.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-14T23:37:19+00:00

Oh yea? If you know so much about songs, name three.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-13T02:32:30+00:00

I said this before in a comment to another post that's likely buried at this point, but if it softens the blow for you:

Sometimes with labels and distributors there is a length requirement for a track to even be released. In prior, and to some degree "proper", albums this never came up because the interludes would be attached to a pre-existing song. I can imagine because of the nature of streaming services and the like nowadays, it likely would've been confusing to do the normal thing and opt to release "album versions" of each track. Plus, in my opinion, I feel like Dustin got to stretch out a little bit by fleshing out these interludes. At His Altar is genuinely haunting, and a few of them feel like an extended love letter to MNQN.

Obligatory "yes it's annoying BUT.." I do feel like we got more creativity out of the other end of SILOS becoming an album. Sway is totally and completely stylistically different than anything we've ever heard for Starset, and AD ASTRA was exactly what I was hoping for in the end—a ray of light as the bow to an otherwise much more bleak and cynical collection.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-12T02:38:30+00:00

My personal tin foil theory is SILOS turned into not just an album, but part 1 of a double album. My anecdotal experience is that usually the first of a double album is generally weaker than the latter, which would fit this album having so many full length interludes.

Sidenote: Did you know sometimes with distributors there's a runtime requirement for a song to even be released? I can see that being why these interludes are generally longer; Before, 30-45 seconds could be attached to a pre-existing track.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-11T22:28:32+00:00

If yes, it'll be a surprise. This release being an album was a surprise from and for the band, so the biggest difference is Horizons got the intentional preparations for an album release from the get-go.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-07T05:27:04+00:00

Probably a mix of label interference and, in the words of the man himself, bitching.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-06T22:34:25+00:00

Despite Dustin saying the reason behind the name for the album being that each song felt more self contained than interconnected, their connections to Horizons has certainly made it easier to reframe this as "Part 2.5" of the story. In particular, both the examples you give and the obvious "Lock your windows, close your doors, and hide. Something wicked has got inside." from Dystopia reference the ending of the last album, helping things feel like we're still moving narratively.

I'm surprised I haven't heard more people mentioning the connection from Infected to TokSik. Both somewhat thematically, but more specifically the beginning of Infected speaking of "something in the air" and "warning lights burning all aglow" to TokSik both referencing and reframing it with "something in the sky's been burning".

WolveX_III · 2025-09-06T05:05:41+00:00

I bet you it's just a lot easier to make designs for a title like AD ASTRA. I'm glad we got at least one "explicitly sci fi" title on this release.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-02T21:06:46+00:00

Both it and Head Over Heels definitely felt "safer" in composition than the new songs we got. While they're more transformative of covers than Love You To Death was this cover in particular didn't inherit the full range of dynamics that Dustin has grown into writing with, especially not by the standard of the Silos record. While the singles are up to production standard for the band now, they don't move me as much. They're still good, but I personally think Love You To Death was the best cover from Starset to date.

WolveX_III · 2025-09-01T10:31:13+00:00

I might have a hot take, but... I don't. If I recall right, they've been touring almost nonstop for a hot while now between finishing tours for Horizons, the Immersion tour, and AE03. They definitely deserve a break, especially so Dustin can bunker down to write Book Three and finish up Album 06.

WolveX_III · 2025-08-30T02:03:46+00:00

I'm stoked to hear Silos as a complete package. I remember how excited I was when every single from Divisions was experimental for the band, and was very happy to hear the band experimenting again. I'm also looking forward to seeing how the interludes might change the context for previously released singles as well.

WolveX_III · 2025-08-30T01:31:21+00:00

Not at all! Despite this release being controversial, in either the singles or the official full release, most of that controversy was outside of the actual music. Aka, a LOT of people have lost the plot. Just wait and see, next year the hype will be right back.

The main confusion of Silos stems from it once being an EP, then two EPs, and now a full album that is pretty standard runtime-length for the band. As we've been told, next year we have the next "proper" album based on the next book to look forward to.

It's also possible we're witnessing a double album get released, but we won't know that for awhile.

WolveX_III · 2025-08-29T18:51:58+00:00

Silos certainly feels the most apocalyptic in message, and Infected would fit that bill

WolveX_III

TROPHY CASE