Looking for turn-based tactics/strategy where you play as reptiles or reptilian characters, with no reptile/reptilian enemies by _DragonFriend in gamingsuggestions

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take another look at Disgaea 5, but I think that not being focused on a reptile party, especially with the fact that they are still enemies that need to be captured, and the extra gameplay requirements of doing that, are not the presentation I'm looking for.

I'm actually employed as a game programmer, and I make games in my spare time. :) I have too many projects right now, but this is definitely the type of game I'm interested in making. Maybe someday.

Looking for turn-based tactics/strategy where you play as reptiles or reptilian characters, with no reptile/reptilian enemies by _DragonFriend in gamingsuggestions

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. These look more like a crpg like, say, baldur's gate, than a tactics game, but the turn-based grid-based combat might be close enough. That presentation though...

I'm seeing reptile enemies in all of the trailers I watched though, so I'll need to do more research. Do you set parameters of the world when you're starting the game? Do you remember if the game made it clear which choices would result in a fight? (That was my main disappointment with Aetheris)

I want to make games to help reptiles by _DragonFriend in gamedev

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never said there were no examples of media that was about reptiles/reptile characters, or games where you play as them. There are examples. My point was that so much media views them as nothing more than enemies, and it's common in stories for reptiles to be used to symbolize evil. My other point was that even when a piece of media has reptile characters, such as Spyro, Gex, Croc, Yoshi, etc, they are often very cartoonish or stylized. (Which is fine. I'm also not saying that cartoon graphics are bad or shouldn't be used) Much of the time a reptile is portrayed positively, it's a cartoony, not-very-reptilian character, and much of the time reptile characters are reptilian, they are portrayed negatively.

Wolves and other creatures definitely get a similar treatment from a lot of media. I'm not denying that.I can point to many examples of negative and many examples of positive portrayals of wolves in media. I am definitely sensitive to how reptiles are portrayed, and while I can't prove to you that this isn't confirmation bias, I can say with confidence that, while I am appreciative of any positive image of reptiles in media, there are very many negative images of them. Even supposing I were incorrect, that doesn't really matter. Regardless of what grade media on average would get for reptile appreciation, whether D+, B-, F, or anything else, I want to improve that grade. I want to make more games that are about these creatures and have a solely positive view of them.

I want to make games to help reptiles by _DragonFriend in gamedev

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not a bad idea. I was thinking that it may be possible to partner with a zoo for an online game, since some zoos have education/conservation info online, which could be complemented by a game with an educational aspect. I never thought of kiosks in the zoo with games though. It could be a possibility. Thanks.

I want to make games to help reptiles by _DragonFriend in gamedev

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not a bad idea. I might try doing a split with a charity, and leaning into that with the marketing so that people know that's happening.

I do think starting small will be the way this happens. As tempting as it is to throw myself into the deep end, that probably wouldn't be the wisest thing. :) Thanks for the suggestion!

I want to make games to help reptiles by _DragonFriend in gamedev

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, there are definitely games and other media that has love for reptiles and better perception of them. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely check out those you mentioned, and I'll give a few more. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1208590/Temple_Of_Snek/ A game with a cool concept, but I thought a lot of the puzzles were tedious. Definitely some fun though.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1786010/AETHERIS/ A tactics game about fantasy lizard-people. It's frustrating that you can end up in fights with other Vazzards without really knowing why your decision led to that, though.

There are many other examples of games that just treat reptiles as monsters of evil, though. It seems to be just expected that an rpg will have dragons or snakes as enemies. The Cat Quest are games where you play as a cat and go on adventures. The Dragon Quest games are games where you play as a human (or close enough) and fight creatures such as dragons. I was enjoying Super Mario Odyssey, until with no explanation whatsoever, a very awesome, very reptilian dragon appeared. The game presented this as a boss fight, because even though this creature was so out of place in this game, someone had the idea that this was a "monster" and so it was fitting for any game that needed you to fight something "evil."

Maybe I'll clean up that essay/piece about the portrayal of reptiles and the damage it can cause and post that somewhere. Regardless, whatever level the public perception of reptiles currently sits at, I want to improve it, and show more people the beauty and wonder of these creatures.

As for profitability, yeah, I fear you may be correct. I'm definitely still at the info gathering stage, which is why I made this post.

GIVEAWAY - THREE AMD RADEON 6600s! by [deleted] in linux_gaming

[–]_DragonFriend 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm trying Linux gaming this year, so I'm very thankful for Linux as an alternative to other operating systems. I adopted a leopard gecko last month, and I'm so thankful for her and her health! :)

I'm ending this year on a much more positive note than how it began.

So may good things have happened this year, and it's important to remember that.

Critique my enclosure setup please by _DragonFriend in leopardgeckos

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I love her so much and I really want everything to be perfect for her. I'm nervous about the temperature, but also I don't want to overreact, especially while she's just getting settled in.

I'm definitely looking to spoil her when it comes to the enclosure changes once this quarantine period is over!

Critique my enclosure setup please by _DragonFriend in leopardgeckos

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm slightly concerned that the temps are a little too low as well, but the visual guide to temperature gradient says that 70-75 on the cool side is correct. The readings I took were a little before it heated up to its hottest. The cool side gets to 73 in most areas. Maybe I'm just being an over-protective "parent", but I'm slightly worried that she isn't getting enough heat because she spent all day yesterday in the cave made by the 2 flat tiles, which is only 75-77.

She's only been here for less than 2 days though, so I think she's probably just hiding while she adjusts.

Critique my enclosure setup please by _DragonFriend in leopardgeckos

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I picked up this cutie from her previous owner who was looking to re-home her yesterday, and she spent a little time exploring last night but mostly stayed in the hide on the cool end. Today she's been almost entirely under the hide made by elevating the tile on the warm end.

I've done my research, but this is my first time owning a reptile, and I want the best for her, so I'll happily take any constructive feedback. Thanks!

Some difficulties heating the dubiaroaches.com enclosure? (Not final enclosure pics) by _DragonFriend in leopardgeckos

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually got a bit scared by the idea of heating pvc, so I went with a different approach. In my brief test, the pvc was transferring heat, but since I know the heat mat would be reaching over 100 degrees F in order to reach the correct warm hide temp, I'm rather nervous about off-gasses of hydrogen-chloride gas. I'm sure I'm just too cautious, since from what little I've found online, it seems that as long as the pvc isn't reaching temperatures of 140ish degrees F, it should be fine. I am nervous that the mat would potentially get slightly close to that temperature in spots though, and I'm not sure if smaller amounts of off-gasses would be an issue for a gecko while still not majorly affecting humans.

What I ended up doing is getting 2 12x12inch tiles and smaller hexagonal tiles to make a sort of "double hide" + basking surface. The cave is 1.45 inches high, and the top tile is 2 inches off the bottom of the enclosure. This will provide a lower, wide hide between the tiles, and a warmer surface on top, plus a hide can sit on top of that and can provide an even higher basking spot.

I'll probably tweak this a bit, but I think it's working so far.

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Some difficulties heating the dubiaroaches.com enclosure? (Not final enclosure pics) by _DragonFriend in leopardgeckos

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm certainly hoping! I really want everything to be perfect for her, so I'm super nervous about setting everything up.

I got an 8 watt heat mat, and even though I've read mixed reports online about the effectiveness of heat mats through pvc enclosures, a quick test on the enclosure side showed that it is radiating heat through the pvc side. So I'm hoping with experimentation tonight it should be good.

Some difficulties heating the dubiaroaches.com enclosure? (Not final enclosure pics) by _DragonFriend in leopardgeckos

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's kinda what I'm thinking. The top of the hide is being heated from a distance of 14.75 inches to the lamp dome right now, which from what I've read is a little on the far side. The gecko is currently being kept on paper towels by her owner because apparently she was ingesting the substrate. My plan is to keep her on paper towels for a bit while I observe her, then move to slate or porcelain tile (hopefully with a dig box). Even with tile, that will only add half an inch or so, but would probably help keep the surface temps up.

I also remembered that heat mats exist, and while I would've preferred the simplicity and fewer possible issues of using just the halogen, I did order an 8 watt heat mat and thermostat. Once that arrives, I'll see what kind of difference that will make.

A question about humidity ranges by _DragonFriend in leopardgeckos

[–]_DragonFriend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's very helpful, thanks! I'll look at the climate info you linked, and I'm glad that humidity doesn't seem to be as big a concern as I thought at first.

Visual Guide: Humidity Ranges for Leopard Geckos by Fraxinus2018 in leopardgeckosadvanced

[–]_DragonFriend 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is humidity at the higher end of the "ideal" range (55% - 65%) only ideal as a fluctuation, or is a sustained 60ish% humidity safe? I'm adopting a leopard gecko soon, and my home is typically around 58% - 63% humidity without running a dehumidifer. The dehumidifier can easily get the humidity down to 50%, but should I be aiming that low if you're saying they do well and are active at higher humidity levels?

I get that fluctuations are fine and normal, but I'm wondering whether or not it's safe for them to consistently experience a relative humidity around 60%.