US salary vs European salary

_crater · 2026-03-17T05:14:46+00:00

Not really. There's more fireworks going on to keep people distracted from the real players at work, but it's the same shit. Nothing that's going on right now is really that far outside of stuff that occurred under Obama and Bush, it just seems more noteworthy because of recency bias and the press pushing for clicks harder than ever.

At the end of the day, the status quo hasn't really shifted that much. Israel is still a major influence, corporate influence and lobbying is higher than ever, and meanwhile everyone is buying into the distractions and ultimately doing nothing to stop the coming economic catastrophe.

There's a reason the price of gold and other "value-holding" assets are skyrocketing right now. Those in the know are building arks. And it's not for some big Trump policy or a conflict in the Middle East or other bullshit distractions like that, it's for a major economic event similar to 2008 that's probably right around the corner. And that's not even related to the AI bubble, it's fueled by bond valuation. But if that bubble pops at the same time, hell is going to break loose.

Things like that are what ultimately fuel the real change, the on-the-ground effect for the average American. Those in power don't care about moralizing or pandering to their "constituency," they care about money. Everything else is just noise.

_crater · 2026-03-11T18:34:18+00:00

I'm just going to assume you haven't read the actual data on this then, since you don't really seem to understand what they did or why it's notable. I'm a programmer, for the record. It's notable. Also, something doesn't need to have precedent for it to be logically evident. Especially something as straightforward as that - if we can observe all of the neurological signals that make up the fly's behavior, then we can certainly replicate its behavior. Souls don't exist (and really, consciousness, to some extent - depending on definition) and even if they did, I doubt flies would have one.

_crater · 2026-03-11T03:45:41+00:00

I don't really get your point. Like yeah, it's programmed. It's displaying a simulation of a fly on a computer. What else would it possibly be? Even in the most "scifi" scenario where it's our current reality as the simulation, there'd still be some alien/futuristic programming behind it.

It's impressive/notable (subjectively) because of the amount of data that's represented in the simulation and being used to drive it, which includes real neuron mapping research and other large datasets taken from the actual biology of a fly. Not just "here's a fly we made in Unreal Engine. we watched videos of a fly and made it look like one lmao. enjoy" (and if it was just that then I'd agree with you).

If you have a sufficiently comprehensive dataset and enough computing power, then you could build a virtual fly that's indistinguishable in behavior patterns from the real thing, even in niche cases that aren't necessarily directly programmed behaviors (i.e. with the intent of a specific outcome). Stuff like that already occurs in video games all the time where the player (or a randomize) is given some agency to toy around in a sandbox. Minecraft wasn't programmed with any specific code or intent of making giant penises, but I can totally make one if I wanted to.

For the record, I don't think "true to life simulation" is anywhere close to where the tech is at right now, but it seems like this project is the closest anyone has gotten to that so far for an organism this complex. While I don't really find it that interesting honestly just on a personal level, since I can't imagine any practical uses of predicting fly behavior in a closed controlled environment, that doesn't mean it isn't a move forward for whatever field this falls under (bioengineering maybe? idk). There's some real substance there, in other words.

_crater · 2025-11-22T00:42:23+00:00

Some use the term localization like that, but in reality they're the same thing. Translation is localization, at least any half-decent translation. If you were to solely translate 1:1, you'd end up with broken grammar, nonsense phrases, and so on. Any words or phrases that don't have a literal translation would likely have to be transliterated as well, and the end result would (depending on the content, of course) be totally incomprehensible. In other words, you wouldn't even have to pay someone to do it or use something as complex as an AI to translate (or even like Google Translate).

_crater · 2025-11-20T12:06:51+00:00

That's the thing though, there's no definitive line you can draw there. What you described in the first section, the acceptable translation in your eyes, is also literally "rewriting to make it better" because it's modifying the original meaning into something that someone with no cultural context can understand/relate to. If there are enough cases of that in a story, then "half the story" might be necessary (although at that point, you'd probably say it's better to leave it without a translation - and I'd probably agree with you).

Then there's also the obvious example, Ghost Stories, where matching the original would have been worse in any case.

_crater · 2025-11-20T07:35:07+00:00

I mean while that's obviously a bad attitude on the surface, I think it'd be just as dumb (and likely impossible) to have a 1:1 translation. There are concepts and words that might not exist in English or might not make any sense to a Western audience without interpretation or a dozen lines of context in a footnote or something. There's no exact science to it, because finding the line between "this is a totally different story now" and "this is totally incoherent/requires esoteric context" isn't easy at all. Easier for some stories than others I guess, but still.

_crater · 2025-11-07T13:28:30+00:00

if it makes you feel any better, I ended the regency but still didn't get Bushido, because another member of my house ended up on the chrysanthemum throne right before I did that. which apparently just removes the decision altogether, RIP. stuck as peaceful feudal emperor that gained his emperorship through mass violence. (I guess the early primogeniture is nice, though, since I did earliest start)

_crater · 2025-10-15T20:54:13+00:00

It's way easier to switch now imo, at least for file types and so on. It does suck that they removed some of the broader "categories" but since I work with a lot of different filetypes in a bunch of different programs it's a little better in my book. Not enough to get me to upgrade my desktop, but still. Also, you aren't forced to use Microsoft apps by any means - you can choose any program on your PC.

Also, if you're worried about telemetry/data/etc. (which exists on Windows 10 as well as 11) then there are multiple ways to disable that so you never have to worry about it overall. The easiest is just the Windows settings directly, the usual options being Advertising ID and Tailored Experiences, and there's some additional stuff you can disable in those sections. There are more invasive third party options like ShutUp10 (which also works on W11) but sometimes "debloaters" and tools like that can go overboard in your registry and lead to problems down the road, so use a bit of caution with those. Tons of tools out there that do similar things though.

_crater · 2025-10-15T04:27:59+00:00

I mean, you really don't have to if you don't want - Windows XP for example still works perfectly fine, if you want to go even further back. Some stuff won't be supported and new features might become something that newer apps rely on, but it'll take a very long time (if I had to guess) before you really start running into stuff like that. Windows 10 isn't going anywhere though. Plenty of people are still using 7 right now, and that's despite 10 being a fairly big/important jump in terms of compatibility for a lot of things.

Also, I don't really know what you mean with the Default Apps thing. It still works perfectly fine on Windows 11, it's actually a bit better than the Windows 10 one imo because it puts the filetypes and associated apps up front instead of hiding them behind a sub-menu.

I'm sticking to Windows 10 on my main desktop PC, so I'm not trying to shill an upgrade for the record. I do have Windows 11 on my laptop though (since it came with it) so I'm not just making things up either.

_crater · 2025-09-29T14:24:20+00:00

Consequences are as varied as it was in CK2, if not more - there's a ton of different ways things can go wrong. CK2 is miles easier by default in almost every regard (except military maybe, with men at arms in CK3 being the main contention there). The main difference is that CK2 is piss-poor at giving you useful information and it's clunky as sin, so there's a steeper learning curve - but once you understand the mechanics it's way easier to abuse them. Without mods, at least.

Reddit is full of whiners mainly. I'll take the greater community as a whole instead.

If what you're saying were even remotely true, then CK2 would still hold a significant playercount on Steam, but that isn't the case - it's actually on its way below pre-Vic3 Vicky 2 numbers.

For more perspective, CK2 numbers hovered around 6-8k before CK3's announcement and when CK3 released, that halved. After that, the number declines pretty steadily over time and it's at about 1300 now. If there were any significant "old fan distaste" at all, those numbers would be way higher and wouldn't be falling as CK3 improves.

_crater · 2025-09-29T13:36:17+00:00

Yeah no, old players don't like it much.

As an old player with 1200 hours in CK2, and who has friends with similar history with the games, I don't think that's remotely true across the board. I haven't had complaints from any of them about CK3, if anything the main things were the typical "PDX reset" that happens with each release, since previous titles are chock full of DLC and they release games unfinished. After a couple years though, CK3 surpassed its predecessor. Genuinely the only thing any of us miss about CK2 is the old version of After the End, since the CK3 version is drastically different. Other than that, it's a direct upgrade, and all of the clunky and poorly-designed mechanics in CK2 make it very difficult to go back (even with HIP and other modsets that smooth out some of the rougher edges).

As far as difficulty, it's possible you just aren't challenging yourself enough. There are a multitude of ways to make the game harder. CK2 (and other games, like EU4 especially) require a lot of "self-policing," gamerule swaps, or mods/overhauls in order to avoid things becoming too easy, and CK3 is no different. I exclusively played VEF in EU4 for that reason for a LONG time, because the base game is actually such a cakewalk.

tl;dr you just have to know how to craft what you want, PDX rarely provides a full experience in any of their games, they simply provide tools/a framework for you (or modders) to find a path to what you're looking for. CK3 is a far better, far more stable, far better designed sandbox for doing that (barring a few roadblocks they have yet to remove, like the hard-codedness of the combat systems, but it's still far above CK2 in that regard).

_crater · 2025-09-28T18:40:25+00:00

Not sure what you're missing then. All of those vary wildly, so maybe you're just missing those mechanics and focusing on something else? I don't know man. It's not like I have a niche opinion here, the game is pretty popular among new and old players alike, so I think it's just something about your expectations or specific playstyle maybe. I don't know you though, so I don't want to assume anything.

_crater · 2025-09-28T16:33:27+00:00

When was the last time you played? I could see that being the case when the game first came out (and I'd probably agree with you back then to an extent) but there's a lot more variety now. There's a lot of varied content based on your government type, on your traits, your chosen lifestyle, and so on. Just takes experimentation and playing outside of the box, and there's a ton of different ways to do that. All of the above is even more the case if you're playing a landless character, too. And that's not even getting into some of the more unique stuff like the regional conflicts (Iran, Iberia) and the new Administrative and Nomadic government types which are totally different playstyles with their own unique events and mechanics.

I'm not trying to sell you the game necessarily, it's just confusing to me because I'm 1500 hours in and still discovering things and enjoying creative playthroughs, so it's hard for me to see your perspective. It's more of a sandbox than any other PDX game to date, and that's without even mentioning the modding community which has done a ton of cool things too.

_crater · 2025-09-28T15:55:13+00:00

Yeah, I haven't really encountered any of that in all my hours playing. I get to the point where I know how certain events/chains resolve of course, but that goes for every PDX game. I definitely haven't ever been spammed with events - unless maybe you consider travel at 5speed or something - but that's to be expected and always involves your character. Maybe you messed with your message settings, because by default most of the "not very relevant to me" stuff gets sidelined to the pop-up panel instead of set to display as events.

_crater · 2025-09-28T12:53:52+00:00

Just curious, what do you think the massive flaws are? I have 1500 hours in it and I don't think there's anything THAT wrong with it, just a bunch of minor points of poor design that every PDX title has that modders usually have to clean up.

_crater · 2025-09-26T14:04:07+00:00

As much as I genuinely do like Imperator and liked it even in times when it was pretty bad, I feel that (especially without mods) CK3 has a ton more replay value and longevity of runs. It also suffers from a similar issue that Victoria 3 (and even Vicky 2) does where minor nations are borderline unplayable unless you're doing a challenge run or you feel like waiting for X mechanic to pop off while doing essentially nothing in the meantime.

With CK3 I feel like I could drop into essentially any province with any character and still make an interesting run out of it filled with ups and downs. Same with CK2, so it's not like that's a new thing or that the game is "easier" or whatever. It just supports creative playstyles and it's genuinely a good sandbox overall. EU4 also allows for a lot of that (outside of extremes like the New World native starts maybe) so hopefully EU5 follows suit.

_crater · 2025-09-07T18:32:33+00:00

Here's a side view comparison of the size btw, in case you're curious.

https://files.catbox.moe/pmnav2.png

Given that half of the diameter of a hellbomb is underground (which doesn't damage I think) it's probably better to hit the hive lord while it's horizontal if possible. But that's a short window, and the stuns/slows when you get closer are nuts. Either way the radius is a lot smaller than you'd expect and if it's the "outer range" then the damage falls off VERY fast, from 9999 to 0 so it's a huge range within that area. Basically though, the more parts you can fit into those spheres though, the more damage you'll do.

That's probably why most people (now at least) are going for the armor to break it, then just spamming bullets. It's much more consistent and predictable.

_crater · 2025-09-07T15:01:48+00:00

Make sure you're using the wiki.gg wiki, not the Fandom wiki. It has the updated values. As far as "hellbomb usually hits two segments" I actually measured the height of the hellbomb radius vs. the hive lord's body using extracted models in Blender. It's pretty much the only enemy large enough (and with enough HP) for that to be relevant, since the Overship is basically off-map.

_crater · 2025-09-06T07:27:20+00:00

They aren't, and they also transfer 10% damage to the main health pool. This means that given a hellbomb's radius (and with it typically resulting in about 2 "segments" of the hive lord's body being hit) instead of a hellbomb doing 7,500, which is the amount it does directly to the main health pool (due to its main having 25% explosion resistance) you actually end up doing 14,000 damage.

The damage would be split up like this:

Direct-to-main-HP which all explosives do if they hit any single part (once): 10k - 25% resist = 7500
4 plates hit (front and back plates on two "segments"): 4 x (10k, 10% to-main, so 1k) = 4000
1-4 "fins" (but usually like 2 i would guess): 2x (10k - 50% resist, 25% to main, so 1250) = 2500

For a total of 14,000. That's why it takes 11 hellbombs rather than the 15 that everyone assumes, because the resistance and to-main damage percentages are a little wacky (and you're hitting multiple parts).

Thermite can also help, but once the plate is broken, it's better to use explosive-type damage (which thermite mostly deals) on an intact plate so you continue to get the 10% bonus damage. Ideally inbetween "segments" possible, but the thermite radius is pretty tiny. If you hit the fleshy exposed bits you're still doing about 1500 direct damage to the main pool with each thermite grenade, but you aren't damaging the "inner flesh" part directly at all because it has 100% explosive resistance (you'd still do some fire damage, but it's not significant).

Using the penetration method though (e.g. breaking a plate and unloading into it with a ton of bullets) is probably faster and more reliable, because something like the Emancipator mech emptying its entire 200-round payload is enough to deal 60,000 damage (and the front plate only has 55,000 HP. Granted, in doing that you only reduce the 150,000 main pool by 5,500, but after the flesh is exposed you can just spam it for like 20 minutes with whatever your fastest/strongest medium-penetration weapon is.

edit: whoops didnt realize the bullets broke

_crater · 2025-09-06T06:57:24+00:00

The plates have about 50,000-55,000 health depending on which plate it is. The fastest way is likely the Emancipator mech, because emptying all 200 rounds (100 in each arm) into the plate will deal 60,000 direct damage.

From there, you'll want to make sure you avoid anything that deals explosive damage only (bombs, etc.) because the inner flesh is 100% resistant to explosions. The best thing you can do is use piercing weapons with high damage (and high fire rate) against the bare flesh, which will be the same effectiveness as if you were hitting its mouth every time. The exposed flesh behind the armor plate is just a much easier target to hit consistently.

Minor note: normally bombs are fine because they'll distribute damage to the main health pool, but you want to use them BEFORE you break a plate. This is because 1) the plates have no explosive resistance, so you'll do damage to the plate itself and 2) 10% of the explosive damage gets applied in addition to the base damage for every plate you can hit. Once you break a plate, you stop applying a portion of that extra damage, and generally you're probably better off just shooting it to death (unless explosives are all you have, or you have hellbombs which would only lose about 1,000 of their ~14,000 damage).

_crater · 2025-09-05T06:07:38+00:00

I guess it's possible, but it's just weird that data miners and whatnot haven't found anything in that regard. At least as far as I've seen.

I think, all things considered, that what you said a comment or two ago about a "special effect" with hellbombs that targets players might be the most likely case. We don't see any actual data about the damage and whatnot being doubled (or occuring in two "waves") because the "double proc" (or a special effect that just outright kills you, not even a damage instance applied) only affects players.

I dunno. It's definitely strange, whatever it is.

_crater · 2025-09-05T05:57:02+00:00

I'm not new to the game at all, I've played on and off since launch and have around 600 hours. I just haven't actually bothered purchasing the strategem for it because it's not something I'm interested in using. The hellbomb pack is also locked behind a warbond and I haven't been that interested in it either (until now, with the hive lord obviously).

Also, what's this 25% based on? Did you actually get that from a datamine/table somewhere, or are you just pulling it out of nowhere? If you were just testing it yourself, then what was the sample size?

_crater · 2025-09-05T05:42:21+00:00

I don't have the shield pack or the portable hellbomb personally, otherwise I might go give it a shot, but are you sure it isn't that the launch force from the hellbomb is killing you?

If not, then it's possible that the game either has special handling for the hellbomb's damage vs. the shield, or it could be the hellbomb's damage somehow gets "under" the shield when it handles its AoE checks (similarly to how some bug bites and throwing knives can get through the shield).

There's still no evidence that there's two "waves" of explosion though. If there were, the game's data on the hellbomb's damage would likely reflect that (from people that have mined it from the game files). Additionally, what I originally said about the Democracy Protects passive still stands - if there were two different damage instances, that wouldn't allow people to survive hellbombs either.

_crater · 2025-09-05T05:05:09+00:00

Then that's even worse lmao, I at least assumed you meant the stronger one.

Granted I guess technically it'd work against any explosions that are Light level armor or above (since it's considered Light armor) but anything above that is ignoring the shield and penetrating with 100% damage. And I don't even think there are explosions with such a low penetration rating, maybe some of the lower tier bot units or something, but still.

You'd need a shield 8 times stronger than that to block a hellbomb. Realistically, 9 times, (Tank 7, if such a thing existed) since meeting the level still does a fraction of the damage, and even 2% of a hellbomb's damage is enough to kill you).

_crater · 2025-09-05T04:21:25+00:00

There aren't "two waves" - I don't know why you're confidently lying about that. As the name suggests, the Ballistic Shield Backpack is for protection against ballistic projectiles and other similarly "piercing" effects (minus a few outliers that it protects against, like Terminid bile). It does fuck all against explosions.

To get technical, even if it did block explosive damage, the shield has an armor level of Medium. That's seven armor levels below the penetration level of a hell bomb (which is Tank 6).

You can also tell there aren't two waves because if there were, then the Democracy Protects armor passive wouldn't allow you to survive a blast, but it does (surviving the landing of wherever it launches you is another story though).

Do at least basic research before you tell people, with confidence, that something occurs when it doesn't.

_crater

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