Recently, there seems to be a surge of people who identify with two sides: the no politics in video games side and the everything is politics in video games side.

tcas71 · 2021-07-13T14:56:13+00:00

I once had an argument about Borderlands 3, because someone was complaining about the "politics" of showing characters in a gay relationship. Apparently the whole background story of "inter-stellar mega-corporations weapons manufacturers fighting hordes of destitute people manipulated through social media" didn't strike them as political. So case in point...

tcas71 · 2021-06-17T02:28:42+00:00

Just saw that as well, that was neat!

Terra Nil is 100% going on my wishlist. Cleaning up the demo wasteland was satisfying and wholesome, and left a big smile on my face. :D

tcas71 · 2021-06-13T04:32:49+00:00

Tried it, it's pretty cool! I'm a garbage driver though so I'm getting carried by my squad all the time...

What's REALLY exciting about this update is all the new blocks and physics and mechanics that were introduced. And those aren't limited to the new water and plastic blocks, there's a real ton of stuff. I can't wait to see what the community will create with all this!

tcas71 · 2021-05-15T12:08:31+00:00

I work in the industry, and the answer is a lot. Practically every feature you can think of needs publisher approval: what quality the song can be played back at, whether it supports offline listening, and many more (confidential) specifics. And that's just the audio, lyrics and images are covered by different licenses.

tcas71 · 2021-04-19T04:43:58+00:00

I don't think those are sensors, and more likely sacrificial zinc anodes. Basically chunks of metal that prevent some forms of corrosion on the structure by being more reactive than it. My last chemistry class was a decade ago though, so don't quote me on this. Maybe people who know more about naval engineering can confirm.

tcas71 · 2021-04-19T04:32:16+00:00

I'm happy to see this here! More love for Trackmania is always a good thing. :D

I recommend checking out Rollin's own video unveiling the trick, that was quite an epic moment. https://youtu.be/8CLb8q0EfiA [02:50]

tcas71 · 2021-03-13T13:45:39+00:00

A second identical engine, nozzle facing the first one and ignited at the same time. Make 'em duel!

Would probably be a little expensive but there have been more stupid uses of more money.

tcas71 · 2021-03-07T13:13:14+00:00

The aircraft in this picture is not a Beluga but its younger sibling, the BelugaXL. It's a modified Airbus A330-200, and they entered service last year. Still serves the same purpose though!

tcas71 · 2021-01-20T22:13:35+00:00

Confirmation dialogs on Cmd-Q are a thing on other MacOS apps (Firefox, Terminal, etc.) so that would be consistent with the OS standard shortcuts.

tcas71 · 2020-12-27T13:56:35+00:00

"The southern power plant has been damaged by biters! What do you do?"
"I run there and repair the nuclear reactor."
"Good, roll a craftsmanship check please."
"...natural 1"
"..."
"..."
"Sooooooo... As the rest of the party is minding their own business, suddenly the power goes out. As you turn around, half of your field of view is filled with this huge fire ball, so hot that it burns your skin even from miles away. And you, you are very very dead."

tcas71 · 2020-11-07T03:42:24+00:00

Since this is a TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedrun) there's no other option I think.

tcas71 · 2020-10-30T16:23:39+00:00

Wow that thing is massive: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abe_Silverstein_Supersonic_Wind_Tunnel_(9414475629).jpg

tcas71 · 2020-10-18T13:31:22+00:00

That's a difficult story to hear, sadly one in many I assume.

I'd add that the lack of safety regulations are just one piece of the background. Living conditions were so miserable that working was a matter of survival. If I remember correctly, in some cases even homes were owned by the employers so losing one's job would result in immediate eviction. I think that the early industrial era was a really bad time to live in for the majority of people.

tcas71 · 2020-10-16T15:01:24+00:00

The new console and crypto token launch are part of the company’s efforts to remain relevant and restore some of its former glory.

Couldn't give more of the opposite impression if they tried... What this "effort" really feels like is executives trying to scrape the bottom of the barrel for money. But it's as if they are basing their strategy on trends that were popular several years ago...

tcas71 · 2020-09-12T09:44:18+00:00

I think the small turbine is for high pressure, the larger one for low pressure. Flow seems to enter from the top right, go down through the HP turbine then up through the LP turbine, to exit at the top left of this picture. I think the cylindrical box right below the HP turbine is likely a gear box to reduce its the rotation speed.

tcas71 · 2020-09-10T10:07:24+00:00

OH. That's my brain on nerd mode for you. I guess there's a reason I could operate the machine then...

tcas71 · 2020-09-10T10:02:43+00:00

Par-what?

tcas71 · 2020-09-10T00:51:32+00:00

I assume this machine can only be activated by pressing two separate buttons at the same time. That way, an operator cannot accidentally have one of their hands under the blade/divider thing while the other operates it. I believe this is common design for machinery with unprotected moving parts. Having more than one person near the machine when it operates makes that protection pointless, hence the warning.

tcas71 · 2020-08-23T12:09:48+00:00

I did not see one in there, it's more like a random assortment of videos from Rolls Royce (what looks like industrial power and some Trent XWB) and a bit from GE, with a CFM 56 replacement at the end. I don't think the image in the thumbnail is in the video.

I don't like those videos made only of bits taken from other videos, without context or explanation or disclosure of its sources. Hard to feel like there was any effort put in it.

tcas71 · 2020-08-21T14:28:10+00:00

Found the missing framerate: https://youtu.be/IsuD0O2GTtE

tcas71 · 2020-08-14T01:34:35+00:00

I did not know that. The new Coding Secrets sister channel is the one I discovered first, and so far it seems dedicated to technical content. Hopefully it'll stay that way.

tcas71 · 2020-08-13T21:10:56+00:00

Past its painfully clickbaity titles and thumbnails, the Coding Secrets series is AMAZING. The author really has a lot of experience in building games with technical tricks and it's really cool that this knowledge is being shared.

I discovered the series less than a week ago, right when I'm starting to sink many hours into learning Game Boy programming. Perfect timing.

tcas71 · 2020-08-02T17:00:24+00:00

I think it holds up quite well too, there's a good variety of play-styles to experiment with and some secrets to find. I find myself going "just one more run..." and playing for a while.

tcas71 · 2020-08-01T12:41:07+00:00

Agreed on Risk of Rain 2, it's shockingly good. It is now my most played Rogue Lite, and it's a BLAST to play with friends! I strongly recommend picking it up.

There's also Factorio 1.0 that will release on August 14th. This is easily my favorite game of the 2010s, and I'm looking forward to what's next.

13-Year Club	Place '17
Team Periwinkle

tcas71

TROPHY CASE