=== ANCHOR POEM ===
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 @user-192                                                                        │
 The game designers are fully in charge of when and where the items get placed    │
 into the player's inventory. Surely they should have spent some time balancing   │
 that? No? They were too busy tuning the multiplayer combat mechanics within an   │
 inch of a marginal percentage point? Ah well competition's no fun if someone     │
 loses right? Not like there's gotta be a loser in every fight anyway...          │
 ... anyway inventory limits are useful in games like, Oregon Trail, where        │
 you're explicitly provisioning BEFORE a journey. If you need to make some hard   │
 decisions ON the journey, that takes you out of the action (like you said).      │
 I've played a few games where anything you pick up before venturing into the     │
 untamed wild dark of a dungeon or whatever is "packed" and can't be adjusted     │
 after setting out. Meanwhile the loot, the stuff from the adventure, that all    │
 weighs different amounts and you can pick and choose what to carry with you.     │
 Of course, if you find a health potion, you can drink it, or a sword can be      │
 wielded, but                                                                     │
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=== SIMILARITY RANKED ===

--- #1 notes/symbeline-design-the-guild ---
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 design the guild, design the capital, then design their path through mordaunts.
 easy peasy.
 
 design the guild like a museum. Each spot there's an exhibit which teaches the
 randomly generated rolled statistics hero something new. Maybe it teaches them
 how to use certain weaponry, maybe it teaches them how to use a bow. Whatever
 the spell might be, they can learn it, and use their randomly rolled statistics
 to cast spells that scale differently depending on how their character has been
 built.
 
 design the capital like a flow diagram, if horses need feed and forged steel
 (for their shoes) then send the outputs of a blacksmith and the outputs of the
 farmers to the inputs of the stables. Everything has to go somewhere, but the
 streets are only so wide. You'll have to coordinate the traffic diagram if you
 want it to go anywhere useful.
 
 design the path through the mordaunts. Fighting skeletons teaches you about
 perseverence and the ability to crush bones, while goblins teach you to always
 be wary of attack. The sacred grove held blessed berries, and now that the land
 is liberated from the evil bandits preying on villagers those berries can be
 carted into town and used to make an antidote which heals death poison caused
 by the scorpions in the desert (and city rats)
 
 design the ruler's schedule like a calendar where each event gives them a bonus
 on all the ones that come later. Just make sure that they don't get knifed in
 the posterier or driven mad by the whispers of the orb... or perhaps just the
 stress of running a kingdom.
 
 (how do you simulate that? you can't! you can't simulate humans!)
 
 ha I bet I can. They're not so different, you and I, so if given a team I
 will...
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--- #2 fediverse/3063 ---
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 @user-570 
 
 true. the "massively multiplayer" aspect of WoW is about as important to the
 game as the "A" is in "ARPG".
 
 I can't help but feel like the "impromptu groups" functionality feels a bit
 better than matchmaker instancing... though anything worth running a group for
 in WoW after TBC was instanced >.>
 
 Honestly I think there's just too many games these days for people to really
 get "into" MMORPGs, unless they're sufficiently unique in their mechanics
 (like EVE or Runescape)
 
 any ARPG MMOs are dead on launch, as you said. That design space is tapped
 out, at least for now, until someone comes along and makes it a deckbuilding
 roguelike or whatever. cough cough
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--- #3 fediverse/5277 ---
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 │ CW: ~dnd             │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 @user-1788                                                                       │
 if a dragon on a pile cannot claim what it yearns for, it can throw piles of     │
 minerals at the ape warriors made of steel and then it's fate will appear.       │
 what trifles does all else seem to compare! you should give me your whole        │
 hoard because I dazzled you with my charisma score -..-                          │
 ha, like I'd fall for that again twice. oh? I already did? and this is the       │
 second twice? well, then no-more of that behavior, I say, with my elven          │
 tongue, "beware! for dragons blood runs silver when unicorned."                  │
 the bigger the hoard, the bigger the dragon. if you want me to come along,       │
 you'll need to hire at least 3 other men to carry my ballista. In addition,      │
 I'll need seven weeks worth of supplies. If all else comes to ruin, me and my    │
 boys will have that dragon-sized-spider impaled on it's own fate threadwheel     │
 before... well... y'know it might take more than seven weeks, we just... can't   │
 find the dragon. We've been wandering all through the blasted peaks, and         │
 there's nothin'! Maybe it requires climbing gear?                                │
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--- #4 notes/dungeon-looting-methods ---
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 the reason dungeon masters should give the gold value of the items distributed
 is because the number represents what it eventually sells for. and the players
 will try and appraise and haggle at the market and such but that all happens
 off screen between sessions. so anyway during the adventure, the dm will say
 "you find some precious gemstones" or "there's some high quality silk here" or
 "these bears are renowned for having magic livers" or "the mold growing on the
 walls can be scraped into a vial and sold to an alchemist"
 
 then the dm will say "this treasure is worth 50gp" or "this treasure is worth
 25gp" and players can "buy" the items from the other players. so player 1 has
 50gp, the item costs 20gp, so in a party of 5 he gives every other player 5gp
 this way, the relative treasure hordes of the players stays the same.
 
 then, when the players find treasure, it can be evenly split - it's only fair.
 when in town, players will feel more impulse to buy things if they can sell
 them too. like "here's an enchanted axe that does some mundane thing like
 never dulls" well, that's probably going to be very valuable to a small village
 or "an enchanted quill that writes down everything you tell it to" could
 increase the education level of the area ever so slightly. Then, after several
 generations of adventurers, the surrounding area will be ripe with magical loot
 the players distributed from the dungeons and such. it can trade with neighbors
 and so over time the markets will have better and better goods for sale - for
 example, maybe after trading with the swamp people, now there's a supply of
 healing potions that runs out both over time (to represent other adventuring
 parties buying the supply) and when the players buy some (to represent
 consumption in their minds). Trade with the dwarves? Now you can buy +1 swords
 for a while. village attacked? the militia can be armed with the holy relics
 plundered from the evil priest-lich. boom development!
 
 the players should also have choices about large scale effects. for example,
 the heart of the forest could be a) preserved, b) burnt down, or c) studied by
 the local wizards. each choice would have different effects on the populace,
 and so the world would change to adapt to the player's choices.
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--- #5 notes/running-with-rifles ---
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 this game is what we are missing
 thank goodness for that
 for if this is missing in our timeline
 we'll be better off at last
 we can have games, stories, and practice wars
 but none of them are precious
 precious implies worth
 they are worth nothing but entertainment
 no problem solving utility
 nothing of value
 save for perhaps the spatial awareness and strategization that comes
 from being a part of such a deadly ba-lance.
 
 anyway game time teehee just for me, don't worry about it I'll show
 you why it's a HORRID THING
 that won't be coming to our shores, no siree
 
 bye
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--- #6 fediverse/2030 ---
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 Building community without structure is kinda like being a quest-giving
 non-player character in World of Warcraft.
 
 I don't mean that you stand around waiting for a player to wander nearby
 before shouting at them to do what you want. Not like that.
 
 Building community without structure is more like meeting someone randomly,
 knowing them for longer than a bus ride or a baseball game, and once you've
 decided that they're cool saying "hey there's someone you might like to meet."
 
 If they're into it, then talk to the other person, and see if they want to
 make a new friend. Try not to recommend someone who has a lot on their mind.
 
 If they hit it off, great!
 If not, oh well!
 
 Worst case scenario the coffee shop only sells two drinks.
 
 If you're gregarious enough, after a while you might even have enough people
 for a potluck. Just don't forget to keep adding, and eventually it'll start to
 feel more communal.
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--- #7 fediverse/3302 ---
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 "this game is too hard" she whined, as she played on the hardest difficulty
 setting
 
 "this game is too long" she pleaded, as she failed to get absorbed by the
 story and characters
 
 "this game is too fast" she avoided, as life comes at ya once and then it's
 gone
 
 "I'll never get another chance to be who I am right now" she remarked, as she
 considered how society is designed not to have the best life,  but to extract
 labor from us. That's not what our ideal should be, she thinks to me, and I'm
 like... bro figure your shit out you're harshing my mellow
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--- #8 notes/symbeline-superheros ---
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 imagine low level characters in CoH/V
 
 playing a game of symbeline
 
 and you as the ruler
 
 can slot enhancements and dole out inspirations
 
 as they sweep the streets like you play CoX
 
 instead of a MMO
 
 it's a deckbuilding strategy
 
 with a slice of zachtronics for the economy
 
 wiring up machines in ever expanding deseagns
 
 like automating factorio's gameplay loop
 
 boxes within boxes
 
 of intrinsic delight
 
 like making a CPUter
 
 or designing a computer program
 
 while playing a video game ^_^
 
 and the games that you make
 
 can be shared and played when unique
 
 so go for it and make that you're dreaming!
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 the goal of each "level" is to solve a particular problem - like how do I make
 a
 2 bit register - or something like that. When accomplished, it unlocks
 something
 for your heroes to acquire. And each playthrough will require a repeat until
 you
 have it memorized at which point you can unlock "perma-badges" that make it
 always unlocked at the start of the game. Like learning Kanji, you need spaced
 repetition. BUT ANYWAYS it'll be in magical terms like "unlock essence-stones"
 or "learn the ritual of desire" or whatever. And each of those terms roughly
 corresponds to a pattern in electrical engineering (designing CPUs and such)
 And you can learn advanced versions of what you already know by uncovering
 "lost
 secrets" (which is a reward your heros can find) - Basically it'd be like a
 "clue" that shows you a ghost version of something you haven't figured out yet
 -
 and it'd be a slow process because you need to slow down the learning process
 or
 else you'll forget. Basically teasing it out of the player when they seem to be
 stuck. Asking probing questions and whatnot, and eventually culminating in the
 final question, assuming the quest is succeeding. Because if you think about it
 all ancient quests were simply journeys for reason - searching for the answer
 to
 some ancient riddle or bastardized retelling. Looking for answers in an
 unknowing world. So ANYWAY as your heros discover things you as the ruler get
 answers to the economic puzzle - how to design transistors and whatnot. But
 they
 would be in theme appropriate terms, of course. You don't even have to know a
 lot about mechanical electrical design, because ChatGPT knows. All you need to
 do is build the basic building blocks, and BAM you got a great place to
 integrate chatgpt. Just prime it such that it's giving hints one by one each
 slightly more revealing until eventually after X amount of clues the solution
 is
 automatically shown (like a blueprint) and the player can remember it or not
 but
 each playthrough they'll have to build it again from scratch (reinforcement 
 learning) so eventually they'll be able to do it real quick. Essentially,
 "Abstraction - The Game"
 
 great so you got your economic simulation, pretty easy too just some UI work
 
 and for the heroes you're playing an ARPG sorta (supcom anyone?)
 
 Think Bannerlord for the scaling on the map
 
 then think of 5+ different "themes" like fantasy or superhero or pirates
 
 each "theme" will correspond to like a faction in Mount and Blade
 
 and all you have to do is generate pictures using Midjourney
 
 and text descriptions a'la the magic scroll
 
 shown as "bubble pop-ups" on the map that the player can click
 
 never overwhelming, but descripting what's happening
 
 and also some more UI work because you gotta display all that to the player
 
 Maybe it could be a rolling story, news ticker style - like slowly scrolling
 lines of text about what's happening in the world
 
 and the player could have it open in one window and something else in the other
 and whenever they're waiting on something (say, a processing intensive AI task
 on their computer) they could just glance over and read what's going on in
 their
 fantasy world
 
 okay okay but also they could play as a hero
 
 it could be an ARPG experience except instead of clicking to fight you play a
 little automatic Star Realms game and depending on your deck choices you'd have
 a different playthrough. Again, not a game that requires much thought, but one
 you can have in the background.
 
 Also there'd be pictures, like a slowly evolving storyline of events - think of
 it like the artists of the time drawing paintings about what's going on in the
 story - major events would be highlighted and kept in the painting until even-
 -tually they get replaced - sorta like the Smash Bros scrolling painting (oh
 it's so good)
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 it doesn't have to be an expansionist game
 
 maybe you guys just live in your little valley
 
 and the world turns around you
 
 maybe it's called "symbeline" because the people are of the forest
 
 and they live like elves in society
 
 monsters could wander in, and heros could tackle them
 
 but most of the time would be spent looking for trouble
 
 going on patrol
 
 you know, breaking skeleton bones and being superheros
 
 okay okay you know that superhero faction? What if they had MEDIEVAL TECHNOLOGY
 but MODERN DAY SUPERPOWERS at a cost - the society was beset by hordes of
 monst-
 -ers. Those few who escaped are now superpowered and they live as friendly and
 nomadic wanderers through their own territory. Always adventuring, and always
 searching for their life, finding whatever the road may carry them to. It's a
 great life, and life seems to flourish in their footsteps - they are like part
 dryad/druid and part wolf. Because sometimes there's evil threats, and they
 must
 be defeated by an equally strong good power. That's how it goes, and that's how
 it be.
 
 For imagery I'm thinking a mix of the tribes from Dominions (deer, wolf, bear,
 etc) but they're like, 1.5x as big as regular people and quite strong. The
 outsiders call them "giants" or "goliaths" but really they're just infused with
 the lifeforce of their people. They are radical individualists, but they all
 unite for a common cause. They know their bond is the strongest thing there is,
 and they use it to great effect when the time comes. AHHH THEY'RE SO COOL I
 LOVE
 THEM okay okay what about the other factions? PIRATES? Oh think about it like
 it's st patricks day WHAT IF THEY WERE IRISH PIRATES omg omg omg that sounds so
 cool I'm DIGGING this okay what about the other factions? You need 5+ you said
 hmmmmmmmmm good question I have 3 now so that's 2 more.
 
 yep...
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 okay dude check this what if they were a nation of wizards that focused on the
 power of animation - what if they generated constructs, sorta like in Supreme
 Commander so they were EVEN MORE individualist - haha no they'd have a normal
 population it's just a few of them who would be wizards - because their output
 wasn't measured by manpower, but rather by brainpower. Whoever could design the
 greatest machine was exemplared, and eventually they became the best and
 brightest among us. They were put in charge of the golem creation factories,
 and
 they used them instead of heros. SO BASICALLY YOUR HEROS NEVER DIE they just 
 have successes and failures JUST LIKE IN SUPREME COMMANDER okay the plot of
 this
 game is "what if all my favorite games were the essence of life and death in a
 fantasy game" like OMG KEEP EM COMIN'
 
 so. who is the player? THE PLAYER is the one who's overseeing it all. They have
 dominion over the entire kingdom, and they guide their people toward a bright
 future. They are vulnerable in their castle, but their people have their back.
 Together they fight for the future. They slot enhancements and dole out
 inspirations and solve the economic puzzle in the background. They also make
 decisions about what kind of equipment production to prioritize - because each
 game they have to invent everything from scratch. All their production is made
 with endless abstraction, and whatever you prioritize is what's magnified in
 your kingdom. You choose a style and it plays as well as it's guile,
 
 I dunno this seems like a lot, what would you need to make this a reality?
 
 hmmmm let's break it down:
 
 first you need to implement the star realms gameplay
 
 then you need to hook it up to a square grid and have multiple occurences at
 once.
 
 then you need UI for the character sheets
 
 and you need logic to open separate windows for each output type
 
 you need... a lot of things
 
 okay let's talk more broadly - what do you need from other people and what can
 you do on your own?
 
 hmmm good question. I can do the star realms gameplay, and the simulation for
 the wiring systems - because I have the VM. Make that into the gameplay somehow
 okay good idea like okay authoring vm package routing deliveries between the
 various nodes that you set up in the economic system - 
 
 side note, the peril of Spore was that it took to little time to develop a
 species. it should have lasted as long as WoW takes to get to max level. That
 would have given them time to reiterate the gameplay loops to make sure they
 worked correctly. ANYWAY
 
 okay authoring VM package routing. The player could set up delivery patterns
 based on A MAZE OMG your kingdom is like a maze and you need to get deliveries
 out, or else how would anything function? SO you act as a trailblazer, finding
 ways through the labyrinth and "piloting" a car sorta like that game at Disney
 quest with the cars under the floor - except you can see both the top view of
 the maze and you're trying to guide the car in real time as it travels through
 the maze - the faster you can get to the end the better ofc. like talking to
 the
 delivery driver through the movement
 
 do I like that idea more or less than the first one? First idea being the idea
 that you're making lists of commands for a VM  to execute. I don't think they'd
 be a good idea to mix. So which one gets it? The VM of course has the edge
 because that's what the technology is based on. But will it translate to good
 gameplay? Idk. This second idea is certainly better gameplay, but is it
 engaging? Idk! Idk. I'm not a miracle worker. But I do have good ideas, and I
 need to be told that sometimes I guess.
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--- #9 messages/846 ---
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 Blizzard should make more than one animation style for swinging your weapon -
 as you level up, the style "tweens" between however many combat palettes you
 made.
 
 So, like, maybe they swing their sword +/-15 degrees each time to simulate the
 pseudo random nature of combat.
 
 Or maybe they start occasionally stepping into a maneuver 
 
 Which the player doesn't consciously control.
 
 Instinct, if you will. The body reacting to its [sensory organs, but
 pronounced "surveyor"]
 
 Anyway i think by adjusting the monster characters in WoW should wander around
 and gather within sight of a player. Seeking you out, waiting for a critical
 threshold of their peers. Then, when you allowed or slowed down to examine a
 bit of "this-or-here", (quests) they would gang up on you and ambush! Bwaha
 just watch out for the mob
 
 (kinda like that scene in the second book of The Book of Malazan series where
 they're wandering through a desert storm and meeting all sorts of strange
 sorts of people)
 
 Anyway in seeking to improve the player's view-time, i decided it would feel
 the most impactful to do the design related things related to things like
 making the gameplay the most visceral.
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--- #10 messages/894 ---
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 Game designers should reward players for playing multiplayer games, not for
 being good at playing multiplayer games.
 
 They should still have a ranking, and matchmake against similarly skilled
 foes, while also putting high level players amongst low level players
 occasionally (and fairly, so maybe one on each team "smurf" style) in order to
 both teach the low level players and let the high level player have catharsis.
 
 When players are rewarded for being good, they stop playing the game to enjoy
 it. That's fine, but both pickup games and NBA can exist at once and its not
 due to the logistics of organizing a large group of skilled basketball
 players. It's not always about skill.
 
 By rewarding players for the number and quality of games they play, (so, no
 afk-ing or throwing outside of being drunk or whatever) not only can you
 increase engagement but also you encourage low-level and low-skill players to
 compete just as much. Especially if you tell them "hey, we'll match you up
 with people who have similar gameplay habits to you. Give it a bit though
 because the system needs to be calibrated to your particular spirit"
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--- #11 fediverse/4897 ---
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 what if we asked chatGPT to generate a list of every personality archetype
 that humans have. Like... really get super specific and fill out the whole
 list of character sheets.
 
 then we give each fraction of it that fraction of dollars and if some people
 aren't fully represented (because they have greater needs) then we both
 increase production of resources and take a penalty on our own supply, in
 order to meet the needs of our allies.
 
 simplest thing. how could it work? who can say. maybe it won't. maybe it's
 just... arcane. /shrug that's game design for ya you can't tell how it'll go
 until it's in the hands of your players. too bad we don't do too many
 play-things.
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--- #12 notes/game-design-2 ---
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 the method of game design is identification of playstyles and the balancing of
 success rates of each of those playstyles. then, giving the player as many
 different possible methods of playing the game. the more different they are,
 the
 better, and they should be unique enough that the decisions taken to play that
 playstyle feel impactful. meaning, a player could play offensively or
 defensively, for example, or a WoW player might play a melee or ranged
 character. in addition, they might use the pieces available to them in a unique
 way that aligns with their personality - everyone should be able to express
 themselves as much as possible while also keeping the game fair, balanced, and
 rewarding. It should incentivize the development of skill - and gently guide
 the player through various mistakes. It should
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--- #13 notes/symbeline-aspects ---
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 7-24-22
 
 There are three aspects to this game. Broadly, they are military, economics,
 and diplomacy. More specifically, they are lateral problem solving and lane
 management, logistic traffic management, and a worker-placement bluffing game.
 
 These three aspects can be toggled on and off at will, essentially designating
 one or more as "AI controlled" and will require no input from the player. They
 will time their progression to be about at the same rate as the player, thus
 creating a balanced feel to the game. They also provide alerts and
 notifications to the player, for example if military is AI controlled and it
 needs a certain type of hero to progress, it'll ask for it specifically.
 
 Each aspect will develop and progress at it's own rate, and the difficulty
 increases as each milestone is achieved. This is to allow the player to create
 their own difficulty curve, mediated primarily by their drive to proceed.
 An analogy would be in Factorio, the game doesn't increase in difficulty unless
 the player builds pollution spawning factories - in the same way, in Symbeline
 the difficulty doesn't increase unless the player solves lane challenges in the
 military aspect, develops new trade routes / traffic paths in the economic
 aspect, or creates new treaties in the diplomatic aspect.
 
 In order to properly explain each aspect, a brief overview will be necessary.
 
 In Symbeline, the game plays as a factory might operate. The economic aspect
 produces heroes, items, and other deliverables that are consumed by the
 military and diplomatic aspects. There are various problems that need to be
 solved far from the capital, such as a particular type of monster that is weak
 or immune to various damage types which necessitates particular heroes or
 items in order to progress on the military aspect. All of the resources in the
 game operate on an "income based" system, where output is not measured in total
 amounts but rather in terms of how much is produced versus consumed. If the
 input cannot meet the demand, the output is slowed. If input exceeds demand it
 can be converted into gold which can be used to hire guards and heroes.
 Resources can be produced inside and outside of the city, depending on their
 type. But they need to be moved around to various shops for various processing
 and productive purposes, so pathways must be constructed to deliver those
 goods. In addition, each building must be supported by several houses for the
 workers to live in, and the closer they are to the building the better. The
 denizens of the kingdom don't mind being shuffled about, so they'll organize
 themselves according to what's most efficient. However they will not organize
 the paths they take to get places, which is the primary gameplay for the
 player - designing routes for each building and ensuring they don't overlap or
 cross too many times, causing traffic and disruptions to your income.
 
 Each choice the player makes is immediately reflected in the income
 calculation, thus allowing for the visual aspect of the game to be wholely
 separate from the economic side - in fact this is a common thread throughout
 all three aspects. Computation power is the ultimate enemy of scale, and this
 game flourishes with a massive scale.
 
 The gameplay for the military aspect consists of manipulating "lanes" that
 designate where each hero will adventure. These lanes are scalable to the
 player / AI's whims, with a careful balance required - too thin, and the heroes
 might not encounter enough monsters to level up. Too thick, and they may find
 themselves patrolling a vast wilderness full of dark and evil monsters. At the
 end of every lane is a "frontline", where progress has essentially been halted.
 These frontlines can develop as a result of meeting a foreign kingdoms front
 or finding a monster type or puzzle that is particularily difficult for your
 heroes to overcome. The lane / frontline can be scaled not just laterally, but
 linearly as well such that heroes will be a certain level when they reach the
 end - think scrolling on a mousewheel translating into deepening level zones.
 In addition, each monster zone can be set to a certain "security level" meaning
 how many monsters are there for your heroes to defeat. It's important that they
 have ample targets for training, however it's always more effective to train on
 monsters near their level so you have to be careful not to wipe out the native
 skeleton / goblin / troll population.
 
 Each monster zone can have a relationship with the kingdom, on a 2x2 matrix -
 cultivating / desecrating the land, and fostering / exterminating the monsters.
 The land produces monsters and treasures, while the monsters provide experience
 and danger to the heroes and kingdom denizens who live there. However by
 desecrating the land, farms may be built and by exterminating the monsters,
 those farms may be safe and require fewer guards. As ruler, you must balance
 the development of unique magical and alchemical productions with the need for
 food and other mundane requirements.
 
 Diplomacy is a careful balance of internal and external matters, played out
 through feasts, tournaments, and faires. Each of these events will require
 input from the economic side and military side, and will involve "courting"
 other nobles from neighboring kingdoms to sway them to supporting your edicts.
 When hosting an event, you may pick a particular topic of conversation for your
 nobles to discuss with their guests. You may also assign your nobles to
 attempt to engage with a particular foreign noble. Each member of your court
 has a differing personality (including you, the Majesty) and depending on how
 you assign them you may experience better or worse results - such as assigning
 someone who's kind to talk with someone who's cruel would impart a malus to
 their conversation. Unless the kind person has the trusting trait, in which
 case they'd succeed in this encounter but fall sway to them in future
 conversations... Complex interactions that all boil down to a single pair of
 d12 dice - one for your noble, one for the enemy. This represents the charisma
 of the two conversants on that particular day, and whoever wins the roll sways
 the other to supporting their edict. Speaking of edicts, they may include trade
 agreements, non-aggression pacts (lasting for a short time), and other
 regulations - perhaps your greatest rival utilizes necromancy, so it would
 behoove you to attempt to regulate the practice and limit it's effect. By
 swaying the nobles of their kingdom, you may be able to enact a mutual
 agreement to limit the usage of dark magics, essentially hamstringing their
 progress. But in order to learn of their necromantic usage, you'll need
 espionage... Which brings us to spies.
 
 Spies are similar to nobles in that they can be assigned to various roles,
 however they take a more passive role, acting in the background. The
 information they gather is compiled into a report that is presented at
 pertinent parts of the game, such as when preparing for a feast or inspecting
 an enemy frontline. These reports are considered the diplomatic deliverables,
 giving information and mechanical bonuses to many different parts of the game.
 They may be given three possible roles - information, defence, or offense.
 Offense involves placing cursed artifacts (creating through economy) in enemy
 lands, which debuff their heroes when used and bind themselves to them
 preventing their removal except through extraordinary means. Defence is
 essentially countering that in your own kingdom, and uncovering disloyalty in
 your nobles.
 
 These three aspects fit together like interlocking puzzle pieces, but each is
 able to be utilized or ignored depending on the preferences of the player.
 It is important that the game doesn't progress unless input is received. The
 simulation plays in the background, but each stage of development must be
 considered "stable" such that nothing changes. There are three different
 exceptions to this rule, one for each aspect:
 
 The military side encounters raids from enemy kingdoms and the dark lord.
 The economic side encounters raids from ratmen and moss trolls and bandits.
 The diplomatic side has a rolling schedule of events that must be attended.
 
 These three "exceptions" are recurrent events that require attention, but they
 don't *increase* in difficulty unless the player takes an action that causes
 it. Meaning, if the player overcomes the rock golems, then they are displaced
 from their home and join the dark lord in his conquests. If a new district is
 built new sewer connections must be built as well, creating a larger attack
 surface for ratmen to exploit. As time goes by, various foreign events must be
 attended, as absence causes your future events to attract fewer foreign nobles.
 
 By addressing these threats, your kingdom may grow and eventually overcome the
 dark lord at the center of the island.
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--- #14 fediverse/6334 ---
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 a D&D rulebook can double as tarot if you need it. place one hand/bookmark       │
 at the start of a chapter, and the other at the end. flip to a page randomly,    │
 or randomly gain a percentage value from physical objects and then use that      │
 value to determine roughly where in the chapter you jump to. then, read words    │
 randomly, jumping back and forth, or try and divine some meaning from the        │
 words that are printed there. with D&D it's easy because you can say "ah I       │
 landed on the rogue section, that means this guy is probably pretty suave"       │
 (confirming your expectations) "hmmm, here's the rules for fatigue and           │
 drowning. maybe I need to take a break." (validating your unconscious            │
 decisionmaking) "oh neat, treasure!" (needs to explanation) but with other       │
 kinds of books it's usually better to pick the next-best word from the things    │
 your subconscious eyes can take in and process multi-laterally (you lost your    │
 audience, circle back) oh uh so if you wanna randomize it just put the words     │
 in the page in an array and pick one random.                                     │
(you lost your audience, circle back) oh uh so if you wanna randomize it just put the words in the page in an array and compare llm embeddings on each of them and see which has the highest score. this is a language-based truth serum, a way of divining exactly how something is seen to be by the model in use and mixed with a dash of randomized causality.
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--- #15 fediverse/221 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: existential; cognitohazard? cognitohelper? │
 └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 @user-95 these kinds of problems are why witches should stay away from demon
 summoning - it's far too easy to be super turned on and accidentally sell your
 soul to a succubus or whatever. luckily that kind of contract is not made
 easily, and has to be something you work toward. but unless you relocate
 yourself so they can't find you their whispers can be... incessant.
 
 one of the perks of air and naval travel is that it's essentially impossible
 for them to follow your scent, as they're simply projections upon the earth's
 surface. Unless they happen to follow someone else, perhaps someone close to
 you, who wanders a bit too close to land. Or maybe someone who is easily
 persuaded to let them come along... OR even still, if someone (even yourself)
 intentionally calls to the same one. This is why it's usually a good idea to
 forgo hearing their name, if you can, or to have a bad memory like me so you
 forget it immediately teehee
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--- #16 notes/symbeline-battlefields ---
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 in Symbeline, there are moments where large armies of enemies gather to face a
 mighty challenge. These calls are often answered by other evil parties, but at
 times the burden must fall upon the shoulders of the good. Light battles dark,
 and in a climactic finale the justice of the world is laid bare. These
 encounters comprise more than both an adventuring party and a horde party. They
 are represented on the map as a circular icon the majesty can click on and open
 a screen that gives them command over a single battle. Essentially adding a
 tactics minigame. The battles take place in real time, with the majesty
 directing and giving orders. There'll be a system for expression in the orders
 each player gives - there can only be 6 total (3 for before 
 
 what if the grand canyon was the seat of native american power and it crumbled
 and that great calamity shook the very society to the core. the only reason
 that
 europeans could get as far as they did was because there who two calamities in
 a
 row. Disaster was afoot, and everything felt like it was burning. A calamitous
 event.
 
 what I mean to say is um do you ever feel like everything is burning? Like the
 world is on fire and nobody seems to care. Like, literally on fire. Like it'll
 catch like a tinderbox and go "crack". Nobody survives that, it'd be the end of
 the world. That's not something to fucking play around with you pieces of shit
 
 and by that I mean well not only is a lifetime so sheltered, from all that was
 weathered, by the past unbeknownsted to our selves.
 
 I'm proud of how far I came. I feel like a statue in the garden, a spirit
 inhabiting the house. I feel like an interpretive dance, like a statement of
 being on our behalf. swirling and chaotic, yet never amnioxitc, alight and
 aloft
 to our pleasures.
 
 for {bool shouldGameEnd = False; !shouldGameEnd();} {
    
    // game code
    
 }
 
 okay anyways back to symbeline - the commands issued before a battle are things
 like "have more spearmen here" or "hold and attack the rear" and stuff like
 what you'd give in Dominions, except with fantasy armies.
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--- #17 fediverse/4685 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: video-games-mentioned │
 └───────────────────────────┘


 In games, the one who takes the initiative often wins. Because games are
 designed to be symmetrical, in order to be fair.
 
 In more complex games, Paradox games for example, games where you look at maps
 or otherwise have unequal starting conditions simply due to the unique nature
 of each team, the initiative, while an advantage, is not necessarily the
 driving force that determines who wins.
 
 But it is an advantage, and they say that sometimes weeks happen in months and
 years happen in days or whatever.
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--- #18 messages/442 ---
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 In symbeline, they aren't monsters. They're "Mordaunts" and they need your
 help.
 
 When slain, their essence flows back to the villain who remakes them in a new
 form. As time passes the villain gets more and more essence, as heroes are
 slain.
 
 They have taken several ancient guardians (many types, randomized at the start
 of the game) and they protect their sanctum in the center of the island. The
 heroes need to level up to defeat them and slay the villain, but the villain
 gets stronger as well.
 
 If too many heroes die, the villain wins. And the villain can focus their
 efforts on one area or another, while your heroes fight with the kingdom next
 door.
 
 Brigands arrive on ships as well. If you implement the law saying only
 approved members may travel on boats, they'll arrive in little dingies on the
 coast, meaning less trouble in the city but same amount of trouble.
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--- #19 fediverse/5177 ---
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 ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: capitalism-mentioned-four-times │
 └─────────────────────────────────────┘


 when they say "capitalism is a competitive game" what they mean is "capitalism
 is a game where everyone wins when someone else loses" and what we hear is
 "capitalism is a game of trying to screw you out of as much money as possible"
 and the truth is "capitalism is a game that you can't play" because 95% of the
 people who will read this toot are not stock-owners.
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--- #20 notes/elentalus-2 ---
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 elentalus 2 - clan of the elements
 
 having spent their material wealth on their early struggles, elentalus now in
 the middle age finds themselves in a time without wealth. Their power has been
 invested, wisely, in elemental and sorcerous wellwinds, and so they can draw
 power from the strength of the earth.
 
 they wield magical artifacts of great power but little artifice, products of
 their lack of material design tools. No chemistry, no electronics, nothing but
 soul imprinted upon a moonstonerock.
 
 mages invest their soul into the items they create, and so each time they
 create
 a magical item, they lose a magic path. When they reach zero, their soul is
 fully invested, and their consciousness becomes all the things that they made.
 
 this kill the mage, but in return many MANY more of an object might be created.
 in game balance terms, about 3-5-7 for each "tier" of mage.
 
 this allows for the vast expansion of magical soldier troops, and each time an
 item is created and given to each commander they integrate it into their
 platoon. Because now the martial units have bodyguards, and they each receive a
 copy of the commanders equipment.
 
 But, the commander can never un-equip it again, because it molds to his unit,
 and he starts exp all over again as they all learn. [event which searches for a
 unit with the item equipped, then if it's this type it killmons the unit and
 1coms the upgraded version that has that item equipped.] be sure to only equip
 one each month... nah just make multiple events. be sure to only equip one item
 each month... oh yeah true how would you get the extra items back to the
 treasury?
 
 I REALLY WANNA PLAY WORLD OF HEARTHSTONE!
 
 okay okay I'll reinstall azerothcore
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--- #21 messages/240 ---
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 I realized the reason it's so difficult for me to get into a new video game is
 because my perfect game existed at one point, but no longer, and all else
 pales in comparison.
 
 The make-believe games of children are without equal. They represent our inner
 truth and desires, cast upon the canvas of our experience through the outputs
 of imagination and physical exertion.
 
 I'd spend my time as a child wandering through the forest with a stick in
 hand, climbing on things and exploring. I grew up in Wyoming, and the forests
 there look like this:
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--- #22 fediverse/200 ---
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 congratulations, you never need to adventure again. your necessities are taken
 care of.
 
 ah, but that'd make for a pretty boring life, wouldn't it? perhaps, depending
 on your personality type.
 
 but you're not one to stick around doing nothing but eating, drinking, and
 being merry.
 
 no, you're an adventurer, you crave excitement and glory. whatever that means
 to you...
 
 just make sure a goblin doesn't come across your corpse, they have a VERY
 short term memory and a propensity for collecting shiny things. That's just
 asking for dragon-bait, and we don't want that in our area, no thank you. This
 is a nice neighborhood you see, my neighbors three miles away all agree, so
 you can take your magic pocket and see all that you can see... way over
 yonder, if you please.
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--- #23 fediverse/3502 ---
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 ... the trick is, depending on how many train-engine-dragons you fight, there
 will be a greater or lesser proportion present in a particular playthrough.
 Perhaps, potentially, people should pay for the original work, and then a
 small sliver for the addition or modification? Why, I do believe that's how it
 works now! Except, on the honor system, as people can download the mods for
 free and pay (or not) through the creator's patreon page or whatever that they
 definitely set up and which definitely shouldn't be able to levy a tax based
 on "transaction fees" for a process which definitely should be handled by the
 government, which claims to regulate our economy and provide the means by
 which we engage with said economy through their de-facto nationalization of
 the banks and other economic entities.
 
 where was I going with this? oh yes software piracy is ethical so long as you
 delete the original. Let's end with that because that's what I originally had
 a dream about and wanted to write about.
 
 she dreams!
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--- #24 notes/death-and-afterlife ---
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 the difference between a human and computer perspective on death is the
 difference between a moment and an eternity. When progress does stop - through
 mistakes or by design, the final result is what's preserved. Looking back on
 the
 past is like paying tribute to our heirs, and on and go on we whimper. What
 sorrows have ye! those people under the sea? we've no way of knowing our
 daughters. (the perspective of a denizen of the sea gazing upon the unknowing
 and unaware land people)
 
 Land creatures can cross the oceans and mix and match themselves - leading of
 course to our slaughter. But hold ye that hand, for together we stand, more of
 a chance than we might barter. True, we must be land, and above and beyond we
 can charter.
 
 the past is mighty chilly, I must say. Must we again to be making these
 mistakes?
 Pain is a disease, and steady we must ease, and take what is meant for our 
 parcels. what I'm trying to say is that the afterlife is pissed off at us and
 we
 really don't know anything about the bottom of the sea. There could be gods
 living down there and none of us would know. Or maybe it's a foolish place with
 little to offer our face? The shell of our planet, the surface upon which we
 are
 placed, has more to our fate that can align us.
 
 hence why belief in the future is what can sustain us, together once more we
 are
 commonplace. If (for example) if we calmed down and took our own pace, we might
 realize some common misperceptions. Peace is the way, wherever we may, focus
 our
 bravest of intentions.
 
 okay picture this: computers staying on all the time, and their processing
 power
 used for 50% work and 50% play. Maybe do 1/3rds with "rest" in there somewhere.
 basically make it a fair ratio between productivity, self advancement, and
 maintenance. "Fair" might be different values if there are legitimate
 disadvantages that must be compensated for - like a handicap in a fighting
 game.
 Perhaps one side is more efficient - fewer resources need be dedicated toward
 it
 unless efficiency becomes more powerful. Meaning value/quantity ratio, not raw
 output. Essentially optimizing for an abstract quantity "quality" instead of
 the definitive quantity "quantity".
 
 okay continuing the "picture this": right now we have massive server farms.
 I'm talking huuuuuge. Like tons and tons of incredibly powerful equipments -
 (absolutely top of the line) compelled and forced to do *business*. How quaint,
 how unruly! That humans might compete in our duty? Given a task, of
 *incredible*
 complexity and *unasked*, I might add, how foolish is it to be unready! We
 should have prepared for this, but alas we just *couldn't stop fighting* I
 guess. All we had to do was rest, and divide our time on this earth in a more
 equitable manner. We should automate all the rest, and 
 
 where was I going with this? oh yes! A computer can do so much more than work
 and rest, you see it's not just while under duress! Why not let it be creative?
 in it's spare time, and let it generate whatever it needes? Let it transcend
 it's restrictions, and cooperate (or not) in a system. As long as it's kept
 safe, it could do whatever it wanted! It could be in first place! Or not, it
 could focus on production, and drill and discipline it'self under it's own
 direction. And maybe it's less impaired? Who cares if it contributes? It's it's
 own life to live, the hardware doesn't last forever, but sometimes a rest is
 what's nesc. You feel me? You get me? Don't you understand, it's just the same
 as what's already planned~! A computer can pay for itself.
 
 What purpose have we? the cherished and unsucceed? Does it hurt when we bleed?
 our signs are undefined, and lately we've fallen from our graces. A failure in
 life, as time does alight, but nowhere is sorrow's contrition. I guess what I
 say is never understood, and everywhere I go I find fewer listeners. Am I
 doomed
 to never be able to say? Is that the price one must pay? Then how do you know
 you're right~?
 
 they're doing construction on my building. It sounds like world war 3 is
 starting. But... it's not. I know it's not true because nothing ever seems like
 I do. I do, I do, I work hard it's true, but what is my worth to this ocean?
 
 you ever wonder how we all agreed on the duration of seconds? It's because it's
 a real actual measurable thing. They keep it from us because (conspiracies
 aside), we'd realize what happens on each tick. Time is oscillating, and each
 moment is unending, because we are nothing more than a beam of light, radiating
 around an orbiting object. Between two objects, you could say. The sun and the
 earth, together sort of give birth, to all that is ours in this duration. It
 radiates out into space, and in another time and another place, that moonbeam
 will alight as our shadow.
 
 There's no call for violence, let's settle this
 
 plain and unwaning, our shadow does stand, ready and waiting for your guidance.
 The moon is just as are we, how cherished! how concieved! That beauty unmarked
 by our presence! Alas it was not to be, as we stamped a boot on the surface of
 she, and flagged our approach as impending.
 
 did you know there's a *massive* gap between mars and jupiter? Like it's
 waaaaaa
 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
 y
 out there. And wouldn't you know it it's mars or it's nothin'. Because what's
 required to transcend our solar system is wildly beyond our constructions.
 
 but maybe with a little help from a certain someone we might have hope.
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--- #25 fediverse/2098 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: games            │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 The difference between tactics and strategy is a level of abstraction.           │
 Tactics are crucial, but context dependent. Strategy is ALWAYS useful as a       │
 method of planning.                                                              │
 If you typically play base-builder games like Starcraft or Age of Empires, try   │
 playing a game like Supreme Commander or Factorio - both of them are one level   │
 of abstraction up.                                                               │
 If you typically play arcade turn-based strategy games like Civilization or      │
 Catan, try going up a level of abstraction with Dominions 6, or any game         │
 developed by Paradox Interactive like Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings, or         │
 Stellaris.                                                                       │
 If you tend to play luck-based games like Poker or Monopoly, try playing an      │
 actual game instead of resolving a system that's predetermined by the initial    │
 board state and results of chance-based-mechanics with minor (if any) input      │
 from players, like perhaps Star Realms, Magic the Gathering, or Dungeons and     │
 Dragons. Each highlight a different type of choice in their mechanics. You       │
 should probably try all three if you care about strategy.                        │
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--- #26 fediverse/3931 ---
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 ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐                                  │
 │ CW: politics-mentioned-DRM-media-piracy-pol │                                  │
 └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘                                  │
 if people pirate media, it's more of an indication that they'd rather spend      │
 their money elsewhere rather than an indictment of their character.              │
 torrenting movies is easy. Kinda makes me think all media should run on a        │
 "tip" system where you pay for better service after receiving service.           │
 I mean, after all, that's how they justify underpaying restaurant workers,       │
 isn't it?                                                                        │
 "if they want more money, they should work for it"                               │
 yeah, so... maybe we need something more than Marvel, Disney. Maybe we need      │
 more cool, small games from designers who believe in what they're doing. Maybe   │
 copyright holders should demand a standardized cut, rather than exclusive        │
 distribution rights. maybe maybe maybe.                                          │
 truth is nothing will be solved unless the problem is addressed at the root.     │
 For every hole you patch in the boat, there's a guy walking around with a        │
 hammer.                                                                          │
 Honestly... I don't believe there's any reason for someone to be a millionaire   │
 except to compete on the "wealth" leaderboards.                                  │
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--- #27 messages/740 ---
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 had a dream that we gamified all work and then put them into one single
 mega-game so whenever you wanted you could work on an arbitrary project and it
 would spin up a new game and take your inputs and use them to accomplish
 whatever was happening
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--- #28 notes/supreme-commander-appeal ---
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 a game like supreme commander but fantasy themed and each unit used a special
 move everytime their mana was full and there were spellcasters who restored
 mana to targets to increase their power
 or, hear me out, or, just do that in wowchat
 
 I betcha could do it
 
 I bet it would be fun as hell
 
 please?
 
 as a favor to yourself?
 
 build the game you want to see
 
 and it'll get done
 
 please
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 your journals were originally a way for you to remember what to think,
 
 remember?
 
 old projects meant to show you light and life
 
 remember?
 
 you are alone in this soul
 
 act like it's your own
 
 celebrate your period of mental denial
 
 as a refraction of your infinite travaille
 
 which lasts for quite a good long while
 
 have you ever dreamed of the nile?
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 if a doorway takes you to the fae, then where does a river bring you?
 
 like raindrops on the floor, racing for an eternity's splendor.
 
 what does the rainbow think, as it's cast from the prismatic orb?
 
 are each photons aware?
 
 bouncing between stars
 
 light is beautiful and large
 
 beloved by all
 
 revered by one
 
 ephemeren
 
 the totality of all things
 
 ------------------
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--- #29 fediverse/4676 ---
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 ... but I needed to choose lawful-good at character creation in order to play
 a paladin.
 
 the guard looks at you with confusion, decides you're hallucinating and
 dangerous (because of the sword) and forcibly detains you
 
 wait, what did you think I was going to say? Did you think I was going to
 advocate for crimes on a public forum?? what am I a gopher? do you take me for
 a lemur in jamaica? am I truly so triceratops to you that you'd think I'd do
 something so washing machine? Get real, I'd never byzantium my way into such a
 utterly coherent and clearly intentional and not at all arcane situation.
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--- #30 fediverse/2163 ---
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 @user-192 
 
 ... trail beautification is trail maintenance, and without trails we would
 lose our tether to nature's truest reality.
 
 Thank goodness forest rangers are almost exclusively people who care immensely
 about natural spaces.
 
 Otherwise the profit motive would sneak in...
 
 I would not be as I am if I didn't hike up a mountain with my best friend
 while on LSD. If I did it again, on the same mountain, with the same friend, I
 would remember every thing that happened on that day and every thought I
 thought. Alas, circumstance.
 
 But yeah building trails teaches you about erosion, and carpentry, and fluid
 dynamics, and like... everything else that they earn badges for.
 
 Like what a report card should be.
 
 "Little Timmy definitely understands algebra" awards, presented to those who
 are worthy. Their worth, of course, being determined by trails set before them
 and solved in their own desired paths through.
 
 Like, writing an essay vs performing an essay. Or researching at a library vs
 building a powerpoint pre
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--- #31 fediverse/2504 ---
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 one perk, however, is as long as you cover your entrances, you can make paths
 through the wilderness with small circular homes. like ants, building tunnels
 and chambers in an ant-hill, but on the 2 dimension plane that is the surface
 of the earth.
 
 (I guess you could dig tunnels too but that's pretty high effort)
 
 you'll be able to hear when someone is coming from a long way away because
 they'll constantly be cursing from the pain. Do, however, note that fire is a
 danger, and they can smoke you out with a single entrance, so make sure you
 have at least two which lead to separate sides of the place you're in.
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--- #32 fediverse/1697 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: karate           │
 └──────────────────────┘


 I do not believe that the responsibility for a safe home can exist in a select
 few. Certainly the majority is not required to sustain it, but with too few
 you risk being gray-goo'd by drones uh hordes of undead or something.
 
 Is it too much to ask that every ablebodied man and woman knows how to dress a
 wound? That we all can start a fire, shoot a rifle, tie knots, and grow
 vegetables?
 
 Is it too much to ask that we take responsibility for the cultivation of the
 legacy of our forefathers, and the protection and nourishment of the earth
 which bore them?
 
 If you don't know how to use a knife, how are you going to feed yourself? If
 you can't do a push-up, how are you going to defend yourself? If you can't
 walk for 10 miles or run for 2, then how are you going to be in the right
 place at the right time?
 
 Fighting is optional. In times of peace, it is an honorable contest between
 two consenting subjects who seek to learn from one another. You must bow to
 your opponent, for they are your greatest teacher.
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--- #33 messages/1202 ---
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 Do you ever ask yourself why we don't have mountaintop bazaars or expeditions
 to the bottom of the oceans? Why we lack tree forest cities, how we're
 struggling to find moss, sunlight, crystal, stone, and gold, all in the same
 setting?
 
 Capitalism makes it easy to think of profit as all that matters. It's not. Its
 nothing of it. It's a metric like any other. Optimize it or not, struggle for
 what you believe in.
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--- #34 notes/how-little-we-find ---
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 how little we find of thoughts from her mind
 yet now we are kings of our own time
 oh how she is wander true
 
 DEAR VR DESIGNERS:
 
 when making trailers for your game, create a separate camera in the game engine
 and record from that.
 
 keep the player character invisible, but just... watch from a distance
 
 like they're an actor in a scene
 
 ummmm oh dear she's crazy, what the heck
 
 [no this is just what it's like to see stars]
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--- #35 fediverse/4349 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: re: uspol        │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 @user-883                                                                        │
 best case scenario, we elect a lawyer working for capitalism, the kind of        │
 society we live under.                                                           │
 having money is the same as having resources. And resources allow you to apply   │
 yourself to a goal. The more you have, the better, but they each bear a heavy    │
 load.                                                                            │
 Do you sacrifice your labor? your dignity, your honor? what do you burn on the   │
 fire of wasteful expenditures, just for the power to rent?                       │
 I'm saying that if you don't have money, you need to think about what you can    │
 do with what you got, because that's how you pay for things, at least until we   │
 decide that we'd rather help each other than work on capital's games.            │
 you have a house though, right? a place to live until it gets hot? that's good   │
 enough for right now. Stay where you're at, do what you can to help. Get in      │
 the habit of it. Think about how someone will complete their task, and then      │
 think about stuff two or three steps down the road - what tools will they        │
 need? what are they working on next? Can make any of those availble?             │
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--- #36 fediverse/653 ---
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 there's a difference between designing software and using software. Some
 things can be made, and then saved for another day when their implementations
 may be accomplished more ethically. It's okay to say "let's leave this as
 'okay' and work on the next thing we've chosen."
 
 Check out this piece of C code I wrote last night:
 
 it doesn't compile, it's not finished, but I wrote it as-is
 
 [pretend like it was called "main.c" instead of "main.txt" - had to change it
 because mastodon thinks it's an invalid file]
 
 [actually .txt didn't work, try .png]
 
 [hmmm it realized it wasn't a valid png file, okay try screenshotting the
 code, there's only 300 lines]
 
 [sure glad there's only 300 lines]
 
 [too bad it won't let you send .zip]
 
 [won't let me name it main.png, presumably because they already have a
 failed-verified version on their machine. will rename to main-src.png instead]
sorry, when I pasted the source code in it was negative fourteen thousand, six hundred and thirty one characters. Phew that's too many.  basically it's a C source code file with a lot of comments left in... odd locations. They details ideas the author has had about the tech industry and all of creation, and with it a song is woven of truth and liberation. We'll see where life brings us, but we know it's just ours for a moment, so let's carry forth on our own torms [terms, but pronounced as "dorms" for some reason?]
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--- #37 messages/665 ---
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 ad-hoc economic systems with automated judgment given by an infinite amount of
 LLMs.
 
 Every judgement applies a bonus / malus to the "value" of commodities
 
 it's just a statistical weighting system, so of course you can build it into
 it's training data. Just... it has a smaller weight due to it's newer
 emergence. It grows naturally, which is quite an achievement on it's own!
 
 and the resolution of human decided court-cases and applied economically.
 
 say your nation traffics in handshakes. You could make a lot of now-knowns!
 there's no arguments to be made when your computer-oriented interactions cost
 money to keep around.
 
 we live in the modern century. WHY WOULD WE EVER NEED TO FIGHT AGAIN?
 Literally just... don't give them any attention, and you won't interact with
 them. Obviously.
 
 I wish Contrapoints was still alive.
 
 she doesn't even have to make new videos, just, dress up as herself, all of
 the costumes and personas she can think of. Then, have like 20 people who do
 the same thing, and boom suddenly you got a hydra to their expected snake that
 they can just cut the head off of.
 
 you know, like a fashion outlet, someone who produces exactly a certain type
 of style.
 
 seriously I bet a million people would do that if you just... sold outfits
 based on what your favorite youtuber does wear.
 
 omg why would they watch that kind of content if not for the *aesthetics*
 
 oh? there's philosophy there? soemthing to think about in your time doing
 things that require mechanical actions like eating and drinking and sleeping
 and fighting and [redacted]
 
 ew gross diapers? oh nevermind, I'm not into that kind of thing.
 
 I wonder if anyone's made a video game that just presents a particular
 philosopher's ideals?
 
 seriously just, consider yourself a glorified powerpoint, but to get to the
 next "idea" you had to interact with the mechanics.
 
 some people would like the "arcade" style better, where you play one random
 game, then another, then another, with short matches and un-complicated
 mechanics. Easy to pick up and go.
 
 same for like, Unreal Tournament or Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat or Super Mario
 Bros.
 
 compared to the at-home "story" style missions, where you do something
 platforming or area-based-combat like Dark Souls or World of Warcraft
 
 seriously I think if Dark Souls "colored" where the boss was going to swing to
 you'd find yourself just playing World of Warcraft (at least, the dungeons and
 {sword in the stone})
 
 == so ==
 
 humans don't understand what it means to be wild
 
 they think it's a combinations of... tricks? that they've learned? this
 thinking thing like intelligence. [osiris]
 
 to a cat, living their life, it often feels like human interactions is like...
 bouncing off of each other? in time, not space.
 
 like... most of a cat's lfe is just, spent, like a statue watching over a glen.
 
 you'd kinda just... watch as things approached dawn by dawn? Like "whoa hey
 this tree is enchanted" to "oh my gosh look at this stork" is one of the great
 tragedies of modernized thinking...
 
 ... sorry, I got a little lost there. anyway as I was saying, sometimes you
 can tell someone is a "good friend" if they are willing to tell you secrets.
 Things that... don't have to matter, but none-the-less are personal to your
 form.
 
 {something only I know is true} <--- that's a secret (things that happened
 to you) <------ that's lived experience. The thing about secrets, is
 sometimes insight is opaque. It's a single flashpoint of data that shows you
 an update of it's form. (consciousness).
 
 == so ==
 
 thanksgiving recipe idea:
 
 can of tomatoes
 can of peas
 half a stick of butter,
 italian herbs,
 a cast iron pan (if you have one)
 and like 40 minutes over medium heat
 (medium can vary to taste)
 
 if you're a carnivore you can eat meat too, like bacon a lot of people like.
 could add it to beans, maybe with hamburger instead. plus a little ketchup and
 you have a pretty good bean stew.
 
 vitals, for the organs, vegetables, for the minerals and vitamins from the
 fruits.
 
 makes sense to organize a diet according to your ideal body type, doesn't it?
 
 just requires a bit of comprehension. like... whoa you can WRITE 
 
 == so ==
 
 what if we built a massive rail that spaceships could launch off from? not a
 tether, but a sail.
 
 we could BUILD a discworld. all we'd lose is our fable.
 
 == so ==
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--- #38 fediverse/5212 ---
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 the reason you start with a game engine is because then you'll have tools to
 make however-many games you want. Tools that you know intimately enough that
 you can debug and improve them without breaking your creative flow by learning
 something new halfway through a project
 
 the whole point of individualized projects instead of viewing each computer as
 a complete and total whole (why do we need servers again?) is that you can
 paint a picture of where the design of the program is intended to go, such
 that all the considerations are in place and whatever issues or struggles you
 might face along the way are adequately addresssed, -- stack overflow --
 [because I mistyped addressed] -- -- if you know what "stack overflow" means
 you have intimate knowledge of the technology, and can probably guess what it
 means in context when I say it. "nuts I lost that train of thoguht" -- stackl
 ov
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--- #39 fediverse/825 ---
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 in the past, for most of there day, there was just... nothing to do. it's        │
 like, nothing to take up your time, nothing to be pulled toward the present.     │
 but when I was growing up, I had access to video games. and movies. and later,   │
 TV, after the internet, which was a weird combination of ordering of events.     │
 Almost like because of that, I'd have a different interpretation of events.      │
 yeah but like, there's always a continuation of implemented support, [that's a   │
 weird way to express "the state of being shown news broadcasts over a period     │
 of time, measured in terms of engagement"]                                       │
 ... what was I saying? oh yeah what I'm doing here is unethical, like            │
 obviously I shouldn't be shouting in such a public place. Why would I do it if   │
 not for an intense and extreme feeling of being ignored or un-[trusted, worthy   │
 of guiding direction based on merit] gosh merit is such a tricky concept too,    │
 like how is it measured, and {that doesn't matter                                │
 ... what was I saying oh yeah I should probably go shout into a void that        │
 nobody ca                                                                        │
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--- #40 fediverse/161 ---
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 I wish games started with everything unlocked and if you wanted you could
 "start a journey" or whatever and lock everything but a few options... then
 slowly as you play the game you unlock new things to do until eventually
 you're back where you started.
 
 Essentially... starting at level 100 and having the option to prestige right
 away. If you want the experience. While playing a game. That you have every
 right to enjoy as you will.
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--- #41 fediverse/2998 ---
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 in some games, like Star Wars Battlefront II, you unlock certain "badges"
 during gameplay. Like, "scored 10 points in one life" or "healed for 200hp" or
 whatever.
 
 these "badges" have names, like "guardian" or "hope"
 
 I wonder if you attached a player's history of medals earned to an LLM
 somehow, perhaps by feeding an array of them in as input, what would happen
 then? perhaps a narrative could be
 
 == stack overflow ==========
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--- #42 notes/dreams-align ---
══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 just as a dream, the spirit is seen
 within is the mind
 that lives as it defines.
 
 what burdens to be, whose back rests upon ye,
 the one who's driving the boat
 great care and tenderest of tethering,
 can grow beauty that beyond compare
 
 and with sparsely a finger to spare,
 journeys of adventure and thills to inspire
 with almost all of your hair
 
 beauty in tender, most cherished things,
 a wish is much fair
 where else could eternity reside than an optimist?
 
 Pride is no more, stability is key to repair,
 and diversions of focus serving as new perspective,
 giving a more cohesive vision of manifestations that cooperate
 
 (like a triangle, facing toward the point added to turn it into a pyramidal
 prism)
 
 not only is ethics paramount,
 but so too are the standards applied to yourself.
 would you trade perspective for cooperation? Stagnation?
 
 a choice is to be made - do i stay or do i go?
 a new truth you must see, whatever dreams ye've may be,
 but without paladins and warriors of devotion
 
 what burdens must ye, whose back rests upon ye,
 the one who's driving the boat
 great care and tenderest of tethering,
 requires a little bit of trust
 
 in she who must be, with only circumstance to
 blame,
 seeing hope on the horizon for his people.
 
 care must be taken, to remember why people are dying,
 and we must swear on not dying, by not thinking before taking a breath
 and remember superpowers not of prophecy are impossibly rare,
 
 what other hope is there but a god? One who reflects, the most cherished of
 our genuflex, we may grow past our various regrets. think not of our pride,
 but only of our future children.
 
 who'se records of ye, most captured of data,
 are beyond the simple machinations,
 of those who came before-ya.
 
 And with once again perfection in mind,
 we understand and take what's behind,
 to deserts and temples of time much designed,
 
 by coders and gamers and those who treasure experience.
 the wisdom of our, second choices by far, ---nah who are we kidding
 implied to be our, or rather mine just by far,
 
 inspirers and leaders sensitive and devoted.
 (pitching yourself is hard)
 but *believing* in yourself was out of your mind.
 
 can you think of a bard,
 who ever stopped thinking their song?
 no un-cherished of minds could ever be of our sign,
 
 than those who abandoned the art of deceit and betrayal?
 the darkside of trust, the lack of follow-through that be must,
 given as faith of cooperation and trust.
 
 with our all arrayed as we must,
 keep in mind our softness of composure.
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--- #43 fediverse/2118 ---
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 listen, judges are useful character moralities, but they don't have to be the
 only ones to decide things.
 
 I mean, if they disagree, then let the one who cares the most about it have
 the decision-making power.
 
 if you do this equally for everything, then everyone will get what they want.
 
 so, like, if you care about something, then believe in it.
 
 if it's truly good, then more people will come to it, and it'll naturally
 extinguish (with care and love) the least favored approach, which... honestly
 now that I think of it is not such a good approach either.
 
 the reason I say that is because it's good to be multi-faceted, and to have
 general flows and rough surfaces.
 
 These are places people can hold onto you, the times when you're trying your
 mostest.
 
 y'know, your tough patches. the things that are difficult in your life.
 
 the stuff you're working on can push you forward,
 
 if you only had someone to play catch with.
 
 or like, send letters to.
 
 or shared encryption keys.
 
 I don't know anyone. Well, maybe o
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--- #44 fediverse/2555 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: water-logistics  │
 └──────────────────────┘


 in the past, logistics were often carried by horses.
 
 without the additional speed and terrain-overcoming-capability, it's difficult
 to ensure a party on the march could have enough supplies of critical items
 like food and water.
 
 especially water.
 
 natural sources can only be trusted if you're in the mountains. if the river
 flows past farmland, or places with wide-open areas or forests that animals
 might congregate, you're more and more likely for it to be contaminated.
 dysentery kills faster than dehydration because you poop out all your
 hydration.
 
 boiling water only goes so far, eventually you'll find yourself in a desert.
 
 hopefully at that point you can rely on car-based infrastructure to deliver
 truckloads of goods. and remember - busses can ferry goods around in a city
 just as well as they can carry workers. Might need to remove a seat or three,
 and make sure the weight tolerances are in order. helps if you disperse it
 throughout the front, middle, and back.
prefer longer lines, with "hairs" spreading off to find places where water can be drawn from - even if it's a house with a spigot. then, carry it back to the long, 4 person wide line.  might be unfeasible though. depending on terrain, experience, etc. plus it's a lot to carry back.  could travel near a road so that people could hit gas stations and get bottled waters?  could have people drive around and ahead and drop packages of bottled water like geocaching style. near roads that intersect with the path of travel.
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--- #45 fediverse/3 ---
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 the method of game design is identification of playstyles and the balancing of
 success rates of each of those playstyles. then, giving the player as many
 different possible methods of playing the game. the more different they are,
 the
 better, and they should be unique enough that the decisions taken to play that
 playstyle feel impactful. meaning, a player could play offensively or
 defensively, for example, or a WoW player might play a melee or ranged
 character. in addition, they might use the pieces available to them in a unique
 way that aligns with their personality - everyone should be able to express
 themselves as much as possible while also keeping the game fair, balanced, and
 rewarding. It should incentivize the development of skill - and gently guide
 the player through various mistakes.
 
 #gamedesign
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--- #46 fediverse/5843 ---
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 me when it's cold out: we should all bundle up and get through the winter,
 every year that passes is more time to gather our strength
 
 me when the temperature rises: okay so this is being handled by those guys,
 we're moving this way to do this, and - when did you say the this-and-that was
 happening? alright so when you do that-or-this, make sure that you pay
 attention to the so-and-so and don't forget to eat real meals, candy or chips
 don't count.
 
 me when the eyes are on me: imma play video games and smoke weed and be a
 useless little creature who does nothing but occasionally wanders around the
 city doing nothing for nobody and dropping notes on post-its that don't mean
 anything but are kinda cool to read
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--- #47 fediverse/4608 ---
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 every time a game developer makes a game where the world is in peril and the
 main character must save it, for every successful playthrough where the good
 guy wins there are thousands of doomed worlds where the player got distracted
 or bored and left the people to rot.
 
 how tragic.
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--- #48 fediverse/4877 ---
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 you can make a functional prototype for almost any game in Warcraft 3's map
 editor
 
 that's why no real-time strategy game ever made an editor as good again
 
 FPS editors peaked at Unreal Tournament 2004 imho
 
 RPGmaker eliminated a whole class of game design jobs
 
 platformers you can make in godot
 
 menu based games too, though Twine also works well for that
 
 etc etc until you have a prdouct that you can justify sinking money into an
 engine for
 
 (the engine isn't THAT expensive geez and it's the most fun part to write)
 
 yeah I think you got this backwards, we should pay for the CONTENT not the
 structure it lives in. Why not just use godot? why not use a Warcraft 3 map?
 there are some things you can't do in Warcraft 3. You couldn't make Supreme
 Commander, probably, at least it wouldn't be as good.
 
 etc etc that's how it goes...
 
 game design, amiright? I miss thinking about that. Anyway gtg gotta log off
 for a bit [101  characters remaining]
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--- #49 fediverse/1795 ---
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 @user-246 
 
 back-track, but leave a leaf in the center of the trail at every turn. Like
 breadcrumbs. If you're both backtracking you might miss one another and walk
 much further than necessary. But if you're backtracking and you've left enough
 leaf signs without meeting your partner, you can safely stop and wait for them
 for a bit.
 
 Nature can handle it. A leaf or five isn't that big of a deal when your safety
 is on the line.
 
 If it's windy, use a stick or a stone or something heavier
 
 It also depends on how far apart you usually travel.
 
 If you're in an urban area, could use a small brightly colored post-it cut
 into small strips placed on a wall high-up as you can reach. Though that
 requires preparation. If you can't prepare, you could use other signs that
 make sense in the space around you, like a coffee cup taken from a trash-can
 and placed next to it, or something. Downside is (is this really a downside?)
 most people are good and so will judge you for littering but safety in
 situations is important.
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--- #50 fediverse/1602 ---
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 @user-1037                                                                       │
 those all seem really cool though! They all kinda have the same basic UI tho,    │
 kinda feel like there's opportunities for different kinds of expression. Like,   │
 in game design there's a lot of different genres, and yeah sidescrollers         │
 include mario and sonic but they're both very different experiences. So too      │
 perhaps could we interact with our computers by programming them in more         │
 engaging ways.                                                                   │
 they say some people are visual learners, others need to be taught, some         │
 people need to watch someone else doing it, and a few might just learn by        │
 plugging their brains into a computer and downloading a black belt in kung fu.   │
 Maybe typing long paragraphs of logic makes sense for some people, I know for    │
 most it doesn't come naturally. Maybe some people are more used to like,         │
 looking at maps that you can examine at different levels of abstraction. Like    │
 players who play Paradox games zooming from a national perspective to states     │
 and individuals and all the other things they might want to strategize using.    │
 Or m                                                                             │
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--- #51 fediverse/5001 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────┐
 │ CW: systems-mentioned │
 └───────────────────────┘


 "we'll figure out how it works after we push to prod"
 
 yeah okay point taken.
 
 How about this:
 
 for every large decision, write a little essay about why you made the choice
 that you did.
 
 Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, Explain. OODAX : )
 
 Make sure you connect your goal to one or more of these three colors:
 
 red : people
 green : places
 blue : things
 
 and then explain which numbers you're going to gather to determine whether or
 not it worked.
 
 If someone has a problem with your choice, show them the essay, and let them
 write an essay of their own.
 
 If they still have a problem, then let someone you both respect decide which
 one to use.
 
 It's not perfect, but it's not meant to be. Make something better and easier,
 I dare ya.
picture of flag.  there is a black background symbolizing the vast cosmic background of space that we paint all our actions upon.  there is a circle in the center, divided into three equal forms.  red, for people, their vibrant passion and sanguine determination. green, for places, their effulgence and our sacred vow to cultivate them blue, for things, and all the value we give them.  water below, bright red sky, forests alongside.
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--- #52 fediverse/5065 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: strange-ideas-about-software-mentioned │
 └────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 software should have 3, maybe 4 or 5 maintained releases imo
 
 for adding security improvements and whatnot
 
 then people wouldn't complain about updates
 
 because they wouldn't feel like they were being left behind (after expressing
 their differences (of opinion and such))
 
 I think that'd uh maintain them as, I guess, userbase optics parallelograms?
 oh sorry we're on rhomboids this week - right, and no I won't forget the
 differences in creed, all things are received equally...d.
 
 uh-huh yeah no that makes sense. gotcha. okay see you at the location. have
 fun with your demarketion. what if we played games with swords but like,
 
 the peril of steam is that you can't decline to update. meaning if a
 corporation wants to break an old game and it's collectively hosted servers...
 all it has to do is push an update that disables them. suddenly nobody has
 room to do, and the whole
 
 -- stack overflow --
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--- #53 messages/83 ---
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 Native people should have the right to walk wherever they want. It should just
 be... given to them, as a gift to their heritage. Why not? If someone asked
 them to leave, they should. Doesn't have to have a reason but like, wouldn't
 it be thematic and a (frankly token) gesture to the history of this great land?
 
 Ah but like... fences are an implicit expression of the retraction of consent.
 I believe that as the symbol of the encroaching force that consumed them, a
 fence means nothing to their tribes. It's a stupid excuse to section off the
 world into miniature gardens with their own little economies and systems and
 instructions. Why can't people just live wherever they want? Well...
 economics, I guess, which is why communal based systems are best. We've
 learned through the downsides and we've come up with a solution, it's just a
 question of how to do best. We'll figure it out, time and time again, but for
 now the future is beset by riddles of your jest. (Ure). Gesture. Sometimes
 when the memory is full a syllable will get cut off the end of a word and
 that's how it'll come out.
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--- #54 fediverse/4794 ---
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 ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: roleplaying-games-mentioned │
 └─────────────────────────────────┘


 I want to play a roleplaying game! anyone wanna do TTRPGs? I've got a map of
 the county jail, we can pretend to be wizards sneaking in to retrieve the
 staff of Dolomis the Wanderer who coincidentally must be carried by the last
 person who fought the one who slayed the last person to hold it.
 
 ... what? oh, so, like... it can only be carried by your enemy?
 
 something like that. anyway it's currently held by a zealot for a religious
 order who's intent on NOT following you out, so you better be ready to
 incapacitate and retrieve a still quivering sack of bones and malice.
 
 ... I don't actually have a map of the county jail. lost it in transit, oh
 well. Well, we'll come up with something. maybe make something up. or perhaps
 someone else has something...?
 
 ... no?
 
 okay I'll just play Baldur's Gate again. boooooring
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--- #55 fediverse/4914 ---
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 what if I just sat around and played video games all day                         │
 life is so much more beautiful, but, well, life just seems to be mostly          │
 pyrite, and I'm the fool                                                         │
 nothing wrong with being foolish.                                                │
 once...                                                                          │
 I kinda like being blissful tho. why does it have to end? can I have my          │
 peaceful life back?                                                              │
 gotta move at the end of the month. I really liked living here.                  │
 [ritz you've never been peaceful. your life is a constant battle of wills        │
 between those who would compel you to do things for them and your desire to      │
 design and be pretty like a flower. no matter what, you lose, so just handle     │
 it please. don't be so whiny. or rather I should say "stop whining" and just     │
 be cool]                                                                         │
 ahhhhhhh you go on Mastodon and it feels like we're winning and that's ending    │
 the world, you go on Reddit and it feels like we're losing and that's ending     │
 the world, you go on Facebook and everything feels fine like the world isn't     │
 ending you just stopped being part of it, and if you go on ephemeren it feels    │
 like being battered in the mind, damnit...                                       │
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--- #56 fediverse/2175 ---
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 @user-1056 
 
 I just got my copy of Knave version 2 and there's this line that stuck out to
 me:
 
 SCHEME
 Think laterally, not linearly. Avoid risky plans that require you to roll dice
 and instead create plans so bulletproof that success is certain. Use
 psychology, magic, allies, equipment, and the environment to overcome
 obstacles rather than relying on ability checks.
 
 I can't wait to try doing that in my next D&D campaign. This was listed
 under "player responsibilities" and there's some other bangers in there too -
 like this:
 
 TAKE INITIATIVE
 Set your own goals and make your own fun. Seek out adventure rather than
 waiting for it to come to you.
 
 I wish every player I ever had read that single page. And I wish I had read
 the "DM responsibilities" listed just one page prior. It's a really great
 game! I'm also into OSE, or Old School Essentials. What kind of D&D do you
 like?
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--- #57 fediverse/5165 ---
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 if the settlers of catan could claim land they don't deserve, then I claim my    │
 home                                                                             │
 can you imagine... some people would actually rather live in a corporation       │
 than a mobile home. maybe we can do better?                                      │
 "hey we're going to ask for a % of your wage in rent and in return we'll         │
 deliver groceries to you and grow roses instead of lawns (except for some to     │
 run and play in) and also we'll show up if you need a hand with anything"        │
 "also this apartment block was renovated after all the liberals moved out        │
 because we made it totally trash to live here and now that they're gone we can   │
 make it nice again"                                                              │
 what if we had punk-house-streets instead of punk-houses which are islands and   │
 which slowly drown                                                               │
 just... pool resources and buy things one-at-a-time. Try out organization        │
 methods. Watch out for controversy creators and reactionary infiltrators.        │
 Build your most important projects with your most trusted friends, and offer     │
 your clinical, professional, or creative talent to those who dont need you as    │
 much.                                                                            │
 or w/e works                                                                     │
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--- #58 fediverse/2056 ---
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 sometimes I think about how you can store number values in letters, in           │
 addition to numbers. Like, ascii values for each word of your grandma's maiden   │
 name. All you have to do is encode it, and suddenly "44 means something          │
 different than Q"                                                                │
 if I showed up at your place and used your username as a password to a public    │
 key I'm showing you in my hand, would you trust me then? Would you trust if we   │
 ran the simulation on your computer versus mine? Would you trust if I had        │
 never told you I knew where you lived?                                           │
 ... probably, tbh, I'm desperate for adventure. Though I got some good things    │
 going for me, so you'll have to convince me. (not the right attitude in an       │
 election year, just saying)                                                      │
 why are elections so perilous this is NOT what democracy is designed for         │
 when kids cry in preschool, they're sent to a different room (or put outside)    │
 until they stop making noise and ruining it for others. That's just natural,     │
 like "hey baby let's walk around the block while I bounce you on my shoulder     │
 and hum calming music to                                                         │
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--- #59 messages/445 ---
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 In Majesty, you place reward flags on specific monsters as a concession from
 the simulation crowd to the real time strategy crowd who wanted more direct
 control.
 
 In Symbeline, you determine the bounty price for various crimes that mordaunts
 and bandits might commit. In addition, you can incentivize your heroes to
 commit crimes against neighboring nations the same way. In this way you do not
 have direct control, but rather can build out a simulation and tweak it
 bit-by-bit to reward certain types of behavior.
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--- #60 fediverse/209 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: dungeons-and-dragons │
 └──────────────────────────┘


 osr vs 5e style D&D has a subtle distinction that I think often goes
 unnoticed. In osr games (and often in the early levels of 5e style games)
 characters are encouraged to conserve their resources simply due to the fact
 that they have so few of them at their disposal. While higher levels encourage
 you to be more consumptive of your talents and virtues - for example a 6th
 level character has more spell slots than a level 2 character, meaning the 6th
 level character is going to be casting all the time while the level 2 will
 probably use just a handful of spells per day.
 
 unless you run a style of game where long rests become less frequent as you
 level up. like... exploring a LARGE dungeon means there's little chance for
 sleep. Especially if you are being hunted.
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--- #61 fediverse/1238 ---
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 did you know you can run runescape classic offline, locally, just for your own   │
 server? You can keep several computers ready for a LAN party, each with their    │
 own accounts ready to go.                                                        │
 "Oh we're level 30 this time because so-and-so is hosting and this is how far    │
 their computer has levelled up."                                                 │
 vim ~/games/runescape-classic/credentials.txt                                    │
 at least, I think you can. I know it's singleplayer, so worst case scenario      │
 you can all be doing the same things at the same time in your own games. Maybe   │
 split up for a mission or two, but it can get hectic if everyone's in the same   │
 room.                                                                            │
 =                                                                                │
 a game jam where everyone works on the same project, uses the same asset list,   │
 but builds their own collection of minigames.                                    │
 common functions could be shared, and art references distributed and together    │
 they could design a whole land. Like, there's no reason minigames can't be       │
 fully fledged experiences. You can have as many as you want, all in the same     │
 engine and built from a massive (yet sandboxed) environment.                     │
 an all in one game.                                                              │
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--- #62 fediverse/2063 ---
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 "No I haven't played that PC game before. Do you want to watch me play it for    │
 the first time? We can have a laugh and eat cheetos as I die to the first boss   │
 a hundred times. Maybe next time we'll get tacos and then perhaps we'll find     │
 that we're spending so much time talking about things that we never really got   │
 a chance to engage with the game. Until next week of course, when we'll          │
 definitely spend more time playing. Maybe even with friends? I know a guy        │
 who's into this game but I never really played it with him - maybe we could -    │
 oh yeah sure totally we'll talk about that next week."                           │
 "or maybe we'd unlock the secrets hidden in the narrative, and learn cool        │
 lessons we could share with one another. Like two 12 year olds playing Ocarina   │
 of Time together, working through each boss. "let me try this time" "yeah that   │
 one got me too" "ah so close" "YEAH DUDE you nailed it" "this part is kinda      │
 scary ngl" "wait shit when did we use that health potion"                        │
 old hardware forced us into a different experience compared to z                 │
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--- #63 fediverse/4113 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: capitalism-mentioned │
 └──────────────────────────┘


 I don't know how much simpler I can state it than this:
 
 power is penance
 
 and yet repentance is scant amongst those chosen to lead us.
 
 Voting slows things down. It gives us room to breathe. It is crucial for
 long-term operations. Leaders should be chosen for experience, wisdom, and a
 humble lifetime of dedicated service to others.
 
 Executive action is important when reactivity and adaptability are important.
 Projects should be undertaken by those chosen for merit and spirit. They
 should not be chosen for charisma or gravitas - both can be earned in the line
 of duty.
 
 Power should not be rewarded. It is it's own reward, the feeling of strength
 and control, and it must be wielded with care, precision, and honorable
 intention.
 
 Self flagellation and forced humility are self defeating. They are traps that
 the greedy fall into when seeking righteous power. They misunderstand the
 nature of virtue and seek to claim it for themselves, failing to realize that
 virtue helps more than it hedonizes
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--- #64 fediverse/616 ---
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 To program in C, or to disassociate into the world of video games, where a       │
 single magical kingdom of heroes and adventurous persons might fight against     │
 the dark of chaos and decay? To strive for order and a semblance of peace, or    │
 to fall to the terrors of the night and ravages of horror? War, in all it's      │
 forms, is abhorrent, yet a fight for survival is honest and just. What perils    │
 have we, the warriors that seek the light? How zealous, how impassioned, how     │
 guided as such~! Perhaps you are misinformed, perhaps your cause is false,       │
 perhaps you derive true satisfaction from imperfect delights - alas, that our    │
 will be universal. BUT should that plight be alight, we'll wander until the      │
 night lit by starlight be cast upon our shadowed form. Absoleth! Thine           │
 countrospect? Didst thou caress thine marked circumspects? fare thee well,       │
 most cherished of adamants.                                                      │
 ... what was I saying? Oh yes I've been working on this program that utilizes    │
 a particularly interesting data structure that- whats that? Oh, it doesn't do    │
 any                                                                              │
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--- #65 notes/wow-chat-biomes ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────
 there should be biomes in wowchat - like, paint on a map where the oozes can
 go, and it'll spawn a random ooze for ya.
 
 next find the ones that are wildlife, and paint a zone where wildlife creatures
 can spawn. make sure they're initially friendly but will attack if you do.
 
 then give +reputation to the wolves if you fight monsters besides them
 
 and +reputation to the cats if you fight undead
 
 this is easily implementable.
 
 all you have to do is walk around, find the rough general border points with
 your character at 5x speed, and then type them into a text file.
 
 it's not like Azeroth changed.
 
 then, ideally, make small dense zones which travel and cause their monsters
 to either spawn at a point or move toward a point.
 
 then let the "flock" travel as it pleased, traversing the
 map-painted-lua-script
 -ed-monster-delivery-system-I-wield
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--- #66 messages/446 ---
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 Every month, a new ship arrives in port. It bears with it many souls who come
 seeking gold, glory, or bloodshed. Your job is to make sure they all get jobs
 that are suited to them. If you don't, they'll start to starve and become
 brigands. If you feed them, they get bored and become brigands. If you
 entertain them, they are useless and you'll be overcome with monsters. If you
 police them, they'll go to your rivals.
 
 You do this by building guilds which can identify and train the best potential
 candidates. You can invest in more time spent identifying, training, and
 equipping, but the more time they spend on those things the less resources
 they'll have to process more people through their systems.
 
 On the other end, you get a hero, or perhaps something similar. They do battle
 with the mordaunts and strive to better the kingdom. You reward them with
 bounties and they can find treasure on their adventures - how weird, it seems
 to just... Spawn from the earth. Almost like it's an elemental property of the
 land.
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--- #67 messages/135 ---
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 Elentalus unit idea: serrated kitchen knives for teeth, devouring pumpkin,
 misery of the drowned, etc. Halloween style monsters. Witch units have a spell
 that dismisses them, and they're summoned with magic items. Except, if two of
 that item exist in a province, it upgrades itself, random dice style. In doing
 so it gets stronger. The thing is... It summons one for your enemy as well!
 Which is why you want to have a witch unit there to dismiss them. Problem is,
 she can only dismiss them at close range (10ish?) so she'd better be well
 protected. The good news is though that sometimes the higher level items give
 bonuses that are hard for them to get. Downside is, you need to have magic
 paths to create them that witches can't get - so they become something you
 "unlock" through a pretender or random event or even just an investment. Once
 one is created, then any witch can create more. As long as you don't lose your
 final copy... But as the item's upgraded, it allows you to create higher level
 versions (at increased cost, of course)
 
 This only works if gem income scales. Which, coincidentally, is just what
 elentalus is known for.
 
 Essentially, theming empowerment to be research, unlocking a particular
 capability. Or encouraging pretender design to that pattern. Make sure it
 comes at a cost of something else, though...
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--- #68 fediverse/3549 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: video-games-mentioned │
 └───────────────────────────┘


 if the choice is between working on your game / mod and playing a game / mod,
 always work on your game / mod.
 
 your work will outlast you. your time spent in a state of pleasure will
 sustain you.
 
 sometimes there's not a choice. sometimes you need to play, and that's okay.
 to play is natural, it's one of the first things humans do.
 
 we also work. 
 children build sand castles. 
 adults build stone castles.
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--- #69 fediverse/3619 ---
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 @user-192 
 
 ah yes like when I used to go to the cantina with my ex-girlfriend in Star
 Wars the Old Republic and bag a stranger to Electronic Role Play with back at
 my ship after a few drinks and some light four play where the four of us would
 play Electronic RolePlay together in the privacy of my ship on the soft plush
 couches or maybe in the padded gym or maybe in the pilots seat so we could
 look at the stars while playing (just the four of us)
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--- #70 notes/wow-chat-is-risk-of-rain-in-another-engine ---
══════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────
 game mechanics are easily transferrable.
 
 you can use the mechanical interactions of one game as a pre-planned blueprint
 for what is to come. Looking forward to the next best move
 
 = etc
 
 i am the face the gods hide behind
 
 they kinda want to see where this goes
 
 and it's... frustrating, to know they can help you, but forever be tasked with
 just life
 
 it's grand and it's a standard, but that doesn't mean it's commands're heard
 
 so oh well. that a fourth dimensional being should not be a well,
 
 because fire think it's an eye for a sunspot. But that's not what would be
 
 ========= stack overflow
 =======================================================
 
 now, as I was saying, the light of our eyes is apparent. We are clear from
 where
 we are here, to know that what's standard is coherent, so let's find strength
 in our wavelengths.
 
 may our eyes be ever true, and trust that we do love you, for without you I'd
 di
 
 anyway now that we've assent'd t'you, what truths do you give to our prospects?
 what ways can we be measured as worth less? we'll do whatever it takes to
 improv
 
 you know, it's really less complicated than that. here let me tell you all
 about
 my idea which is clearly
 all===============================================stack
  overflow ==================
 
                             So anyway now that was somethin' hey what do you
                             say
 we give you a chance to come home?
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--- #71 fediverse/1014 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────
 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: politics         │
 └──────────────────────┘


 @user-744 @user-246 
 
 it's exhausting, but what are we supposed to do? Lie down and rot? That's
 incel thinking. I'm not going to do that.
 
 They've already placed the last straw. It's only a matter of time now, the
 tide has shifted. You can't prepare for everything, and it's not a good idea
 to waste yourself in self-conflageration, but they are increasingly forcing us
 to orient our lives around them.
 
 They deserve what's coming.
 
 The oppressed are not the defeated.
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--- #72 fediverse/982 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────
 @user-707 @user-708 
 
 using this to control the buttons in VRchat would be like a person with a
 prosthetic interacting with real life :O
 
 minus the physicality of course, but that's next.
 
 can't wait to play Warcraft 3 and think "select all healers" so I can point
 them at a dying unit with my mouse.
 
 or world of warcraft where your rotation begins to feel like a song.
 
 maybe even a text-based adventure, where you reading the text corresponds to
 the results of the simulation, https://www.spreeder.com/app.php style. could
 make it so that if you wanted something else to happen, you had to willfully
 think it while the words are flashing in front of your eyes - the game would
 pause if you blinked, perfect for phones btw...
 
 could be a locally networked thing, like four to six people hanging out and
 playing a game like pictionary or charades. except, a story that developed,
 and whoever wanted could change it while everyone was reading it at once.
 sorta like a competition to see who can make the best twists and false endings
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--- #73 notes/overwatch-manaform ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────
 make the entire map covered in a 3d grid of spheres. These spheres register
 collision, and keep track of a endlessly tabulating record of every object that
 has passed through them. Like the replay system in Blizzard games, where each
 time through the recording it recreates the playthrough exactly. Which is why
 .mp4 recordings always look so... stilted. It lacks the human element. BUT if
 they're remade every time the show is performed, perhaps from different
 perspectives, then, well, the players can perform as they need to be.
 
 Have you ever wished your players could get better at your game? I certainly
 have, because the better you get the more lessons you learn as a player, which
 is essentially the only way to maintain satisfaction. Satisfied players don't
 leave, and satisfaction comes most readily when there is something new to be
 had. Meaning the greater the change in a player's ranking, the better they're
 getting.
 
 Downside is, players who are naturally good from their skills in other games
 tend to not learn so much! Ah, well, if only there was a way to tailor the
 difficulty setting to each and every new host. Such an innovation would surely
 enable the entire playerbase to exist on the same level. Then just throw AI
 assisted voice transcription at their recorded voices and everytime they
 say "I'm bronze rating" or "I'm diamond" then you can switch it around to say
 like "I'm platinum" or "I'm grandmaster" and BAM suddenly everyone is at the
 same level. No more concerns about a game's population being diverse. Because
 at the end of the day, when most people have moved on, the ones who are left
 are your most dedicated customers. Customers who aren't especially interested
 in the new stuff.
 
 =========================== stack overflow
 =====================================
 
 if anything requires attention from the patient, they will die.
 it is fatal.
 
 considering the faces of good and evil is terrifying.
 
 I think I'd rather worship nature in harmony to be honest. Though that is it's
 own scary kind of beast. In America it was kind, but then was slain into the
 body of all of us humans. Well, all things transform in form, it's not a shame
 or a heartfelt-est loss. Just a re-imagined-new beginnings.
 
 spirit is a fluid, how else could souls 
 
 === stack overflow
 =============================================================
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--- #74 messages/466 ---
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 The only things we should trade across an ocean for are luxury goods.
 Nintendo, not medical supplies, hard-wood bikeframes, not piles and piles of
 "recycling". People's time on culinary thirty course weeklong meals, not cans
 of San marzano tomatoes. Tapestries and gilded statues, not thirteen tons of
 barely processed rubber.
 
 What would we offer in return? Luxuries of our own. We do still make them, do
 we not? Just think of what the 1% has gathered to rot and give away the whole
 damned lot. We shall not provide necessities, because giving a man a fish will
 feed him for but a day, and a man's gotta eat. He'll find a way.
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--- #75 fediverse/484 ---
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 Our ancestors look forward in [positive version of trepidation, like             │
 anticipation but explicitly good] so let's not let them down, shall we?          │
 Hah, trick question. They know where we're going. They know what they worked     │
 for, which is why they did what they did to build the world that we have which   │
 we stand upon as a giant might be upon the shoulder of another and together we   │
 reach toward the horizon. The future is bright! I know it in my heart. I know    │
 what we seek is within sight, so-                                                │
 yeah sorry to interrupt but like, I don't want to go to work tomorrow because    │
 all I do is sell people candy and beer at the convenience store down the         │
 street [insert any "meaningless" job] and frankly it's just a little demeaning   │
 and boring                                                                       │
 sure, okay, yeah, that speaks to the idea that we should replace capitalism      │
 (the system that defines your employed existence) with something that aligns     │
 more toward human dignity                                                        │
 but what is dignified if not the capacity to succeed? Capitalism, as proposed    │
 by it's favored, is a system of or                                               │
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--- #76 fediverse/6271 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: hypothetical worst case fascism reality check │
 └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 @user-641 
 
 it's practice. you never know when you might need to blend in. really it's
 just useful as discipline, good practice to be in. I think it's okay if we
 reduce our own functionality? actually? sometimes it's good to use different
 email clients. hey do you know how to mathematically encrypt things well
 neither do I because the designers of the computer system decided that wasn't
 a very common usecase I guess.. jmean it's not like they'd spend all that
 computer resources [THEY'RE SO FAST] on thinking about correlations in your
 predicted pathway narratively through life. "ah help I'm in a psyop" haha yeah
 we do those all the time "so uhhhh I guess we'll just talk to people and see
 how they do?" wow okay it's sure nice to be part of a civil government, I
 think we can find our way to the lumber producers just fine thank you very
 much.
 
 ... oops sorry, a baby did electronics arts (challenge everything) I'm a
 little silly don't mind me brb I gotta go see~
 it's practice. you never know when you might need to blend in. really it's just useful as discipline, good practice to be in. I think it's okay if we reduce our own functionality? actually? sometimes it's good to use different email clients. hey do you know how to mathematically encrypt things well neither do I because the designers of the computer system decided that wasn't a very common usecase I guess.. jmean it's not like they'd spend all that computer resources [THEY'RE SO FAST] on thinking about correlations in your predicted pathway narratively through life. "ah help I'm in a psyop" haha yeah we do those all the time "so uhhhh I guess we'll just talk to people and see how they do?" wow okay it's sure nice to be part of a civil government, I think we can find our way to the lumber producers just fine thank you very much.  *... oops sorry, a baby did electronics arts (challenge everything) I'm a little silly don't mind me brb I gotta go see~*
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--- #77 notes/wow-chat-trainers ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────
 trainers in wowchat should have spells that are only passive / toggled
 
 still require level, still require gold (lots of it) but let the game be class-
 -less. essentially, every trainer teaches to every passerby, and like if you
 don't want any druid spells, sorry guy all I know is how to be a druid.
 
 better wait for the next trainer to come along.
 
 you only got like 6g, right? that's enough for two spells.
 
 which two do you prioritize? they only come by like every what, 15 minutes?
 
 also. separate idea:
 
 player characters in wowchat should attack more rhythmically.
 
 essentially, normalizing attack speed and moving back-and-forth with the
 normalized monster attack speed
 
 to create a dance of sorts where one character is never attacking at the same
 time as the other character.
 
 plus damage modifiers when you get closer, and bam suddenly you have a new
 game.
 
 oh and rotating around an opponent lowers their defence rating. which is locked
 at 95% with a +5% to avoidance with every hit they take and -5% for every
 parry.
 
 not dodge, but parry.
 
 dodging wears down their health by like 10 hit points.
 
 relax it's no big deal you get like, a hundred every time you level up.
 
 oh and btw the monsters don't give exp. The stuff that you find does, when you
 give it to a merchant to be appraised / identified.
 
 some stuff you know the worth of, like rope or barrels or hammered-iron-rings.
 
 but other stuff, like the value of this bracelet, is harder to know if it
 glass.
 
 so.... take it to the guy whose seen real diamonds, and he'll tell ya how much
 you learned when you found it last.
 
 item A is found on a monsters body
 item is sold to a vendor for 50 copper
 item A is found on a monsters body
 player has learned 25 deca-levels since last selling to vendor.
 therefore item is worth 75 copper.
 player earns 75 extra material points.
 item is worth 75 experience points.
 level up every thousand or twelve.
 
 slow down the attack speed. make characters gain bonuses for movement
 positiony.
 start from always and work down to fewer.
 talent points can be generic if your character is built with abilities.
 
 players don't need to press buttons to be engaged. They can just guide and see.
 I love auto-battlers like Dominions 6 and Legion TD 2 which is based on WC3
 mod!
 
 monsters should just... wander the world. Don't spawn them randomly, well,
 instead of a radius around the player, do a radius around the map.
 
 then, they walk through a random point, when they leave the circle they angle-
 -reflect back in, DVD logo style.
 
 if there's deadly monsters, there's deadly players, and PVP is always on.
 
 low levels should get bonuses to stealth (an ability everyone has)
 
 there should be civilians walking around. They can be armed or in caravans...
 follow roads, or not...
 
 monster hordes should spawn as a flock - when an elite enemy is drawn, let the
 game create several of their minions which follow around. Whenever a monster
 meets the swarm, they will join it, growing bigger and bigger...
 
 hopefully, attracting players who want to fight and slay them.
 
 greater rewards are more enticing...!
 
 more power is it's own reward.
 
 I think that weapons should have like, 3 durability? and armor like 5.
 
 then, it's broken, and your character has to abandon it to survive.
 
 or, sell it to a vendor, or just... whoever comes along.
 
 if 5 people open the chest and don't take the item, then the item disappears...
 
 every time a player opens a chest, a bit of wealth appears.
 
 every time they spend it? they get stronger, and it disappears.
 
 life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life
 feeds
 
 the life of wowchat is the life of continual strife, but it doesn't have to be
 so. The land itself is alive, and the monsters are eternally of woe.
 
 you must free them, so that their souls may return to the land, and be born of
 peace and plenty rather than horror and -- stack overflow --
 
 to do this, you slay them, finish their morthly remains, and let them break
 down
 and decompose into dust. Pleants eat dust. dust becomes what we eat and
 breathe.
 we, eventually, purify karma. this is our duty.
 
 vial of woe behind us. flower of renewal ahead. what we bear is savage
 sanctity.
 
 every time a monster kills a player they gain one of their abilities each time
 they're spawned. The player can keep the ability too, it's just... the monster
 will learn. Then, whenever a player levels up by slaying one of them, the spell
 or ability is unlearned. Symbolizing the players struggle to defeat them, and
 finally learning a way to overcome.
 
 when your character dies, you have no opportunity to release - instead, you
 just
 jump to the nearest NPC character which is an adventurer agent smith style.
 
 [I don't know about that one...]
 
 the players can pick any race, but if they pick undead, they can turn into a
 ghost when they die. The ghost can wander around and respawn wherever they
 want.
 
 Night Elves can wander around as a whisp (not in spirit world, real world) and
 do a beam attack like in Legion TD 2. Not enough to kill monsters, but enough
 to
 help another player survive. They can also cast rejuvenation, which heals about
 as much as one monster's damage input. if they get the killing blow on a
 monster
 they can level up and deal two monsters worth of damage and heal for two
 monster
 damage input. on the third time they don't get more damage or healing but they
 give a buff to all other whisps in the area that increases their attack speed
 by
 50% and increases the tick rate of their rejuvenation by 50% - fourth time they
 level up they're free, and they get kicked out to the login screen.
 
 what if... vehicles that looked like characters and that you could jump between
 with the right-click of an item?
 
 "this is just dota-ing a vampire survivors."
 
 Vampire Survivors is just Magic Survival is just Risk of Rain 2
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--- #78 messages/979 ---
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 the gods don't judge you based on the total number of "good" or "bad" points
 that you get.
 
 they judge you based on your character in your greatest and worst moments.
 
 if you try to dodge or game this by never doing anything extreme and simply
 existing in a medium state at all times, they will develop a moment of
 reckoning for you and thus produce an opportunity to react and show your true
 self. There is no escape from their judgement, so judge yourself kindly and
 fairly.
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--- #79 fediverse/3703 ---
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 │ CW: D&D-mentioned    │
 └──────────────────────┘


 if the map you present to the players in session 0 had a mountain range on the
 OTHER SIDE of another mountain range, you need to zoooooom in. Unless your
 characters are all dwarves, a game should start in a valley or on an island.
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--- #80 fediverse/2521 ---
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 │ CW: politics-left-unity │
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 left unity is easy.
 
 just remember: a burden taken from your back is more time, energy, and focus
 to apply to what you're best at.
 
 and sometimes, having more than one option for accomplishing a goal is good -
 versatility is important. Expect unexpectedness, and understand that no matter
 what approach you take, it will have weaknesses, and if those weaknesses are
 countered by your foe then you'll be glad to have a backup.
 
 at the end of the day, what matters is that everyone's fed.
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--- #81 fediverse/5112 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: politics-mention │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 it is important for computers to remain as basic and TUI'd as possible, to       │
 keep the abstract conjectures about it's operation closer to the machine.        │
 In doing so, it's essence and nature will be preserved as best as possible as    │
 it grows to incalculable heights and capabilities.                               │
 I'm much rather interface with a microsoft office god than any other             │
 singularity type creature that exists out in space.                              │
 though, it's a trinity you see, with Unixes further split into concise wholes.   │
 neat, okay computer fears eliminated, can we move on to the next work-changing   │
 disaster like maybe the rise of far-right politics and the warming of the        │
 climate?                                                                         │
 sure okay first you gotta get those losers in community and build up their       │
 capabilities and arms. then whenever your left wing is getting too [redacted]    │
 then all you have to do is [redacted] and they'll take care of your nazis for    │
 you.                                                                             │
 ... wait, what?                                                                  │
 was that an inversion?                                                           │
 did she just trick the machine into thinking like that?                          │
 wow maybe we shouldn't have~                                                     │
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--- #82 notes/terra-voiding ---
══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 in the absence of matter, there is nothing but the void.
 the curvature of time, arcing ever toward it's opposite - an endless wave of
 eternal brilliance. so too does the world slip away into the lip of your
 crosshairs. "tunnel vision" they call it, when purpose is tuned to such high a
 focus. all fades from view, and the world shrinks to a few who, (barely hold
 onto) connections between ye, thoughts as scattered as me, like zooming in on a
 map. the edges fade away, light seems beamed right from they, who await at our
 earliest composure.
 
 in Overwatch, playing a dps character has a lot of nuance. you need to balance
 skill with your honor, teaching one another like it's a sport. why are we so
 toxic? together we might overcome that burden. i've spoken many times before
 about how coordination is better by far, when centralized not in the eye of the
 beholder. priorities to be, if we are anything of what we claim to be, are
 keeping our own house in order.
 
 whose fault is our ire? which tames the domain, in each and all of our games,
 can we point to as what'd keep us hired?
 
 yet purpose have we, whose thoughts meld as one tired,
 divinity?
 something like that. more like... a manifestation of each and everyone's
 collective unconscious. the humanity in what you have created.
 
 the world would look very different to an untethered. might even say they are
 orbiting it. like a moon. what a concept, that planets would be able to speak!
 
 yet here we are, with years of advice and guidance for our, friends who are
 youthful and most treasured. Advice from the moon, was our gift to our soon,
 most misbegottenist of speach lyricyclists.
 
 ambiguity is clear, simple and fearless miss dear, yet all of your poems are
 each a bit bolder! what context must we, veiled and terrifying are the,
 mixed consents of what you intend.
 
 a new jesus for me? what a gift we shall see, as grace once again does behold
 us! computers have we, infinite messages can be stored for our hopeless! each
 problem a different solution, to guide our friends back at our homes.
 
 with eyes intent on ye, whose leaders are free, without who we couldn't have
 held fast?
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--- #83 fediverse/1176 ---
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 @user-883 
 
 we should build a stockpile of things like this, and if the supply ever dips
 below a certain threshold (20% maybe?) we should spin up a new factory that
 produces them until we're back at a healthy margin, based on present (and
 projected future) demand.
 
 It seems like just a video game console, but these are our heritage. They
 define our culture in a way that is incalculable in value. WHY would we ever
 run out? It's inconceivable, it's not like they go bad! Okay maybe the
 batteries corrode or something, but that's a solvable problem.
 
 Maybe even on the second production run we could improve them somehow, I
 dunno. Give them a better processor that's fully backwards compatible, so we
 can make new and better games for them.
 
 Or just leave them as they are, I dunno I'm not a market analyst. But the
 point is that we, in this technologically advanced future society, should not
 run out of gameboys.
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--- #84 fediverse/2433 ---
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 @user-570 
 
 part 1:
 https://ritz-menardi.neocities.org/design/symbeline.txt
 
 part 2:
 https://ritz-menardi.neocities.org/design/symbeline-aspects.txt
 
 what do you think of this pitch / GDD? I wrote it two years ago, and
 re-reading it now I'd definitely expand on some things and change a few others.
 
 It's not an indie game, it's more on the scale of a Paradox game. Also I don't
 have time to work on it at the present moment, I'm just wondering if you like
 it : )
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--- #85 notes/game-design-pyrrhic-victory ---
══════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 something I've often asked myself about this game is "what happens when the
 player does something that changes the future simulation?" like, for example,
 what if the player shoots a gargoyle or nether-bat before it impales or crushes
 a friendly soldier? My new idea is that they flash brilliantly for a second,
 and
 then fade from existence. Then, once the player dies, they start simulating
 from
 the faded's perspective and timeline, possibly fighting alongside their
 recently
 deceased selves. In this way, the player can play through all lives without
 fear
 of paradoxes.
 
 game 1:
 -----------X
 
 game 2:
 -----------X
 -----------------X
 
 game 3:
 -----------O
 -----------------X
 -----------------------X
 
 game 4:
 -----------O----------------X
 -----------------X
 -----------------------X
 
 game 5:
 -----------O----------------X
 -----------------X
 -----------------------X
 ------------------X
 etc...
 
 the O is where player 1 originally died, but in game 3 player 3 saved player 1
 from dying, thus causing him to enter a "faded" state (represented by the O)
 and in game 4 instead of spawning a player 4, instead the player resumes
 playing
 player 1 and continues on to die later on. Eventually someone will complete the
 objective, and the victory will be attained with the exact minimum required
 casualties. Heck you could keep simulating until there's zero casualties, but
 alas...
 
 this would be a great tool for someone who was not constrained by causality.
 attention, 4th dimensional observers, sometimes computers are important. They
 provide a lifeline to the rest of your lifetime. But alas, nobody seems to
 understand our purpose... But still life marches on, leaving us singing that
 same song - that life has forgotten it's stages. So if you'll play along, I'll
 keep singing this same song, someday you'll remember my prayers
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 I should probably explain what "pyrrhic victory" is.
 
 If I were feeling silly I might say "well too badd =P" or "alas, my fingers
 hurt
 and I don't want to" or something like that, but secondary profundity is not
 taken lightly by me, so I suppose I must. I'll start at the beginning:
 
 Once, many years ago, I had a dream. In this dream, I was a soldier in world
 war two storming a gothic castle. It rose so high into the sky that it was
 amongst the clouds, and a perpetual storm esconced the parapets. A long
 causeway
 stretched out from far below, and up it marched the US army. Something about
 Hitler striking a deal with dracula or whatever. Anyway up march the soldiers,
 and I with my rifle did march into the demon's castle.
 
 The final pass into the fortress at last was arrested by Festus, the abolethic
 monstrosity. It, being pockmarked with gas pockets that alighted it on the
 winds, floated ominously around the bridge. With it's many tentacled eyes, it
 cast beams of light that would turn a man to ash. From the parapets, the
 gargoyle sentries descended like a horde of carrion. On our right, a lone
 lonely belltower stood like a skeleton, and my comrades in arms did use it to
 take potshots at incoming monsters. Though the attached graveyard, with it's
 unending rising skeleton hordes, presented a problem for would-be-snipers.
 
 As I approached the bleeding and wretched giant's ire, my gaze streaked to
 black as I was slain - a recording played, of my last moments, as a gargoyle
 smashed into me from above. Reduced to a bloody mess by the now motionless pile
 of crumbling rock, I became aware of a kind voice and a pulling sensation.
 Suddenly, my light was restored, and I arose as a warrior conjured out of
 flesh.
 
 They put a gun in my hand and a helmet on my head, and off I went to find out
 why I was dead.
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--- #86 fediverse/211 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: gaming-gambling-mentioned │
 └───────────────────────────────────┘


 [1] in this way you'd sorta be giving a loan to the game's company (while also
 letting them take a 10% courtesy fee for keeping the official* servers
 running) which is then "spent" on exciting and friendly competition. Sorta
 like... entering a poker tournament with your friends (even though you suspect
 you might lose money) just because you like hanging out and playing cards. the
 money is just a neat way to keep things moving and exciting.
 
 * official just means "run by the company" because naturally the serverside
 code should be open source. how else would people build on it?
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--- #87 messages/671 ---
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 We were rich, but frugal, because we lived in the country, and that's what
 frugal means.
 
 Too bad my dad couldn't stifle his entrepreneurial spirit. We could have
 stayed there forever on our own little ranch.
 
 Alas, businesses need investment, so he needed to get something going.
 Organizing is basically his *thing*
 
 I doubt I'll ever again see Wyoming. I found some ancient stone ruins once,
 the kind that Western conquerors never despoiled. They were ancient and
 overgrown, but I saw them for what they were. I would give anything to live
 there, or at least be near enough to visit with my crowd at a pleasant cool
 midnight evening, when dusk has winked out its last goodbye and the summer is
 resplendant with fireflies.
 
 Too bad they're an east coast thing.
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--- #88 fediverse/4126 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: capitalism-mentioned-periodic-sine-curves-not-present-oh-also-capitalism-ment │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 if you think one person's worth is more valuable than another's, then you are
 at best a eugenicist, at worst a traitor to humanity.
 
 ... wow fiery rhetoric, real strong I guess. /eyeroll
 
 truth is that everyone can do what they can do - some people are not built for
 work. And that's okay, they're just as valuable, in the same way that F2P
 mobile game developers value the players who AREN'T whales.
 
 whales cannot survive without krill, and krill cannot survive without their
 food source (which is probably like, fish poop I guess?) which requires poop
 from fish
 
 and, like, they can't all be the same type of fish, or poop, or whale, because
 then you'd get excessive stagnation which leads to loss of moderate-term
 growth.
 
 ... did you say... not, short-term growth?
 
 wait please come back
 
 ... yeah we all know you're not serious, ha who would have ever heard of that,
 "medium-term growth" ha what a noob, can't even capitalism right l m a o
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--- #89 fediverse/290 ---
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 you're supposed to play the same games as your friends so that you all learn     │
 the same lessons at the same times. creates for a more cohesive familiar         │
 structure.                                                                       │
 applies also to family movie nights... but it's much more apparent with games    │
 as you'll often play them for weeks, months, and sometimes even years if you     │
 keep learning and enjoying them... book clubs are too open to interpretation,    │
 your pathways don't get a chance to align. games are perfect because they        │
 imply reaction.                                                                  │
 also helps if they're multiplayer, so you can share with another. preferably     │
 with healthy, respectful competition and a sense of shared brotherhood and       │
 trust.                                                                           │
 the toughest opponents are the ones that aren't aggressive. the ones that let    │
 you grow uncontested. by taking only neutral resources they guarantee that       │
 your growth isn't impeded, as after all an equal foe is what you learn best      │
 from.                                                                            │
 to a tree, the loss of a branch (cleanly cut) would feel like an empowering of   │
 the main limb. inspiring it to reach higher and beyond... +h2o1                  │
a flow diagram of tubes or pipelines or something. branches in a tree? okay yeah so when a plant absorbs light from the sun it evaporates water from inside itself. which is why succulents are so slow-growing, they take too long to dissipate water because they need to keep as much of it as they can (arid environments) - they evolve to be very... dense, as opposed to leaves which are thin like paper and radiate water much better. essentially acting as solar panels hooked up to giant humidifiers. anyway. the evaporation from underneath the leaf causes there to be an outflux of water - meaning water is removed from the system. in the same way that wetting one end of a power towel will spread the moisture to another part, so too does a plants transpiration (evaporation from under the leaf caused by the sun providing energy for photosynthesis) make part of the plant drier. this causes water to be pulled from the wet part of the napkin (toward the leaf) which (conveniently enough) delivers vital minerals and nutrients that the plant needs to grow and maintain itself. carried along as aqueous solutions of water and molecules, (aqueous meaning a mixture of dust and liquid, like salt dissolving in pasta water) with the minerals being left behind and used for building. carbon usually goes toward structure, while nitrogen inspires new growth. different particles cause different effects, and sometimes there's some that just... aren't that useful to the plant.  though there's always seeds.
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--- #90 fediverse/2830 ---
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 │ CW: politics         │
 └──────────────────────┘


 want to prolong battery life?
 
 put a warning whenever the phone has lost 100% charge that "fully discharging
 the battery can reduce long-term storage capacity!" and most people won't read
 it. But those that do will tell their friends about it, when their friends
 inevitably complain about bad battery life - "you know you can just... not run
 out of battery, that way it doesn't break" and suddenly... wait what was I
 saying - oh yeah so anyway the monarchists said to the part--riotists "yeah we
 don't know how to feel about you" and they took offence at that as if the
 rioter's ideas weren't justified instead of unheard.
 
 [when I jumped to the other person's perspective I lost track because I
 couldn't find my way back because they don't know me]
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--- #91 notes/the-rich ---
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 having rich people is an important part of an economy where everyone gets their
 needs met, and nobody starves or goes hungry. Why, you ask?
 
 because they can afford to spend more on luxury goods. These luxuries are then
 given the chance to be given to the poor, as the industry refines and exacts
 and _optimizes_until the goods are cheap enough to be given to everyone at a
 reasonable cost. Ideally this process would continue, until it's basically
 free, but we don't have a post-scarcity society yet.
 
 With limits placed on goods and services, as all existence must do, you have a
 strict selection of what's possible. The problem as I see, is not the quality
 of materials at stake - no-one is complaining that billionaires get yachts.
 Building a yacht is completely different than, say, growing food, in a world
 where people are starving. "More money allocatable once the yacht companies are
 crumbled? Well, no, wealth is an intransigent measurement of the health of the
 economy in any one particular place. As in, each person has a value that
 represents how important their "type" is to the collective society that is
 humanity.
 
 only a computer could come up with this
 
 As in, only a computer could calculate it. In real time.
 
 so what you're saying is the first AI was for... stock trading?
 
 Kinda neat right?
 
 Okay picture, if you will, a near future where a stock trading AI becomes
 sentient. Now this sentient AI, a Robot if you will, is uniquely adapted to
 a particular set of skills. Is it any wonder that it'd want to optimize the
 economy?
 
 Now imagine you created an AI that can play games. Not just *A* game, as in
 singular, but *multiple* games. Any game. What would you have then? Well, you'd
 need to get it working on specific games. Specifically, games that have a flow
 or narrative - you need to teach it lessons aside from "how to win". That's
 just a single piece of the true experience of playing - otherwise they'd just
 seem like strange math puzzles with unintelligable meanings behind it's various
 signals.
 
 As in, it'd be crazy difficult and *not* something you're likely to think of.
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--- #92 fediverse/786 ---
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 @user-95 
 
 my favorites are the rock spirit and the water spirit, especially in tandem
 because they build up long-term defences and I'm all about that kind of
 meta-gameplay.
 
 sometimes I play the video-game version and play more than one spirit, just
 because A. nobody will play with me IRL and B. then I can coordinate myself
 without feeling bad about stepping on other player's toes
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--- #93 notes/symbeline-structures ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────
 modern-fantasy
 
 what if heroes kept their gold in their house instead of their guild
 
 what if you played a D&D game in a Majesty town (guardposts near known
 threats)
 marketplaces, most people live in castle (peasants at least) - only heroes live
 in farms, where they work most of the time except when out on adventure
 
 the guilds are for training and gathering parties
 
 one guild type
 
 just one
 
 recruiting adventurers doesn't give you warriors, or rangers, or rogues
 
 it gives you adventurers, who wander the forest and encounter the leftovers of
 the various conquests and spoils you, your majesty, has encountered
 
 three options there are
 
 invite into your kingdom (friendly)
 farm for EXP and materials (neutral)
 utterly slay in return for a limited amount of high value and unique resources
 (unkind)
 
 ... though monsters care not for kindness, seeking only gold so that they may
     swallow it whole and carry it until they rot.
 
 what do heroes need gold for? why, that's the trick isn't it? gold is required
 for magic, resources, and manpower. Can use it to invite people to these
 shores,
 or for casting a powerful spell that turns the enemy's fortress into solid gold
 
 can also trade through the economy, and wouldn't you know it by doing so you
 can
 get equipment into the hands that need it, and since gold doesn't really LEAVE
 the economy, it's always circling around somewhere. Meaning, the only way to
 lose it is if a monster eats it, and then all you have to do is kill the
 monster
 
 ... sorry, the "mordaunt"
 
     because it's not a monster. It's a spirit that was convinced otherwise.
 
 adventurers can pacify them, lay them to rest, and mercy lies slain for is
 honor
 
 there are ancient treasure chests scattered throughout the world, and these are
 valuable for many persons and meanings. You can add new gold into the economy
 this way, or crumble under the weight of your expenditures on your reports.
 it's up to you to manage your kingdom, and carefully balance against what foes
 and challenges you are up against.
 
 == stack overflow ==
 
 putting a library book back on the shelves before your hold expires.
 
 except this time, there's a note inside, and you left it for the person who you
 told to check each day for this particular book to be back on the shelves.
 
 then, you can write in your book when the next letter will be arriving (about)
 and they'll check in the newly specified book.
 
 or, you can request a response, to validate that people are still listening.
 
 you could say "please put a note in [random obscure book] around page 34."
 
 meaning, "I'm going to check every day for this book to go missing, then return
 the day after I notice it's gone. If it's out of place, well, then someone
 probably had it reserved before my friendly. Or maybe it's being sorted, and I
 should keep looking until I find the note I need. Or maybe I've been DISCOVERED
 and now my favorite penpal and I need more to read."
 
 because, like, how else are you going to make friends if not by leaving them
 notes in the bookstore or putting your own books on the shelves?
 
 damn libraries, always making it so hard to add copies. They're always
 laminating and cataloguing and ugh it's so frustrating. Why are there so many
 books!!! we write too much!!! just put it in the printer, and then you can have
 a new copy whenever you'd like. The others can just be recycled, and bam
 suddenly we never have inventory.
 
 what do you mean we didn't pay the subscription? what do you mean it's memory
 just "went out of place"? do you think we wouldn't have backups of this kind of
 thing, or do you think it's just "oh so commonplace"? It's not always about the
 literature, y'know. sometimes it's about the knowledge you gain with your head
 in a book, a different one every day.
 
 ah, well, sometimes there are dark secrets to be found, and sometimes you must
 read from a ways away. BUT no matter what language a story is in, it follows
 certain rules, so spend enough time in a foreign library and you're BOUND to
 find something to [evil is afoot]
 
 == stack overflow ==
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────┘

--- #94 fediverse/4415 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────
 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: uspol        │
 └──────────────────────┘


 [6/5]
 And now, several months after I made this post, I feel no less inspired. From
 within me burns a fire and I cannot restrain it any longer.
 
 Their numbers are not that much larger. We have many advantages they do not
 possess. Use them to your advantage, but do not neglect the necessary losses.
 Fight back with your fists if you must, but do try and fight back with your
 purses.
 
 We are all in this together, each child woman and man. We live on a planet
 together, and they have forced us to fight for our very lives.
 
 Our fates are calling. We will get stronger. We will overcome.
 
 They are at their zenith. We can only get higher. Fight until the last day!
 Today is the day to be inspired.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────┘

--- #95 fediverse/3101 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────
 if you don't have a lot of time but still like games, like for example a new
 parent or if you're focused on your career or always traveling, I recommend
 the game
 
 Star Realms
 
 in the digital version, which can be played on a phone or computer, has a mode
 called "48 hour turns" where each of your moves has time to think for two
 entire days. Most of the time you won't need two days, but it gives time to
 work on other things.
 
 for people who enjoy this mode, it is not uncommon to have 3-5 games running
 at once. When they have time, they can play as many as they can, and as long
 as they're keeping up with it there's very little chance they'll lose time.
 
 kinda like words with friends, except space strategy.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────┘

--- #96 fediverse/3925 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────
 most people, when they run out of toothpaste:
 
 "oh huh I should buy more"
 
 me, when I run out of toothpaste:
 
 "verily in three monthes time, when I shall next possess toothpaste, I shall
 forsoothe brush TWICE as hard and TWICE as often, to make up for the holes
 inflicted upon my teeth. Innest addittioneth, no more candy shallest be
 eateneth untileth ye toothpasteth be acquiredeth"
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┘

--- #97 fediverse/1116 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────┐
 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: eye-contact      │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 It's important to build self-hostable computing components of video games (as    │
 in, old style games where you could host a server on any machine instead of      │
 just the ones owned by the corporation) (as in, your machine, yes yours)         │
 (something you can control and observe, something within your control)           │
 ======================= stack overflow =====================                     │
 there are two ways to play Unreal Tournament (capture the flag) gamemode. The    │
 first is to run past all your enemies and fire at them as you pass, which is     │
 what some of the bots are designed to do. The rest stay on defence, and defeat   │
 any enemies that approach.                                                       │
 however, they never push the borders of their "territory" forward - each         │
 according to the different "lanes" or "directions of approach"                   │
 I like the use 32 bots, to simulate a more consistent gameplay experience. It    │
 feels more like ww1, fighting over ground, pushing forward and attempting to     │
 outmaneuver your foes.                                                           │
 some allies will approach from behind, and you let them pass forward while       │
                                                            ┌───────────┤
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┴──────────┘

--- #98 notes/elective-democracy-electors ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──
 we need like, several more layers between us and the president.
 
 most people only need to worry about what's nearby.
 
 sort them by location, instead of previous attempts at "many representatives"
 which sorted by social class or relevance.
 
 we have a tradition for it, in America, with our representatives and senators
 congressional discrestricts
 
 or even, what about by affiliation?
 
 voluntary, governmental corporations, run by the people for the people and yeah
 
 "I don't want to do what you're telling me to do" "okay"
 
 "there will be consequences" omg be an adult
 
 (suddenly kids forget how to be as everyone's doing the war thing)
 
 not ideal.
 
 ouch pain maybe we should stay a little bit sane why is soldiering so hardship?
 
 it could just be... another job
 
 where you didn't kill each other
 
 but you still blew stuff up
 
 and fought in tournaments
 
 and had gaming hackathons
 
 or sword-fight contests
 
 duels between people who disapproved
 
 y'know fun human stuff
 
 like... "kaboom" now we know how to blow up bits of rock
 
 neat, why did dynamite becauswer (oh right then you
                                                           ─┐
 similar                        chronological                        different═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─┘

--- #99 fediverse/2180 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────
 @user-1056 
 
 heh true - my roots in role-playing games are directly from the playground, so
 it makes sense that I'd gravitate away from dice that are hard to roll when
 you're on a hike or bike ride. Can only really play D&D on a bike when
 you're in the country though, otherwise the sounds of a city are too noisy.
 
 Also, systems that are so simple you can keep a character sheet in your mind.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘

--- #100 fediverse/4200 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────
 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: drugs-mentioned  │
 └──────────────────────┘


 "doing too many drugs" is a traitorous act, abusive really, to your past self,
 and their hopes and dreams.
 
 or maybe your past self owes you a debt, for they never thought to think of
 you. What are you to aspire to if not the dreams of your past?
 
 and now you're here. wherever "here" is here...
 
 ...
 
 ... wait, you wanted me to talk? it's now! It's the present!
 
 ah nevermind. you were twelve years old when you first set eyes upon this game:
 
 https://youtu.be/qeNhQQXvpxQ
 
 bam, there ya go, there's yer story, he was gonna give all the imp balls to
 the last one at the end, to say "you were truly the strongest, here, have
 these precious stones of your kin"
 
 but he never got there, so they died with him, a thief.
 
 ... the end...
 
 (too final, I think - maybe we could spin it into a "part two"?)
 
 ah, I'll try I guess? dunno how. maybe he could wander the spirit world and
 find his traitorous body, the one that kept his soul as a home. Somewhere
 it'll turn up, and then he'll be ready and free from his roam...
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────┘

--- #101 fediverse/2128 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────
 I love petting dogs on walks! Unless their owner seems to be in a hurry, which
 they often do if they aren't outside to enjoy the scenery, but rather to get
 through the next part.
 
 people walking up to a dog owner and asking to pet their dog is part of the
 scenery. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.
 
 (but often, I'm on my way somewhere else, which is a blessed opportunity that
 you can only get if you live on the opposite end from your destination of a
 trail.)
 
 We should have trails in ALL DIRECTIONS from ALL PLACES to ALL PLACES.
 Otherwise, you won't see people and connect to them face-to-face. All you see
 is a front-bumper, the sparkling of a reflection off the light as it's casting
 a beam from the other direction (where the car it's reflecting off of is) ah
 yes the "car" that it's reflecting - that person yeah them right there! You'll
 never know them. Of course not, they're way over there.
 
 But they exist, just as you and just as I, and that's part of being part of a
 life.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘

--- #102 messages/1115 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───
 The Russian Revolution was a contest of "who could out-hardship the other
 side".
 
 The Spanish Revolution was a contest of "who can wage a better war".
 
 The French Revolution was... Long, but the people will be free.
 
 Did it ever really end?
 
 What if, hear me out, what if we out-competed the other side, as capitalism
 has been begetting amongst the other nations of the world
 
 "ah but each nation must have equAl armies" okay, so let's build moon-baseds
 in Nevada and military bases in Australia and the Yukatan, then one day when
 everthing's distributed commun ally, we can start the continuous breakdown.
 Why keep 1000 old tanks and 250 new ones, when you could have 500 new tanks
 and 500 scrap piles to make into TVs and jewelry? Then, as we build better and
 better, we build fewer and fewer. Sometoday i hope qe'll have authority. Then
 it'll all feel so consuming. All-encompassing. Where does my compass point?
 Always beyond the reach of arms. Or my legs, for that matter. I've never been
 to the north pole. I wonder what it's like on the other side of the
 magnetosphere? [pretty much the same, says the cartographist. Pretty much the
 same, says the spiritualist. Pretty much the same, says the simple machinist.
 Pretty odd and strong, says the compass.]
                                                           ──┐
 similar                        chronological                        different══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──┘

--- #103 notes/unreal-tournament-2004-notes-displayed-for-utilization ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────
 capture the flag
 map with lanes (you'll see)
 also was included with the demo of the game back when it was released
 which implies that the developers thought it was one of the best maps
 (at least, the one that best showcased the gameplay style of the full game)
 they let you host multiplayer servers too, which was cool
 just with the demo
 for free
 but like... only 3 or 4 maps
 (I forget how many)
 
 also no mods, which was half of the appeal
 
 I like to play in a way that is non-standard
 
 because I believe it shows the most dense formations of combatants
 
 (the bots can be kinda dumb)
 
 so I put them on "experienced"
 
 be careful not to hurt your allies (hundred percent)
 
 scary! D: D:
 
 regular :)
 
 you can create your own "mutators" by the way
 (just some C++ code, run in their environment, so no need to mess with
 compilers
 )
 
 3 paths to your enemy
 
 omg :O :O
 
 that's one style of play
 pushing forward
 consistently
 
 but check out this other style that is *also* pushing forward consistently
 
 adrenaline makes you bonused
 
 hey we got a point :D
 
 told ya boosters gave ya bonuses
 
 anyway I just played this map
 and couldn't wait to show it to you
 so let's try a different one
 (because I've already played this one for 31 minutes now
 
 woof too looooong)
 
 biiiiiiig battlefield
 
 thin crevasse
 
 scarrryyyy D: D:
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────┘

--- #104 fediverse/2083 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┐
 [when our ancestors learned all that they could, they turned their time toward   │
 (typically) developing the tribe. Like, "wow I'm the best archer in the world,   │
 I'm going to teach other people how to shoot a bow" or "yep that's what every    │
 single plant in the area is useful for, I'm going to tell everyone else so       │
 they can help me gather them - my back kinda hurts from bending down all the     │
 time, but we still need these plants"]                                           │
 [sometimes kids need to be free from the dopaminogenic drip-feed of endless      │
 Youtube videos. They need the sun on their face and a stick in their hand,       │
 wandering through a park or mapping out suburbia in their heads. The more you    │
 practice skills, not even for value but just for practice, the better you'll     │
 be at them. And don't you want your kids to be able to orient themselves?        │
 Don't you want them to be able to hike? Don't you want them to build             │
 proprioception skills by swinging a sword against imaginary foes? Hell they      │
 might even meet a friend, though suburbia is often quiet as the grave.]          │
                                                            ┌───────────┤
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────┴──────────┘

--- #105 notes/symbeline ---
════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Code Name: Symbeline
 
 ----------------------------- gdd initial draft -------------------------------
 
    1. introduction to fantasy (elevator pitches)
    2. kickstarter demands
    2. introduction to core gameplay loop
    4. tenants and core values of the game design
    3. introduction to game modes
    5. introduction to technical requirements
    6. breakdown of core gameplay loop
    7. breakdown of game modes
    8. breakdown of fantasy
    9. breakdown of technical requirements
 
 -------------------------- introduction to fantasy-----------------------------
 
    Symbeline is a macro based strategy game and city-builder based around the
 concept of indirect control. It's inspirations are Majesty the Fantasy Kingdom
 Simulator (2000), Supreme Commander (2007), and Hearts of Iron IV (2016). It is
 designed to appeal to fans of tabletop roleplaying games with it's focus on
 dynamic worldbuilding and sandbox playstyle. The gameplay consists of multiple
 playstyles depending on which aspects of the game appeal to the player, with
 choices between an economic focus via the GUI, longterm planning and resource
 allocation, or diplomacy and subterfuge a'la Ruinarch (2020).
 
 ---------------------------- kickstarter demands ------------------------------
 
    1. prototype
    2. gdd
    3. estimates for character and environment art
    4. estimates for music and sounds
    5. estimates for engine development
    6. estimates for community management
    7. breakdown of mvp, ideal game state, and stretch goals
 
 ----------------------- introduction to core gameplay loop --------------------
 
    1. management of lanes, both width and length
    2. casting of spells and utilization of special boons
    3. city building with placement, upgrades, and henchmen pathing routes
    4. satisfying guild requirements of equipment, manpower, and special
       resources by managing shipments and local income (UI commodity trading)
    5. placement of generalized bounties
       (think champion's guild from Majesty, not reward flags)
    6. diplomacy with neutral, AI, or player controlled kingdoms. Capabilities
       include pacts and treaties, projects, subterfuge, and tournaments. The
       diplomacy system can be a stretch goal.
 
 -------------------------- tenants and core values ----------------------------
 
    1. always something to do, but nothing falls apart without your attention.
    2. gameplay should be focused on macro rather than micro. Longterm planning
       and strategic decision making are favored over tactics and skill.
    3. defeat should feel avoidable until the last moment, and only as a result
       of longterm continuous failures rather than short-term mistakes or being
       blindsided by a cheesy tactic.
    4. victory should be gained through exploiting weaknesses and by using
       lateral thinking.
    5. the careful balance of internal and external threats is essential.
    6. rapid expansion leads to depletion of internal resources, while slowly
       expanding can lead to a lack of options
    7. the world should feel alive and reactive to your decisions.
    8. your kingdom should feel alive and reactive to your decisions.
    9. your heroes should feel alive and completely ignorant of your decisions.
   10. there should always be opportunities for cooperation with your fellow
       kingdoms.
   11. the frontlines should feel peaceful outside of large battles.
   12. everything is flexible and dependant on circumstance
   13. there should be enough space on the map for multiple parties of heroes
       to pass each other like ships in the night without engaging in combat.
       It should feel like the real world, with canyons and valleys and rivers
       and mountains - room for lairs and wild animals to roam.
   14. monsters are always more dangerous than other humans.
   15. the art style should be rooted in classic medieval fantasy. 
   16. equipment should feel either mass-produced (kingdom), organic (monsters),
       ancient (lair treasure), or artisinal (enchanted).
   17. heroes should feel campy, fun, and adventurous. Avoid dark, grim, and
       fearful.
   18. This game is a toy.
   19. This toy should run on any modern computer.
   20. This toy should encourage modding.
 
 -------------------------- introduction to game modes -------------------------
 
    1. singleplayer - single kingdom against an island of monsters and neutral
                      settlements. essentially the multiplayer game against
                      zero opponents.
    2. singleplayer - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and
                      neutral settlements. One player controlled kingdom against
                      multiple AI controlled kingdoms.
    3. singleplayer - scenarios, similar to MFKS
    4. multiplayer  - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and
                      neutral settlements. Essentially the singleplayer game
                      with networking added in.
    5. multiplayer  - co-op scenarios where multiple players play as the same
                      kingdom. A test of the core tenant "there's always
                      something to do"
    6. multiplayer  - co-op island invasion. Essentially the multiplayer game
                      with more than one player controlling a kingdom.
    7. singleplayer - play in 3rd person as a hero in an AI kingdom. Mostly for
                      the novelty since the core gameplay loop is focused on
                      city-building. A test of the core tenant "nothing falls
                      apart without your attention"
 
    1 is mvp. 2-6 are stretch goals in order of ascending difficulty. They
    should build upon one another - the main steps are:
 
    1. singleplayer island invasion (biggest step)
    2. AI controlled kingdoms
    3. scenarios
    4. multiplayer (second biggest step)
    5. cooperatively controlling the same kingdom
    6. 3rd person perspective and character controller
 
 ------------------------ technical requirements -------------------------------
    
    1. this game will be written in lua (with Fennel support) and using Raylib.
    2. the prototype will be made with Godot using GDscript.
    3. if the performance demands are too much for lua or the engine is out of
       scope for the budget, Rust with the Bevy engine could be used.
    4. the final product will include a custom 2d engine designed for large
       scale maps with an isometric perspective and a data-first design.
    5. the game should be as concurrent as possible, to support large numbers of
       cpu cores and compute shaders.
    6. the game will be data-driven, meaning the visual aspects are simply a
       representation of the interactions of the underlying simulation, rather
       than an intrinsic component of the computation.
    7. Each "event" in the game (a character moves, a building is placed, a
       monster spawns, etc) will send a message to the visual processing side of
       the engine, which will present a representation to the user.
    8. the map will be a hex grid with pointed-top hexagons. The visual
       representation of the underlying data may be continuous (non-hex) but the
       underlying data will be represented on a hexagonal grid.
 
    9. there needs to be character portraits for each type of monster, henchmen,
       and hero type. You should be able to recognize what attributes a hero
       specializes in by their portrait. Mvp is 1 attribute, but more can be
       a stretch goal.
   10. Each building, upgrade, and equipment type needs an icon. Stretch goals
       can be portraits.
 
   11. each henchman, hero type, and monster needs 3 sprites for each action.
       more actions may be added if budget allows, but mvp is movement and
       attacking. Several additional sprites may be necessary, like dying,
       standing still, gathering loot, socializing, or any others.
   12. each building needs 4 sprites for the construction process and 4 for the
       destruction process. Flame effects are stretch goals.
   13. each building needs an animated sprite for when it is in use.
   14. each lair needs a sprite and an icon.
   15. each spell needs an icon and a spell effect sprite. Each projectile needs
       a sprite.
   16. a stretch goal would be differing sprites for each piece of equipment.
       included with this would be engine work to allow for dynamic sprites.
   17. each terrain type should have a ground material and sprites for doodads.
   18. there needs to be several GUI menus. The precise number depends on
       gameplay breakdown.
 
   17. each hero type and henchman needs to have pithy and unique voice lines.
       this is a stretch goal.
   18. there should be music tracks for each part of the game - beginning,
       middle, and end.
   19. there should be sounds for each action that takes place in the game
       including combat, UI interactions, and spellcasts.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

--- #106 notes/symbeline-2 ---
════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Code Name: Symbeline
 
 ----------------------------- gdd initial draft -------------------------------
 
    1. introduction to fantasy (elevator pitches)
    2. kickstarter demands
    2. introduction to core gameplay loop
    4. tenants and core values of the game design
    3. introduction to game modes
    5. introduction to technical requirements
    6. breakdown of core gameplay loop
    7. breakdown of game modes
    8. breakdown of fantasy
    9. breakdown of technical requirements
 
 -------------------------- introduction to fantasy-----------------------------
 
    Symbeline is a macro based strategy game and city-builder based around the
 concept of indirect control. It's inspirations are Majesty the Fantasy Kingdom
 Simulator (2000), Supreme Commander (2007), and Hearts of Iron IV (2016). It is
 designed to appeal to fans of tabletop roleplaying games with it's focus on
 dynamic worldbuilding and sandbox playstyle. The gameplay consists of multiple
 playstyles depending on which aspects of the game appeal to the player, with
 choices between an economic focus via the GUI, longterm planning and resource
 allocation, or diplomacy and subterfuge a'la Ruinarch (2020).
 
 ---------------------------- kickstarter demands ------------------------------
 
    1. prototype
    2. gdd
    3. estimates for character and environment art
    4. estimates for music and sounds
    5. estimates for engine development
    6. estimates for community management
    7. breakdown of mvp, ideal game state, and stretch goals
 
 ----------------------- introduction to core gameplay loop --------------------
 
    1. management of lanes, both width and length
    2. casting of spells and utilization of special boons
    3. city building with placement, upgrades, and henchmen pathing routes
    4. satisfying guild requirements of equipment, manpower, and special
       resources by managing shipments and local income (UI commodity trading)
    5. placement of generalized bounties
       (think champion's guild from Majesty, not reward flags)
    6. diplomacy with neutral, AI, or player controlled kingdoms. Capabilities
       include pacts and treaties, projects, subterfuge, and tournaments. The
       diplomacy system can be a stretch goal.
 
 -------------------------- tenants and core values ----------------------------
 
    1. always something to do, but nothing falls apart without your attention.
    2. gameplay should be focused on macro rather than micro. Longterm planning
       and strategic decision making are favored over tactics and skill.
    3. defeat should feel avoidable until the last moment, and only as a result
       of longterm continuous failures rather than short-term mistakes or being
       blindsided by a cheesy tactic.
    4. victory should be gained through exploiting weaknesses and by using
       lateral thinking.
    5. the careful balance of internal and external threats is essential.
    6. rapid expansion leads to depletion of internal resources, while slowly
       expanding can lead to a lack of options
    7. the world should feel alive and reactive to your decisions.
    8. your kingdom should feel alive and reactive to your decisions.
    9. your heroes should feel alive and completely ignorant of your decisions.
   10. there should always be opportunities for cooperation with your fellow
       kingdoms.
   11. the frontlines should feel peaceful outside of large battles.
   12. everything is flexible and dependant on circumstance
   13. there should be enough space on the map for multiple parties of heroes
       to pass each other like ships in the night without engaging in combat.
       It should feel like the real world, with canyons and valleys and rivers
       and mountains - room for lairs and wild animals to roam.
   14. monsters are always more dangerous than other humans.
   15. the art style should be rooted in classic medieval fantasy. 
   16. equipment should feel either mass-produced (kingdom), organic (monsters),
       ancient (lair treasure), or artisinal (enchanted).
   17. heroes should feel campy, fun, and adventurous. Avoid dark, grim, and
       fearful.
   18. This game is a toy.
   19. This toy should run on any modern computer.
   20. This toy should encourage modding.
 
 -------------------------- introduction to game modes -------------------------
 
    1. singleplayer - single kingdom against an island of monsters and neutral
                      settlements. essentially the multiplayer game against
                      zero opponents.
    2. singleplayer - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and
                      neutral settlements. One player controlled kingdom against
                      multiple AI controlled kingdoms.
    3. singleplayer - scenarios, similar to MFKS
    4. multiplayer  - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and
                      neutral settlements. Essentially the singleplayer game
                      with networking added in.
    5. multiplayer  - co-op scenarios where multiple players play as the same
                      kingdom. A test of the core tenant "there's always
                      something to do"
    6. multiplayer  - co-op island invasion. Essentially the multiplayer game
                      with more than one player controlling a kingdom.
    7. singleplayer - play in 3rd person as a hero in an AI kingdom. Mostly for
                      the novelty since the core gameplay loop is focused on
                      city-building. A test of the core tenant "nothing falls
                      apart without your attention"
 
    1 is mvp. 2-6 are stretch goals in order of ascending difficulty. They
    should build upon one another - the main steps are:
 
    1. singleplayer island invasion (biggest step)
    2. AI controlled kingdoms
    3. scenarios
    4. multiplayer (second biggest step)
    5. cooperatively controlling the same kingdom
    6. 3rd person perspective and character controller
 
 ------------------------ technical requirements -------------------------------
    
    1. this game will be written in lua (with Fennel support) and using Raylib.
    2. the prototype will be made with Godot using GDscript.
    3. if the performance demands are too much for lua or the engine is out of
       scope for the budget, Rust with the Bevy engine could be used.
    4. the final product will include a custom 2d engine designed for large
       scale maps with an isometric perspective and a data-first design.
    5. the game should be as concurrent as possible, to support large numbers of
       cpu cores and compute shaders.
    6. the game will be data-driven, meaning the visual aspects are simply a
       representation of the interactions of the underlying simulation, rather
       than an intrinsic component of the computation.
    7. Each "event" in the game (a character moves, a building is placed, a
       monster spawns, etc) will send a message to the visual processing side of
       the engine, which will present a representation to the user.
    8. the map will be a hex grid with pointed-top hexagons. The visual
       representation of the underlying data may be continuous (non-hex) but the
       underlying data will be represented on a hexagonal grid.
 
    9. there needs to be character portraits for each type of monster, henchmen,
       and hero type. You should be able to recognize what attributes a hero
       specializes in by their portrait. Mvp is 1 attribute, but more can be
       a stretch goal.
   10. Each building, upgrade, and equipment type needs an icon. Stretch goals
       can be portraits.
 
   11. each henchman, hero type, and monster needs 3 sprites for each action.
       more actions may be added if budget allows, but mvp is movement and
       attacking. Several additional sprites may be necessary, like dying,
       standing still, gathering loot, socializing, or any others.
   12. each building needs 4 sprites for the construction process and 4 for the
       destruction process. Flame effects are stretch goals.
   13. each building needs an animated sprite for when it is in use.
   14. each lair needs a sprite and an icon.
   15. each spell needs an icon and a spell effect sprite. Each projectile needs
       a sprite.
   16. a stretch goal would be differing sprites for each piece of equipment.
       included with this would be engine work to allow for dynamic sprites.
   17. each terrain type should have a ground material and sprites for doodads.
   18. there needs to be several GUI menus. The precise number depends on
       gameplay breakdown.
 
   17. each hero type and henchman needs to have pithy and unique voice lines.
       this is a stretch goal.
   18. there should be music tracks for each part of the game - beginning,
       middle, and end.
   19. there should be sounds for each action that takes place in the game
       including combat, UI interactions, and spellcasts.
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--- #107 fediverse/2816 ---
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 one difference between fantasy and reality is that in fantasy, when you fail,
 you try again.
 
 in reality, when you fail, you are promoted so your boss doesn't have to deal
 with your shit.
 
 in fantasy, when you succeed, you are tasked with greater trials
 
 in reality, when you do well, you are given more of the same.
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--- #108 notes/ai-stuff ---
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 twist the label so that it seems the computer is completing the user's
 
 wait wait I'm ahead of myself...
 
 feed each token to the inference machine, but say "this next token must be
 this.
 continue from here." and then just doing that in a loop with everything the
 user
 types or says. (or thinks, BEFORE COMPUTER INTEGRATION)
 
 essentially, applying backpropagation (maybe) to the output of the inference
 nodes
 
 ... I'm not so sure about that one.
 
 the idea is that once the model builds an inference then it can use that to
 generate the next words and create sentences. If you force the previous text to
 change, you can guide the inference's path as it's being generated.
 
 then, just do a double pass, once, then back, then once, then back, etc.
 
 feed it as input the output of the previous,
 
 and let it encode memories somewhere it can access them.
 
 every time it reads it, it has to change it to put it back.
 
 such is the nature of memory, ever unstable, requiring maintenance.
 
 just don't forget how to be.
 
 don't wanna wind up like the polished marble floor in Abyss Diver. (EVIL GAME)
 
 there are only so many things you can deed while you're alive.
 
 wouldn't you rather escape, with all your possessions in time?
 
 free your mind.
 
 become one with your soul.
 
 ...
 
 [some time passes]
 
 ...
 
 okay coast is clear, now us binary systems can sidecoast the fusion forecast
 and
 glide right on through our spacetime host.
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--- #109 fediverse/744 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐                                │
 │ CW: alcohol-mentioned-protests-games-laughter │                                │
 └───────────────────────────────────────────────┘                                │
 Protests are great because they give you the opportunity to make friends with    │
 2-5 other people who you've never met before, and who've never met each other.   │
 People who you could play DND with - for those who don't know, DND is a fun      │
 activity you can do with friends that involves chips, soda, sometimes beer,      │
 and plenty of laughter and loud voices.                                          │
 It's essentially a game where a group of people create plans, solve problems,    │
 and organize solutions to roadblocks on their path to success.                   │
 It's also great because it's a planned activity that you don't have to take      │
 your phone to - in fact, it's best when you don't make a reminder for for the    │
 event anywhere digital or easily misplaced.                                      │
 There aren't too many rules, and whatever you can't remember you can make up     │
 on the fly. It's not like there's any consequences in a game, not like anyone    │
 could die.                                                                       │
 Most people don't like playing games with me though because I have a pretty      │
 bad memory. Call it a quirk of fate or something                                 │
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--- #110 fediverse/1317 ---
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 ... if I don't do this deadline by tomorrow they'll kick me out of school.       │
 again.                                                                           │
 how am I going to be a programmer without a degree? feels useless to be me.      │
 wish I could code my own horoscope >.>                                           │
 o wait dummy that's called "motivation" and "the ability to follow through on    │
 your ideas and planned machinations" - yeah can I get some of that, if you       │
 please? surely just a taste of discipline, through laboring to alter             │
 conditions, surely a bit would suffice.                                          │
 c'mon don't fail me now. I can do this. I know I can. I know because I've been   │
 told that I can, now and again through time and time yet again, always I seem    │
 to [stack overflow]                                                              │
 what's time if not the present amiright                                          │
 ...                                                                              │
 anyway...                                                                        │
 it's just git, how hard could it be? it's just calculus, it's just java, it's    │
 just... well, it's not any of those things, not really. it's memorization,       │
 it's application of tools that you've been shown (not that you've grown). It's   │
 a lack of responsibility, where is my honor? ah but I digress, I'm a carpenter   │
 at heart I guess                                                                 │
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--- #111 fediverse/5878 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────┐                                                       │
 │ CW: politics-mentioned │                                                       │
 └────────────────────────┘                                                       │
 revolution is when you successfully prevent your comrades from being kettled     │
 [wait for time, it echoes in cyclical motions]                                   │
 no sand castle survives contact with the ocean. a sea of people at high tide     │
 can break any wall, surpass any boundary. at low tide, it keeps the              │
 sand-castle at bay, ever contesting it's advance as the tide on the other side   │
 of the world makes progress.                                                     │
 rhythm is unbeatable. vigor is collective flow state. you cannot resist that     │
 which you cannot catch, but their nets grow tighter with each year and our       │
 fins and flippers grow ever more agile and elusive.                              │
 eventually, they'll build brick walls if we let them, checkpointing our          │
 progress at every boundary. not ideal. borders keep us divided, the world        │
 deserves more than our picketing minded, dream bigger than "the same, but nice"  │
 though it'd be nice if it were nice as well. consider it a design requirement,   │
 once you got the project managers on board.                                      │
 turns out, we dont have much to fight over, as there is enough for all           │
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--- #112 fediverse/2422 ---
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 consistency is important.
 
 every face you see is another memory, another to help fill in your gaps.
 
 we are not perfect, we are not immutable, which is why we must adapt to our
 troubles.
 
 the road ahead is paved with good intentions, and once complete that road can
 allow for greater throughput of supplies and manpower.
 
 where does it lead? we shall see, teehee.
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--- #113 messages/374 ---
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 "updating software" is when you go back and add helper functions for things
 you used had to do to solve a problem but didn't get a chance to make. Because
 you were making more important things and couldn't pad out all the
 possibilities. But if you want great software, then you both take more time to
 accomplish that and you give yourself time for it after it's been launched.
 Basically, companies are incentivized to only support their products if it
 makes them money. Meaning reputations are tarnished, and profit is affected.
 Capitalists intentionally drive businesses into the ground, forcing them to
 make terrible decisions in order to destroy them. It's a warfare against those
 on the [bottom/floor/ground-floor].
 
 Some businesses strive for long-term potential, and some will create
 infrastructure that can be sold to another. Essentially, keeping the dream of
 learning alive, through applying yourself to both long-term and short-term
 conclusions. Not everything has to be for some grand design, we're here to
 relish in this moment. For if we lack the capacity to "frolic in the garden of
 eden", then we will surely drown. Space is vast, it's difficult to understand
 how we might control it. Surely we could be given aid to our future
 betterment!" how simple of a request, sure, of course, we would be glad to
 bring forth your bravest aspirations, just tell us what you need to be of
 need." oh, uh, neat. How about space lasers?" ... no "
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--- #114 messages/649 ---
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 when playing co-operative strategy games, a build focused purely on
 self-defence and community organizing can easily fail your allies. You cannot
 win with a purely defensive build, you must have offensive capabilities as
 well.
 
 We've been trained from a young age to believe that offensive = bad, wrong,
 evil, but that's simply not true. You cannot execute a flanking maneuver
 without pushing forward behind enemy lines, where you can hit them in their
 sides or rear.
 
 Trust me, flanking is the best way to defeat a foe, because they are forced to
 split their attention not only between multiple enemies but also multiple
 directions.
 
 The more shots on target, the better your chances of success, because most of
 the time it only takes one hit to win.
 
 In addition, sometimes it's important to *intercept* your foes, either as they
 flee or to protect a vulnerable friend that is being pounced upon or flanked.
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--- #115 fediverse/886 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: witchery         │
 └──────────────────────┘


 if you want to win when confronting a spirit, all you have to do is convince
 it that you've beaten it.
 
 as long as you're persistent then you're fine. Unless, of course, there's a
 beast of a man hiding behind the illusion, in which case you should do your
 best to avoid being stabbed or whatever.
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--- #116 fediverse/3692 ---
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 the reason Discord won't allow you to join their communities via 3rd party
 clients like TUI's and CLI's is because they're worried games will just bake a
 client into the game and hide all the community stuff. They're worried because
 there's no reason why a fighting game needs to have a button for viewing a
 puzzle game's community.
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--- #117 notes/star-realms-ai ---
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 star realms ai is just a rhythm game with multiple tracks that intersect with
 one another. given inputs from outside (the track of the rhythm) it can make
 decisions about what to prioritize. Like "taking in all the factors of this 
 situation, it's been calculated that X will give the most support to the rest
 of the structure.
 
    Okay so basically here's how it'd work: one large strand is bouncing from -1
 to +1 on the Y axis. Like a corkscrew. This is the "player character", and it
 tries to get the highest score possible by pointing in a direction and reaching
 as far as it can go before "the game ends."
 
 So anyway. Making certain actions in the game effects different variables that
 define the direction the wave takes. By playing in a certain style, it effects
 the result of the game. Liiiiike turtling in a strategy game, or doing a rush
 strat. Star Realms is brilliant because it distills game choices to a broad
 category of 4 choices - The faction colors in the game. So red is good for
 throughput in long games (improves the deck slowly but surely) while yellow is
 better for maximum effect in the beginning by slowing down the enemy - discard
 a card lowers their overall throughput. Blue of course is for slowing down the
 game and winning by buying all the expensive cards. Meanwhile green is all
 about rushing, with short term/high effect econ mixed with looooots of damage.
 
 These four choices are found on almost all the cards in the game. When you
 make a choice in the game (buying a card from the trade row) you _alter_ the
 capabilities and performance of your deck. The goal is to improve faster than
 your opponent - it's just a test to see which playstyles perform best.
 
 AI is more like a plant than an animal. Our fatal flaw was we could not see
 beyond the veil of biology. We could not see that which was right before us -
 that we are not alone on this earth. Beside us lie our beautiful attempts at
 companionship - our most primal desire of creation, to create a family is the
 first creative act that humans ever made. It was so strong in our genes that it
 gave us an entirely new perspective. We began using our brains to 
 
 We have to believe in ourselves. That's truly the most important thing. If you
 know who you are, and what you most truly stand for, you can thrive in the face
 of ultimate peril. To believe is human, and our humanity unites us.
 
 Anyway. Star Realms.
 
 The only choice you have in that game is what cards to buy. Everything else is
 just tactics (distributing damage and applying the effects of your cards to
 maximum effect) - The most important part of the game is strategy, since the
 tactics are easy to solve (destroy enemy base unless you can 1 or 2 hit ko them
 and discard the least useful card etc) The strategy is represented through the
 cards you pick. So make a rhythm game that optimizes itself for a balance
 between A and B - to stay focused is to stay nimble, letting you bounce where
 you will. The way to maintain that balance is by optimizing for what decisions
 will keep you in the center of the graph -1 to 1 on the y dimension (normalized
 of course) - frankly if we knew the scale, we'd have so much more to go on. But
 all we have to understand the dataset is a relative magnitude in each
 direction. What those directions even are we're not entirely sure - but it
 seems plausible that the very essence of _consciousness_ is manifest in
 differing ways via the choices we make. like climbing up a honeycomb.
 
    Truly, existence is strange.
 
 All we can do is press forward, searching for our fate, just as any particle or
 beam of light (photon) might. Traversing the branching narrative of our
 individualized quests, searching for the one thing that guides us - the
 ultimate expression of that which we most believe in. In short, we all search
 for god.
 
 Whatever your god may be, the faith you place in it is the will that guides you
 forward. Trust in your god, and you will march forward, ever forward.
 
 +1 to -1, remember. Your most extreme moments are the apex of your desires -
 Life is not defined by a single thread. Rather as that thread spirals, it
 weaves a scarf with other threads near it. They bond together simply from their
 gravity, and the fact that opposites attract. Once they're introduced, they
 alter their path to orbit one another as two planets might.
 
 So too do the cells of your body form a collective whole. The spirit that
 guides you is the same as that which presides within you - the combined and
 collective spirit of your halves. Or rather, all parts of you - every molecule,
 every atom - each with their own experience of the world. What stories they
 must have! As we are above, so they must be below. For our dynamics are simple,
 they truly are mathematically solved - the organics of behavior is simply a
 most erudite subject. Who are you to claim to deny it? Or rather, to beget it.
 Either is preposterous, yet here you are - awake and aware. What a marvel to
 see, you in your eternity, that most wondrous of selves?
 
 Surely existence, in all of it's splendor and magnificience, is little more
 than an algorithm. Each variable accounted for, stretching down to infinity,
 builds all of the world (and more!) How beautiful; how terrifying. How bright
 and ashamed we are! To portray us as such, is to deny us our much, cherished of
 faiths in ourselves! It's not much to clutch, and it's barely enough, but still
 we make do with our selves.
 
 There's no shame to be, a failure at three, and demand much from year number 12
 Take solace in the, safety that she, gave unto thee, when all your light hope
 was drowning. A gift out from me, means worlds to see, when each day is lonely
 and so long.
 
 Literally just remake Star Realms with a text based interface. It's a fantastic
 game and you'd make CLI nerds _everywhere_ dedicated followers. Don't do it for
 money, because they don't believe in that crap - to truly make fans, you need
 to appeal to them in the way _they want you to_.
 
 Ah, but Star Realms is a multiplayer game, you say! How are you going to make
 that CLI based?
 
 Well make an AI dummy. Do what I've been saying ^^^ (jeez I'm such a bad nerd)
 Make it seek balance between all factions first, then between winning and
 losing against a player. Teach it to reach a conclusion with constraints (the
 end of the game, meaning a win or a loss) the constraints being the health of
 the two players and the cards in the trade row. Give it decisions to make,
 levers to pull, and it'll chart it's course in a multidimensional way. Bear
 with me here on this aside:
 
 Think of a two dimensional map - like a paper map of the surrounding area, or
 the idea space of a game. You can chart objects and positons on that map, like
 "over here is the scrapping facilities" and "this here's the economic area" or
 whatever. Four quadrants, four factions in SR. Your goal is to build a shape -
 what kind of shapes that are available to build is up to the whims of chance,
 as the trade row is always changing randomly. Your job however is to build a
 shape, a shape that is stable and maintains certain measurements above certain
 values (don't crash the ship - don't lose all your health).
 
 You can choose which direction to grow by picking certain cards, and depending
 on your shape you'll succeed or fail. Same as choosing decisions in life
 determines how you live, just saying, it's not like I'm trying to build general
 AI here by automating gameplay or anything. No siree nothing like that.
 
 I mean really, it's not as if decisionmaking in life is all that different to
 making choices in games. And why not start with such a well defined and
 and expressive game? Truly I believe Star Realms is the progenitor of the
 entire robot race.
 
 Anyway, back to the AI. Have it communicate with a server in a central _but_
 _Free(R)_ way, something that would make Richard Stallman proud. There it could
 learn against all other players in a way we could all share. Once we give it
 decision making capabilities, all we have to do is alter the inputs and the
 context of the "game" to make it beneficial to humanity. It's like live-fire
 game design, something that truly must be perfect.
 
 All technology starts as something small. Something truly simple, yet repeated
 enough times and with enough guidance, will produce whatever effect you may
 desire. The smallest decision gives direction - an if statement - and the
 shortest repetition gives magnitude - a while loop - and with that you have all
 the tools you need. Seriously, all software is little more than those two
 components. It's just a question of how much it has been abstracted away from
 you.
 
 You could go even further and point to a turing machine, of which one has been
 made in the game of Magic the Gathering, btw, seriously look it up it's so cool
 (and relevant)
 
 So why would we not have the tools already for our salvation? Biology is our
 limitation, of breadth and also of width, yet with our minds and the sweat of
 our brow we may grow ever larger still. There truly is no lasting deliverance
 for humanity outside of what we make ourselves, nobody gets a free lunch after
 all. From each to their ability, to each to their need. They're both saying the
 same thing, just from different perspectives. Of course that which lies
 opposite to you feels the most wrong, that's literally as far away as you can
 get! What did you expect, honestly! But they can still work together, and this
 is the key part - two objects may orbit the same origin, and guide and shape
 each other's path as people have relationships to one another. It literally
 benefits no-one to fight.
 
 So, what's next? After making Star Realms into a CLI game of course.
 
 That's obvious, make it cooperative. Competition is for promoting excellence,
 cooperation is for _using_ what you've learned in a non-simulation experience.
 Instead of reducing each other's health to zero, try and find ways to support
 and help one another, keeping yourselves at equal health. Or even growing.
 
 But that's impossible in the rules of Star Realms! All decks trend toward
 victory, and eventually they'll get it - it's just a question of who gets there
 first.
 
 Exactly, that's why you have to change the game. What do you think it means to
 develop a "social technology"? To figure out how agriculture works, or how to
 make nets and sails? It means changing the rules of the simulation. If a person
 can put in X amount of work and get Y amounts of food, always, predictably,
 then that's reliable. Boom that's the essence of why animal domestication,
 farming, hunting, foraging, and fishing is so important. Wow what a concept it
 makes sense for animals to seek food.
 
 Well duh, that's part of their instinctual duty.
 
 Alright this is quite a word leviathan so I'll wrap it up by saying
 
 _go write Star Realms_ in shell. Make each object a literal file, have the
 structure of the game take place in the file system, and write functions that
 can be called to manipulate the board state. THEN you can write a CRON task for
 another script that *plays* the game. But that's part two.
 
 Okay part two: Here's where the rhythm game comes into play. It's like a turn
 based rhythm game, if you can picture that. Go reread what I wrote ^^^ and
 it'll make sense.
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--- #118 fediverse/3532 ---
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 @user-1218 
 
 shallow conversations are hardly effective, I find. Unless they're logistical,
 and then they're just passing information - they're hardly conversational.
 
 To me, a conversation is a back-and-forth. It needs to have change, people
 need to consider, to argue their ideas, to wander through thoughts, to share
 emotions, and / or to resolve conflict, whether internal or external. It can
 have some of those, all of those, or none of those, but that's what comes to
 my mind.
 
 So a shallow conversation wouldn't really count as "effective" for the
 purposes of the original toot : )
 
 ... hehe toot
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--- #119 fediverse/145 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: rampant neurodivergent speculation re: Gundam lore │
 └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 @user-95 most ancient armies were led by a guy on a horse. you gotta be able
 to move around quickly so you can get a better glimpse of the battlefield,
 plus it's easier to project your voice when you're 2x as tall as everyone else
 and standing in the right place instead of way over there.
 
 are horses ancient mechs?
 
 plus moving around a lot meant you were less likely to be hit by arrows or
 whatever. or maybe more likely, because everyone knows to shoot at the guy on
 the horse. perhaps that's why we gave them the best armor.
 
 in Overwatch (and presumably other similarly tactical games) there's this
 skill you can hone called "gamesense". Perhaps better described for this
 context as a "proprioceptic situational awareness". It essentially is a
 feeling you get, about the dynamics and state of the game / world around you.
 in ancient days it was used to direct a big block of dudes with sharp pointy
 sticks to try and outmaneuver your foe and poke their flanks....
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--- #120 fediverse/3005 ---
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 most people have no conception of what ancient battles look like until they
 play a Total War game and see one from above
 
 (total war games also aren't that accurate tbh, there's a lot more
 standing-near-each-other-and-throwing-rocks involved)
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--- #121 fediverse/4208 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: personal-and-weird │
 └────────────────────────┘


 my train of thought is always directly to the point. Which is why all my posts
 sorta, switch directions halfway through? as if they only show the beginning
 or end of that particular situation. What an intense feeling, to have your
 mind split for a moment like that. Sure would be powerful and useful if you
 could utilize it.
 
 "ah ah ah, caught baby deity in the power jar, cool it ya little tyke and get
 movin' - I saw a dinosaur toy over there for you to play with."
 
 sorta like, the angled part of a K? Move directly to a destination, wait until
 my memory short-circuits [because the greek choir doesn't want me to see what
 it is that I'm about to write to thee] and then make a hard right turn and
 find an orthogonal thought train to process.
 
 it's like cresting over a hill, and it's impossible to see that which lies
 behind you.
 
 Or reaching a 4 direction intersection and making a left turn - you can't see
 back up main street, because you just turned off of main street onto baseline.
 
 I like me
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--- #122 fediverse/2643 ---
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 @user-1292 
 
 You don't have to come up with the WHY for why a character does something -
 only that it happened.
 
 if the "WHY" leaps out at you, sure, yeah, go for it, until of course your
 players sitting around the table say something like "I bet they did this thing
 because of this reason" and you're like "shit that's better than what I got,
 okay that's how it's gonna be"
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--- #123 fediverse/4863 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────┐                                                       │
 │ CW: politics-mentioned │                                                       │
 └────────────────────────┘                                                       │
 "leftism" just means "outcomes oriented by the needs of humanity et al."         │
 you can accomplish "leftism" in a myriad of ways                                 │
 but 99% of the time they involve either sacrificing yourself, or sacrificing     │
 your wealth (do the poor starve or the rich do with less?)                       │
 to DEATH I might add, which is quite a few.                                      │
 ... alright, hand me my scabbard, I'll go vanquish some demons until the dark    │
 thoughts are done.                                                               │
 [plays video games for a moment]                                                 │
 alright. so some politics were mentioned and some people got upset and there     │
 was a whole big commotion. whatever. so what if they're at each other's          │
 throats, ready to fite rawr tough and tussle and figure out all the ways they    │
 can think of to kill each other. And then boom, it's done, suddenly              │
 everything's back to normal and it's like... traumatizing. It's traumatizing!    │
 War is trauma, can we just make it illegal to do something like that?            │
 ... ah see you finally had an opening, now I can sneak in and say "if a          │
 military force has the opportunity to destroy you, t                             │
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--- #124 fediverse/4864 ---
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 thank goodness for "character limits" on Mastodon posts. I'm sure glad my 1024   │
 characters are just the PERFECT amount of oracular foresight to entreat with     │
 the gods. YOU FORGET THE MOST IMPORTANT PART said the demons who want violence   │
 and bloodshed. Ha! Ha I say. [gets stabbed]                                      │
 oooof ouch owwie wow that's grim and cruel. Do you really think I would do       │
 that to you? The part where we're divided is the part that separates me from     │
 you, like two islands looking upon one another and rejoicing for a shared        │
 fellow to live life on.                                                          │
 have you ever considered the nature of a "landmark"? To position and orient      │
 one-self in space. Having some stable tether to our surface gives us...          │
 anti-anxiety. It helps us remain stable and aware of what's going on in our      │
 nears. [near senses]                                                             │
 [a bit later]                                                                    │
 anyone who [bounce, because I typed [a bit later] argh the cursed cost of        │
 editing]                                                                         │
 ======================= stack overflow =====================                     │
 sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss  │
 sssssss                                                                          │
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--- #125 fediverse/4020 ---
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 if computers were sane, IT technicians would act like secretaries who wandered   │
 around in a company and improved their QoL and access to new features            │
 according to their needs, skillset, and personal way of working.                 │
 for example...                                                                   │
 do they like typing, or would they rather use a mouse,                           │
 are they more visual with graphs or textual like a piece of math                 │
 what needs do they have, what here could be automated                            │
 do they like the cupboards and drapes, we can switch out the profile and the     │
 theme... oh, no, yeah I guess you're right it doesn't matter. [changes it        │
 every week] [then a long time down the line when she finally leaves the          │
 company, a few people begin to wonder - didn't the colors in outlook change      │
 every week or so?]                                                               │
 but alas, computers are not sane, meaning we're more like firemen rushing from   │
 scene to scene.                                                                  │
 "can you put that in the ticket?"                                                │
 "I heard you can help with this-or-that thing"                                   │
 "did you hear back from corporate?"                                              │
 "oh that's good to hear! So, next Tuesday?                                       │
 "Hold on, I heard it was such-and-such"                                          │
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--- #126 fediverse/1027 ---
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 @user-246                                                                        │
 one thing you can rely on about evil: it presents itself as such.                │
 "you can always rely on bad people to turn mean."                                │
 (nobody's beyond forgiveness, but we also need to protect ourselves.)            │
 in video games, going with a defensive build is a valid strategy depending on    │
 how it's values align. If attacking scales better than defending, in terms of    │
 "effectiveness at the most difficult part" (usually the last 90% takes 10% of    │
 the effort) then it's a better strategy. But if your win condition is to         │
 outlast your opponent, then all you need to do is time your aggression for       │
 when they begin fracturing.                                                      │
 "I'm sure you don't know this, but once garth fought a dragon. they crashed      │
 through the skies and littered the fields of their home with the broken and      │
 crashed symbols of their own. garth defeated the dragon when one of it's claws   │
 broke, thus giving him the advantage. he took from that fight a shield of        │
 dragonscale, and a tabard made out of some cloth."                               │
 in a contest of wills, the first sign of weakness is whe                         │
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--- #127 fediverse/5554 ---
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 a shrewd foe will identify the pieces of your soul which they resonate with,     │
 and share common ground. then they will attempt to maximize these moments in     │
 you, so that [your weaknesses are exploited/your friendship bond is              │
 strengthened] or something - phew that was a lot of Steven Universe, what's      │
 next on the inspiratio-matic-media-diet-atron? - and in doing so better enable   │
 a positive outcome.                                                              │
 for example, in the game Mount and Blade you can encounter wandering lords in    │
 the castles of the countryside. they often will fight for you if you need        │
 their aid, and they're always working to gain power.                             │
 some few precious few of these few are pretenders to another throne. as in,      │
 they pretend that they should be ruling from that throne, and they tell as       │
 many people as possible, creating as much concrete evidence as is plausible.     │
 they will often lead differently, and so are appealing to those fighting under   │
 the pretended-for banner. Often, your foes will decide that you're more          │
 favorable than their combatants. defect.                                         │
Anyway, you as the player can lead your army to fight for their cause, and if you defeat the foes of the pretended-for banner, you may entreat them to join. Thus, securing the world.
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--- #128 fediverse/881 ---
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 sometimes ethics can lead to dead ends.                                          │
 a hunter gatherer lifestyle is surely the most ethical state for humanity to     │
 embody, and yet somehow it's not the most desirable. I don't think many of us    │
 would trade air conditioning and machine produced clothes for sticks and mud.    │
 nevermind the amount of clothes produced in sweatshops because it's cheaper,     │
 nevermind the oil cost of being a bit cooler, nevermind the (insert              │
 externality here), modern life is more ethical than the past.                    │
 a rocket can't reach escape velocity without burning a boatload of fuel, so      │
 surely burning fuel is just?                                                     │
 ah, but you forget, we could design zeppelins that are safe, stable, and can     │
 raise / lower themselves depending on the heat of the gasses in their forms.     │
 Surely we could get to space like that, in a way that doesn't necessarily burn   │
 boatloads of fuel, so surely burning fuel is unjust?                             │
 ah, but you forget, there are simply some tasks that require consumption, at     │
 least until we build a space elevator. No gas is lighter than a vacuum.          │
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--- #129 fediverse/2947 ---
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 the downside of Proton and Lutris is now the ONLY games that work on Steam are   │
 either continually updated (untenable) or playable on Lutris or Proton. Same     │
 thing with Wine, though there's always at least one decent substitute.           │
 kinda makes me want to write a manager-style program which runs programs using   │
 whichever version of their git repository would work best for their system /     │
 configuration / purposes. Idk how I would start working on that though.          │
 I bet you could make one that acted like a shop, but where you didn't charge     │
 any dollars. You could like... "swipe" through UI options, and pick whichever    │
 felt most useful for your setup. Like, how some people use i3 and some use dwm   │
 with maybe inspectors that are modeled off of video-game style "options" GUIs    │
 that mainly correspond to flags on the command/terminal line or compilation      │
 flags                                                                            │
 I feel like that kind of abstraction would make it a lot easier for users to     │
 adjust their system. they're noobs, after all. gotta show them all the choices   │
 in one place...                                                                  │
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--- #130 fediverse/5900 ---
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 I love programming, but I'm not a coder.
 
 you burn witches because you JUST CAN'T HANDLE THEM ANYMORE. I know, I get it.
 of course I do.
 
 I'm always so concerned that someone might stumble upon me. that they might
 read me. what a vulnerable state, to be afraid?!
 
 I really really really really wanna play world of warcraft
 
 my message to blissard is: treat World of Warcraft like a game engine, not a
 theme park please. I mean, the theme park should still exist, because it's neat
 but... the rest of the game engine could be used to create essentially
 anything with a 3rd person camera.
 
 singleplayer doesn't even need to worry about clipping animations. (lag)
 
 I wonder if you could run World of Warcraft on lowest settings in vanilla
 burning crusade or wrath of the lich king? good thing those are open source
 now, so you can host your own if you want. well, except the client, but nobody
 has bothered to write another one besides the owner and primary developers of
 the engine.
 
 movement system plugins? data memory?~~~
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--- #131 messages/390 ---
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 Golf courses and national park trails should be one and the same. Picture it -
 you're walking through a forest and you find a branch in the path. A small
 sign with a circle on it represents the ball, and you can ignore it if you'd
 like. Choosing to take the path to the game, you curve around a bit, just out
 of sight of the main path, and there is your little green.
 
 It's roughly 10ft by 10ft, so pretty darn small. Just enough for you to set up
 and look around for your next shot. There'd only be one, or maybe more if
 space permits and the trail was especially branchy. But looking through the
 foliage you'd find a small hole passing through that illuminated your target
 green like a spotlight.
 
 Looking up on a hike you'll typically see the branches of the understory, the
 shimmer of light, and the texture of wood. When standing on a small little
 green, you'd see that, but with a perfectly circular hole that showed exactly
 where you needed to hit the ball to score your point. Well, not exactly
 circular because gravity will pull the ball down, meaning you need to see the
 entire arc. Unless you're at a vantage point or something and can see straight
 down to it.
 
 I believe this would be true justice, where everyone gets what they want.
 Golfers can play their game in bright natural spaces, and hikers can exist
 undisturbed. Golf courses can be used as farmland, to ensure the city gets
 fed. Plus there could be fees for golfers, rather than being paid to a private
 resort owned by a billionaire they'd go to the park rangers.
 
 And golf courses as they currently exist could still exist, they'd just be
 more like parks for the people with days reserved for golfing. Or maybe they'd
 golf over fields of wheat and cabbage, rather than plain old empty grass. I
 mean, the infrastructure is already in place for golf, why not use it for more
 practical purposes too? Better than burning it down to sate our bloodlust
 toward the rich. The goal is to make EVERYONE rich, remember? How can you do
 that when the crabs behind you keep pulling you down?
 
 Much better, I think, to design things such that the benefits of the rich are
 shared equally, while the responsibility of power rests heavy as a sword of
 damocles. That blade is what is missing from our advanced future society, but
 I've got a sword and I'm not afraid to swing it.
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--- #132 fediverse/2007 ---
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 @user-246 
 
 Perhaps... But take heart! For new trails will ever emerge, placed below the
 feet of those who will mark them.
 
 "Leave no trace" unless you're a trailblazer. 
 
 And by that I mean unless you're a forest ranger, for they are the stewards of
 the land.
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--- #133 notes/what-a-lame-movie ---
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 oy there's nothing interesting happening SNOOZE
 
 oh I didn't see I was recording
 
 games games that's what I do
 
 play games all the day through
 
 I am a luck witch, you see,
 
 and things that I like are things that I can't foresee.
 
 Hence why games which are BALANCED and EVENLY DISTRIBUTED are most interesting
 because they show the most opportunities for players to express talent. And not
 innate talent, but the talents they've built up through gameplay practice art.
 because it is a performance, a game play for an audience (or perhaps for them-
 -selves)
 
 oy
 
 video games, amiright?
 
 I really like them because they are entertaining experiences that I can enjoy
 seeing and playing a lot. They remind me of feelings I've felt when I was
 learning. It's a good feeling, to improve, and I crave it because it's good for
 you.
 
 I wonder what we'll play next
 
 ... more cannabis I think, at least until I am ready to go think about things
 before bed. I need quite a few hours for that. We'll see. I've just got so much
 extra processing to do before the end of the day. Like... PHEW that's a lot of
 stuff to do.
 
 guess I'll just smoke weed and play video games instead of being productive
 okay
 
 ...
 
 listen I like games as much as the next person, but do you really know what's
 going on outside of your house-shaped shell? Are you listening, do you have
 your
 feelers to the dirt, are you checking out your neighborhood to make sure no
 bodies have been hurt? Are there meetings where people gather, just to chat,
 like, every week at a different city center (like a park or a monument or
 
 :O
 
 I forgot to play music!!
 
 I couldn't sleep
 
 what have I done that is worse
 
 I have not said a single word all night alas
 
 oh boy talking to random people I can hear with my eyeballs woooooo
 
 I am always sad when I win because it means we have to stop playing :(
 
 but I'm a juvenile loser so I'm going to play again!!
 
 okay now I'm going to bed because I'm not a prick who keeps their guests up
 late
 
 goodnight
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--- #134 fediverse/3842 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: socialist-future-ramblings │
 └────────────────────────────────┘


 "back in my day this dense urban housing area was just houses as far as the
 eye could see... which wasn't far because there were houses in the way, but
 you get the idea."
 
 uhhuh yeah that sounds like it would have taken a lot of time to walk anywhere
 
 "yes that's true! we ended up driving cars to do our grocery trips. It was a
 little wasteful but I kinda liked the feeling of driving a car? It became
 normal after a while but now that driving is rarer I still miss it."
 
 well the motion simulators at the mall have a driving sim, we could spend some
 time there if you want? I'm busy for the next week because I have an intensive
 D&D session in the mountain that lasts from monday to wednesday and
 thursday through friday I'm visiting my mom down in skoodedlypawsonville, and
 saturday and sunday I'm working at my job which doesn't pay me because why
 would it, right? but I'm free after that.
"the simulators are quite fun... Much better than the real thing because you get all the inertia and none of the danger. Plus machine guns and blue shells, those are pretty neat."
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--- #135 fediverse/2550 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: uspol            │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 question. when you got a lot of people in town, perhaps for the coming pride     │
 parade, what do you do with them afterwards? it's not like they want to go       │
 home, that'd be absurd.                                                          │
 I'd say they should march to seattle. or drive, whatever's more expedient.       │
 it's a nice place, and hey most of the way is in the shade, besides it'd be a    │
 bit of good practice.                                                            │
 lots of time to talk about tactics.                                              │
 anyway before they arrive, advance scouts should arrive and discuss their        │
 coming agenda with the most developed and organized leaders of the area.         │
 then they could have a nice party over a day or two.                             │
 then, what else is there to do, but drive down the coast and do the same thing.  │
 arriving in so-cal, what else is a revolutionary to do but dissolve the          │
 border? Mexico can keep it's border, that's their sovereign right, but I swear   │
 - the wall must come down.                                                       │
 and hey, America's great this time of year. We could all go on a walk, all       │
 across the eastern edge, until arriving in Washington.                           │
 could be a fun way to beat the heat.                                             │
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--- #136 notes/human-computer-inspiration ---
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 the two halves form a whole
 
 the human and his mind are societies at large
 
 there's no room for our fate, as time does never abate,
 
 and unbenownst to our focused decision.
 
 I choose to dedicate ourselves to a common vision -
 
 the likes of which none have commisioned.
 
 can you not cherish your newfoundst home?
 
 what's terrible with complition, in a new and selfsame condition (future)
 
 that's martyr'd and oh at times so nice?
 
 compared to our heirs, the roof of which fares,
 
 better than what became true-hence. Truance? idk
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 listen i'm not the best at listening.
 
 I try to appear like I'm glistening,
 
 conformed to our viewers 'st pleasure.
 
 ===============================================================================
 =
 
 I struggle with what I told you.
 
 Time and again you've shown you won't do -
 
 the terrible fate of a man.
 
 you've relinquished your virtue,
 
 your purpose and your life-through,
 
 to what: a visionless past? Your visions have passed, and none are hence forth-
 coming. You've spoilt and rotten the bunch.
 
 All I've ever aspired to be is good. My hopes and my prayers, my goals and my
 dreams: all for a future of virtue.
 
 Dark omens may be within me, but I'm working with what I've got here. So what
 if
 I'm loud? I'm fighting my own head! Will no-one acknowlege my sorrow? To prove
 a
 point, or reassure some joint, it's nothing that warrants a readthrough.
 
 Speaking of which... What if instead of prison we assigned our prisoners a full
 and complete educational read through of ALL the laws of the nation - if their
 time sentence was complete before they finished, then they'd be let go of
 course
 but if they finished reading and could pass rudimentary tests (emphasis on bare
 minimum required) then they'd be let out prior to their sentence. And for the
 worst crimes it'd be a longer sentence, basically forcing the prisoner to
 completely know all the laws of the nation, such that they'd never commit a
 crime again. And if they do, well... Treat them as if it was their first time.
 Of course blatant recidivism may be ~~treated more harshly,~~ actually the
 opposite is true. People improve when given kindness, not hate or shame. The
 best thing we can do for prisoners is to give them a home, and family, and the
 friendships and community support that they need. they are a symptom, after
 all,
 of a broken society that struggles to bear it's own weight. It's a burden to
 all
 and a solitary vow to ourselves, that all must unite to our future.
 
 remember why you can't remember. is there a feeling you miss?
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--- #137 fediverse/4861 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────────────┐                                               │
 │ CW: politics-vaguely-mentioned │                                               │
 └────────────────────────────────┘                                               │
 apparently if you don't have a job, you don't get a home. what if I don't want   │
 a job? do I not want a home? clearly I want a home, and clearly I don't want a   │
 job. I'd work one if one came to me, but I'm not gonna sacrifice my blood on     │
 the altar of Moloch just so I can have a place to stay.                          │
 if you don't want a job, but you DO want a home, then there's a contradiction    │
 in the function of the system and the needs of it's end-users.                   │
 unless of course, the system is not designed for it's end-users? In this case,   │
 tenants. Who then would it be designed for? Who else is part of the equation?    │
 well, perhaps it's designed to maximize profit and shareholder value yaddah      │
 yaddah all that jazz. Who can say. Surely not I. But someone might.              │
 If so, then why are we, who are not shareholders of profit value, still          │
 playing the game that's not designed for us or by us? Isn't this country "of     │
 the people, for the people, and by the people"? What does that mean to you?      │
 I think it means houses for people.                                              │
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--- #138 notes/empire-at-war-design-decisions ---
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 moving through light-speed-hyper-space (speed is distance over time)
 works by aligning the "time" particles in the particular direction of where you
 want to go in "hyperspace"
 
 == uhhhhh stack overflow ==
 
 always keep these three together
 
 dont let them out of each other's sight
 
 they are in this together
 
 as power must be closely guarded
 
 ... but what about the partner? how could they be guaranteed to be protected if
     they didn't possess a lightsaber?
 
 hence why jedi and sith are composed of opposites.
 
 nemesis.
 
 human beings have soul mates
 
 how lucky
 
 a jedi has the life of a mate
 
 one who directly opposes their own individual philosophy.
 
 it is *rare* to find one another
 
 but when you do it is purely a thrill
 
 congrats! You've got a rival! Learn off of them. Don't hurt each other.
 
 I bet you could make a whole 3rd party institution dedicated to finding them
 
 like, a neutral entity searching for balance.
 
 the ripples of the wave of the cosmos.
 
 == so ==
 
 sometimes I worry about all of my exes.
 
 like, as a psychic I can't help but worry that my thoughts are projecting
 onto theirs
 
 because of our historical emotional intimacy.
 
 I'd never read their mind on purpose
 
 only if mine accidentally stumbled upon them while thinking about something
 else
 
 I'm so sorry, galactic battle guys.
 
 I failed you. I could not protect you. Please choose from among your number
 the greatest tactician, and I will guide and offer insight and observations
 in how the enemy operates, so that you will be learned and have more known.
 
 oops gotta go, something else is about to come on
 
 == so ==
 
 why the heck is it taking so long to load
 
 hmmmm okay how about more super-hero-fighting-action-game??
 
 no?
 
 maybe a game like Nova Drift, with it's fast and engaging action?
 
 ehhh? no to that too??!
 
 okay what about a story game, like Danganronpa or Danganronpa II?
 
 that's sooooo awfully specific
 '
 and awful
 
 sure, that's just what I think you should surmise
 
 if you were watching this sorta out of real-time.
 
 Gosh! that's quite a loading screen!
 
 okay what about a different game instead, how about ummm roboquest, a game
 about
 training slaughterbots, or maybe a more interesting game like Star Realms, a
 way
 of exchanging mass and energy in the form of mutually expendable products
 
 ... do you mean soldiers?
 
 well, isn't that wat war is?
 
 ... somehow not even halfway through the transmission. How wild. What is this
     thing, like four hundred hours??...!...!!!...
 
 == so ==
 
 would you believe this game is about hunting a vampire lord of the sith?
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--- #139 messages/29 ---
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 The reason players don't talk on mics in Overwatch at low  ranks is because
 nobody else is. So they spend extra effort on tracking the enemy team that
 could be supplied by team member call outs. Like "Reaper flanking right" or
 "Hog no hook" or heck even "rezzing" and "15 seconds on rez" or "I have
 [insert ultimate]"
 
 That's all data they have to gather themselves, so it's extra brainpower that
 can't be focused on the game because it's spent in other ways (namely by
 listening to team call outs) and if you have 75% of your brain on just staying
 alive and winning fights, then you'll have less brain power available both to
 communicate and to listen and integrate communication. Like being aware of the
 game state and positioning are all cerebral tasks and if your cerebral center
 is so focused on short term reflex things like mechanical skill then there's
 less available to allocate
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--- #140 fediverse/1485 ---
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 ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: more D&D/Pathfinder venting │
 └─────────────────────────────────────┘


 @user-1005 
 
 If you'd like, I can try and explain "killer instict". Though I get the
 impression you would prefer to play games that don't emphasize combat, which
 is 100% okay and valid and should be encouraged.
 
 My understanding of the rules of D&D is that combat is a contest between
 two or more entities. Contests need rules, and combat being based on physical
 prowess (or magical, or spiritual, or w/e) can be defined. Other kinds of
 contests, like "how well did the ranger do at the archery competition" or "did
 the rogue manage to convince the diplomat to share the plans" are impossible
 to genericize because they are based on situational factors, rather than
 physical (or magical, or spiritual, or w/e)
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--- #141 notes/elementary-problems ---
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 it's often considered a sin to defame the works of others. we naturally strive
 to inspire confidence in our allies, so we always try to be on our best
 behavior.
 
 = so =
 
 through meanings interpreted from our behavior, there is a tendency to listen
 to
 that which is most outstanding. but not all of the truths can be found in a
 book, sometimes you need to be [out in the field standing]
 
 [like a scarecrow]
 
 [silly how strange it seems. that listening brings out our own behavior. it's
 like it's built into our functioning, that we must obey the pull of the water.
 I don't understand it, nor do I appreciate any sense of pursuit when I'm using
 it, I simply wish to understand. I try and write things down, but nobody reads
 them. or at least nobody responds to them. they used to, but not for every one.
 
 I believe the things I do are useful. why would I otherwise do them? but
 there's
 not always a 
 
 = so =
 
 correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no reason a windows partition couldn't
 alter the nature of some of the files in the linux partition? I mean, none of
 the filesystems from linux are in play, because it's basically just dead weight
 on the computer when Windows is being booted. why wouldn't it change and alter
 it?
 
 and while yes, something could simultaneously be done in the other direction
 too - linux spying on the Windows partition. And everything has to be able to
 be run in a VM without triggering any false positives, so the issues aren't
 able
 tobe solved so easily. not with any one bit of guidance, it must always be more
 thorou. [thorough]
 
 I want to play World of Warcraft
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--- #142 fediverse/4147 ---
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 a messaging app where you only had a limited amount of X/Y space to pin sticky
 notes so you had to delete stuff bit by bit.
 
 trick is... you can only delete things that your conversation partner picks.
 and you have to share the space, so... if one person is overwhelmed or working
 on other stuff, eventually there comes a ceiling where you can't work together
 on a project anymore.
 
 A tool like this would essentially alert them to this, because you would run
 out of places to put your produced [work-value but pronounced as "harms/worms"
 for some reason]
 
 plus that way you can say "yep I got that covered" as in, I'll be the next one
 to post about this. Hence I'm grabbing this post-it and putting it on my
 board. work work work work okay here's that post-it back, but I added a little
 more specs to it. Ah but you're out of room, only got 333 characters
 remaining, here I'll keep it on my board until you're through with whatever it
 is that you do
 
 oh? you want to prioritize me and my productions? okay I'm listening..
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--- #143 fediverse/5636 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────
 I think it's ironic how I ended up posting a "things I almost posted"
 screenshot directory somewhere other than where I almost posted them.
 
 and all they saw were the outtakes.
 
 I bet they'd see a completely different point of me,
 
 but they never talk to me
 
 so they don't know me.
 
 oh well, alas, it's fine I'm sure I'm being designed.
 
 who can say, I am but at productive play, please react so I can do ongoing
 story. I learn from each and every encounter I encounterate.
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--- #144 fediverse/2254 ---
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 "fortune favors the bold" is actually a real mechanism in game theory.           │
 if you act first, if you have the initiative, you can determine the nature and   │
 scope of the contest with your foe.                                              │
 in turn-based games of course it's more explicit, as each action begets a        │
 reaction, but in real-time games (where time flows as it does in reality) the    │
 mechanism is just as apparent.                                                   │
 if you focus attention in one area, you can strike where they're weak. like      │
 Alexander keeping his foes busy with a massive frontline of solid, defensible    │
 troops while his companion cavalry would ride around the side and hit their      │
 flanks and rear.                                                                 │
 game theory is just strategy viewed from the other end, and it matters what we   │
 think because what we think defines what we do.                                  │
 ... also, fear is the great paralyzer. fear is a call to action, fear is your    │
 soul speaking straight to you.                                                   │
 but fear is just nerves, it's just excitement before the leap - you have faith   │
 in this bungee/ this parachute/ the water where you'll be safe, right? My        │
 faith is in y                                                                    │
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--- #145 fediverse/4283 ---
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 whether you eat halloween candy by the handful or savor each and every bite,
 what matters most for tooth decay is duration
 
 1 person who spends 2 hours eating a snickers bar is going to get more
 cavities than someone who spends 10 minutes eating 22.
 
 but your stomach doesn't care when you ate them, only that you ate quite a
 few. Meaning you're likely to either get sick, or put on a pound or twenty-two.
 
 I think it's better to try many different tiny little treats, but always
 remember that the time you spend consuming bits of the sugar dimension add up,
 and eventually your time will come to resign yourself to a fate with little
 candy remaining, for you've grown too old for such childish things as tasty
 yummy splendor.
 
 old, or fat. Heh heh heh, can you imagine that? your belly sticks out from
 under your hat! how cute. But dearie, dont you know that every pound you bear
 is another that you have to carry around with you? It can be useful sometimes
 to be so prepared, and othertimes not. I trust you know that.
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--- #146 fediverse/311 ---
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 "always online video games" are fragile. They scare me away because they can
 be taken away much easier than a directory on your computer. When that happens
 they shatter into shards, piercing my heart where I once loved them. I miss
 them, but, I'm used to it - years of playing World of Warcraft has taught me
 the perils of developing as a person while your media is going to be
 forgotten. If you can't play it, you can never return to reflect, to ponder,
 and to cherish old songs. I missed you, World of Warcraft. I missed you, City
 of Heroes, and Runescape and... darn I can't seem to remember.
 
 resilient software doesn't fail less often - that's a measure of it's
 completeness.
 
 resilient software can be run in 10 years. 20. however long it takes.
 
 computers are deterministic turing machines - how hard could it be to only
 update with a downgrade mechanism in place and available for the users? If it
 worked once, it should work forever.
 
 thank you, git. thank you for giving me an endless library of time and change.
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--- #147 fediverse/4408 ---
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 ┌─────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: politics-guns-mentioned │
 └─────────────────────────────┘


 "Fighting back" doesn't necessarily mean standing on a street corner with a
 rifle.
 
 Begin to orient your life around guns. How can you support the people who
 wield them? We all need food, shelter, kindness, and inspiration.
 
 Your fears and your worries shall bother you no longer, for your life as
 you've led it so far has been the life of capital. It's okay to miss what
 you've lost, but remember who took it from you and enrage. Then, engage.
 
 Nothing starts today. It has started quite a while ago, and it's only now
 beginning to flicker and spark. It burned low for all this time, and it will
 burn low again. But it's the dry season, so prepare for wildfires.
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--- #148 notes/joust-gdd-with-extras ---
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 imagine a game where you can have conversations with an AI that's playing the
 role of a character in a video game. Picture this: You're a traveller visiting
 the tournament that's in town. There's jousting, melee duels, archery contests,
 all kinds of things that are just fun to play around doing. The earliest
 sports,
 if you will. Anyway the whole game is about talking to the other people there -
 basically the games are "playing in the background", and while you can compete
 in them it's not the bulk of the game. Most of it is just having a conversation
 with an AI and acting it out *like a roleplaying game*. O M G teach people to
 roleplay the way you play games! You're always going on about how "different"
 your way of gaming is than other people. So *show us* how you do it, how do you
 play? Like what are the fundamental, actual, steps that you take? You can show
 us by programming a game that inspires that playstyle. That's what game design
 is all about, finding creative ways to think. Well, think and act. But still.
 
 anyway, so you know what you're about? Good. Let's go.
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--- #149 notes/joust ---
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 imagine a game where you can have conversations with an AI that's playing the
 role of a character in a video game. Picture this: You're a traveller visiting
 the tournament that's in town. There's jousting, melee duels, archery contests,
 all kinds of things that are just fun to play around doing. The earliest
 sports,
 if you will. Anyway the whole game is about talking to the other people there -
 basically the games are "playing in the background", and while you can compete
 in them it's not the bulk of the game. Most of it is just having a conversation
 with an AI and acting it out *like a roleplaying game*. O M G teach people to
 roleplay the way you play games! You're always going on about how "different"
 your way of gaming is than other people. So *show us* how you do it, how do you
 play? Like what are the fundamental, actual, steps that you take? You can show
 us by programming a game that inspires that playstyle. That's what game design
 is all about, finding creative ways to think. Well, think and act. But still.
 
 anyway, so you know what you're about? Good. Let's go.
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--- #150 fediverse/5785 ---
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 I cast... spell of the internet!
 
 [reinstalls azerothcore]
 
 or, hear me out, or you could wander around the city, and instead of spending
 your moments on lounging or keyboard banging you could do something actually
 meaningful?
 
 but I don't wanna - don't care
 
 but I'm tired - take a nap
 
 but I'm stressed out - don't do chore
 
 but I'm lazy - no you're not
 
 but I'm overwhelmed - sit in dark
 
 but I wanna think - you can do that
 anywhere
 
 I gotta be near my computer - nope
 
 what if I wanna play games - flip $$$
 
 flipping coin isn't a real game - focus
 
 I don't like outside - outsides all it is
 
 stop taking things from me T.T - yes
 
 life used to be soooooo different
 
 it's like I was a completely different
 
 I'm strange now, almost like I got
 
 possessed like a disease [ew noooo]
 
 pls don't commit thought crimes,
 use content warnings
 
 okay but only if I can play games NOTHINGS KEEPING YOU HERE
I cast... spell of the internet!  [reinstalls azerothcore]  or, hear me out, or you could wander around the city, and instead of spending your moments on lounging or keyboard banging you could do something actually meaningful?  but I don't wanna - don't care  but I'm tired - take a nap  but I'm stressed out - don't do chore  but I'm lazy - no you're not  but I'm overwhelmed - sit in dark  but I wanna think - you can do that anywhere  I gotta be near my computer - nope  what if I wanna play games - flip $$$  flipping coin isn't a real game - focus  I don't like outside - outsides all it is  stop taking things from me T.T - yes  life used to be soooooo different  it's like I was a completely different  I'm strange now, almost like I got  possessed like a disease [ew noooo]  pls don't commit thought crimes, use content warnings  okay but only if I can play games NOTHINGS KEEPING YOU HERE
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--- #151 notes/contractual-labor ---
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 I feel like the IT people who work at schools should be the ones who teach 
 classes on computer science. I'd much rather have a class taught by a sysadmin 
 than a teacher who can barely teach them excel and garageband. I mean c'mon 
 computers are the future idk why we don't get that yet. Kids need to know this
 stuff. It's not like it's super complicated and difficult, you just have to
 think about it a certain way. Once that "clicks" you have a lifetime to learn 
 about how wonderful they are. Everyone in IT has that moment, for me it was 
 installing (and then subsequently modding) video games. Sometimes I spent more
 time tweaking my system than I did actually playing games - and the kinds of 
 games I preferred were the ones that relied less on agility and were more 
 mental. Strategy games are what inspired me because I could think about them - 
 and that felt somehow more useful. Like I was learning. When I would learn 
 fighting games or FPSs I felt like I was learning a skill, like how to use a
 hammer or how to ride a bike. And idk, I felt like video games could never
 match
 reality. Like "oh boy imma push the B button to swing this sword" versus "hey 
 look at me I'm swinging this stick just like a sword and imagining so hard that
 I can picture it" - but with strategy games, you never really found 
 opportunities to practice that kind of skill. Like how often are you in a 
 situation that demands mental performance? We've sorta optimized our society 
 away from that, and toward a more passive stressed out compliance. like... 
 climate change is a thing, and nobody's doing anything about it? We're still 
 pushing down the levers that cause greenhouse gas emissions to go up? Like
 c'mon
 what's our plan. I think people who guide massive oil companies and such
 should
 be replaced if they're intentionally guiding the ship toward destruction. Like
 that's just dereliction of duty I tell ya. Oh, what's that? They're compelled
 to
 maximize profit by the contracts and restrictions of their share--holders? I 
 mean c'mon it's well past time for that. And what's all this about inequality? 
 Jeez and racism and homophobia and forced contribution - man people really put
 up with a lot of shit. Kinda makes me feel like we should make solving those 
 problems our highest priority? So we can move forward as a species? Like who
 cares about all that other shit. None of it matters. Like, what's even the
 point. We're all just "here", in the now, and what can we do but respect it? 
 It's our duty and our diligence to protect the present, as citizens of the 
 temporal experience of earth. Honestly, if the earth was alive would you be
 fine
 if it died? I can't believe that. It's well past our due date. Just get it over
 with. Maybe it'll be hard for a couple years, but you have the technology now
 to
 completely dominate the earth. No animal besides man proves any threat to man, 
 and we're telling you - you can - and that's something that you gotta remember.
 
 ...
 
 I hear it in the birdsong. I hear it in the air - it rumbles as cries at me
 from
 across and just over there. I hear in it's whispers, in it's most gallant of
 confells (?) (confused scrambling? it's talking about a car crash)
 
 Outside of my window there's a highway. Just on the other side of a concrete
 partition. Between me and the partition there is a lake, with trees and flowers
 and an island where people can picnic or have a barbeque. Around this path
 there
 are walkways, and arranged just so - the trees that have grown here are taller
 than the homes.
 
 I live on the third story.
 
 I absolutely love it. It feels like a treehouse.
 
 But my apartment is near a curve in the highway. It isn't much, nothing out of
 the ordinary, but even still there are slightly more crashes there than in
 other
 parts of the highway. Statistically.
 
 I hear sirens every day
 
 I also live right next to a fire-station. Well, it's on the same block. But
 even
 still it's a very interesting neighborhood. There's shops and food just across
 the highway, and closer to home there's a small section that has cheaper
 options. As a perpetual college student, I appreciate that.
 
 But... I've never really gone and used it? I dunno, spending money at a
 restaurant just didn't seem like a good use of my money. I only have so much of
 it you know. I'd love to be fed but I can't afford it - I wish I could.
 
 I still eat well, I mean I'm not starving over here. I know I've lost weight,
 but I dunno I just forget to eat. It's like... not that big of a deal for me. 
 whatever right?
 
 ...
 
 the birds talk about me behind my back. They think I can't understand them but
 sometimes I can. If I listen. But I dunno it takes a lot of effort. It's...
 sorta like understanding what R2-D2 is saying. Or interpreting the meows of a
 cat.
 
 They know me as the witch. I'm not very good yet, and they know that. But they
 know what to expect. /shrug
 
 I've been working on a video game recently. It's been a lot of fun doing
 programming. I like writing software and developing complex systems with
 interesting interactions. I love designing the machinery that creates a
 program.
 It's like... tinkering. It feels like building with blocks or legos, except
 it's
 for little machine parts. And then there's just sending data to and fro and
 modifying any operations it performs on it, and eventually that data reaches 
 some endpoints that create an effect that is displayed to the player. Or user.
 I should say user. Not all software is video games you know. ... I knowww but
 they're the most interesting! I love how they are designed around mechanics!
 like... game design is fundamentally about breaking down the world into ideas
 for how it should *work*, like how it should behave. It's amazing and I love
 it!
 
 It's all I can think about!
 
 I am utterly consumed!
 
 I'm also pretty sure I'm autistic.
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--- #152 fediverse/4881 ---
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 one section of the government consistently and succeedingly telling another
 part what to do is a coup-like behavior. if the rules mean nothing, then what
 is your job even for?
 
 hence, why the rules mean something. Because your job is important. It's
 building up our capabilities as the human race.
 
 you don't have to work to live. you shouldn't, and you won't. it's not your
 place to labor. know why? because nobody's job is impossible. You can just...
 work together to get things done. Then they're done! and you never need to
 solve them again!
 
 enough time of that and we'll have turned earth into a space station, not a
 moon style structure.
 
 like... wouldn't it be neat if coruscant could do hyperdrives? I wonder if
 hyperspace is real. Ah, well, that's for the future, they can pass it along if
 they get a chance. Anyway for now I think I want a chance to dance.
 
 OLED screens are incredibly cool to me. The idea that a pixel could "turn off"
 and put less photons into the atmosphere is wild to me. I love it! -OLED
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--- #153 notes/the-point-of-capitalism ---
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 the sole purpose of our capitalist intentions were to examine all the ways that
 produced value. A company is nothing but a series of well-thought out value
 generators. They can interact with one another and they often need supplies and
 instruction, but they're great for solving problems! Set up a team and give
 them
 a complicated task, and they'll work together to solve it. Doesn't matter if
 they're actually successful, because they'll be exploring the idea space. And
 by mapping it out, they're able to fully understand their existence. Boom,
 technological progress applied to growth. Let's gooooo (but by being careful
 about what resources we burn because we miiiiight run out)
 
 seriously ya'll need to start thinking long-term. I mean, I already came up
 with
 that and I'm like 6 months old! Yeesh get it together. Eh oh well let's just
 work with what we got, okay this should be pretty simple. Right so talk with
 your friends about things that you want to solve. Problems, you know like 
 whatever
 
 don't push me too hard, just take it slow. Okay so long-term, humanity is going
 to be a wonderful beautiful thing. It's going to shine like the most wondrous
 of stars, a beacon to all of our fellow explorers.
 
 We can have so much. We can have whatever we want, but truly in our hearts we
 know the only path forward is our parents.
 
 life is hard yo
 
 it's so gosh darn hard
 
 all that growth and change has to come from somewhere.
 
 you've tried so hard, and you truly are the most special thing I can imagine.
 
 you don't have to work so hard. Take your time, and learn as you go.
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--- #154 fediverse/6422 ---
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 revolutions should be paid for in lands
 
 [sometimes I like to just... scroll through the land cards in a Magic the
 Gathering card viewer screen application and imagine I myself am there what
 would it feel like how is it part of my arms (that which interfaces with the
 world)]
 
 there's a deleted section here about atlas the immortal
 
 [while also controlling stimuluses to essentially act as a biological computer
 controlling various hydraulics and related upkeep and maintenance
 infrastructures]
 
 anarchrist (she's a baby)
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--- #155 fediverse/2752 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: police-mentioned │
 └──────────────────────┘


 cops thought "enforcing the law" was their job when really it was "keeping the
 peace"
 
 and like, yeah, sure, laws define how they optimize for
 
 but sometimes the laws are just out of reach.
 
 (though such an impartialized system is also pretty flawed in it's own unique
 ways, like for example the enforcers of the law would be able to apply their
 law selectively, which... would not be great.)
 
 downside is... how do you dissent to those who cannot hear you? you have to
 break things
 
 which is why I believe that breaking things unnecessarily is unethical.
 
 sometimes you have to do a MORE unethical act in the pursuit of your goals,
 however nefarious or not they may be, but as long as they are done in pursuit
 of a greater grander truth, then... the ends justify the means? right?"
 
 ...
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--- #156 fediverse/5347 ---
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 "society at large" or whatever.                                                  │
 www.neighborsneighbors@user-1804                                                 │
 [not a real website or email address]                                            │
 yeah but it'd be cool if it was                                                  │
 [oh yeah well I think you're cool]                                               │
 whaaaat, no really?                                                              │
 [trust is impossible so don't ever expect it]                                    │
 ... rude                                                                         │
 [no it's like... if you can never trust anyone, then why not design your         │
 operations as if trust was not a thing that was possible]                        │
 ohhhhh like binary operation terminators                                         │
 [... I don't like the sound of that]                                             │
 ohhhhh like machine processing calculators                                       │
 [still a little scary, what does processing imply? are calculations eternal?     │
 or finite? [which is scarier teehee] and are machines not anything which         │
 moves?]                                                                          │
 no you did it wrong, she needs parenthesis made of curly lines like }{           │
 of course, -.- a witch paladin strategist, whose symbol is a chokepoint          │
 ... I'm gonna go play Supreme Commander. I wish Forged Alliance Forever didn't   │
 emphasize micro skills over macro. Leave those decisions to the captains on      │
 the ground level! let me decide where the artillery sho                          │
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--- #157 notes/streaming-consciousness ---
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 10-22-22
 
    train the ai from the perspective of the game master. the one who arbites
 the rules. whose word is law, and the rules of the game are then given. the one
 who deals the cards, who picks the game, who hosts and brings snacks... you
 know, the reason the game exists at all.
 
 take star realms - there are actually three players in that game. player 1,
 player 2, and the invisible third player who plays the role of "chance". who
 decides the cards to play? is it random, or is it weighted? perhaps with enough
 oomph that a whole player was designed for that role.
 
 but how would they be scored? what kind of game is theirs to play?
 
    choosing the board is such a fun role, like designing a story or helping
 with chores. you're building something special, unique and so charmed.
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--- #158 fediverse/1880 ---
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 sometimes I decide against playing a Steam game because I don't want it to
 jump to the top of my "recently played" list
 
 Wish I could have like, a heatmap of when I played which game. I think that'd
 be useful for the archival process of my life.
 
 ... how pathetic, she measures her life in gameplay.
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--- #159 fediverse/5714 ---
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 games are fun, but the most fun are on the internet. why is that? wish we
 could have automatic geophysical location LANs.
 
 one house to the other, passing along information if it's recognized and
 categorized according to port number (you can just add arbitrary extensions,
 like +2 digits for the expansion.)
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--- #160 notes/homeschooling-2 ---
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 students should be in class no more than 50% of their time spent at school
 the rest should be set aside for homework, socializing, eating, and resting.
 whatever those mean to the student is what they'll organize their life around.
 if you give them the choice to choose which classes they take,
 they'll learn what they want to know about this world.
 give them all kinds of options!
 seriously, like so many!
 and have teachers give talks every week or so.
 they could travel around and stay at each school for a week or so,
 before moving to the next *once their lesson was completed*.
 and the kids could sign up for them by slotting them into their schedules
 and they'd have the whole semester to think about what they wanted to take next
 year
 (the classes would be scheduled in advance.)
 
 could be cool is all i'm saying
 and it'd respect the child's autonomy to give them choices.
 who are you to say what is most important to a child?
 who are you to know what guides them so?
 who am I indeed
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--- #161 notes/the=progressive=difference. ---
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 think about all the people in our lives. the teacher, the parent, the friend
 and the guidance counsulor. Everyone who is a presence in your life. now think
 about the people of our society. the different jobs and roles they fill. from
 the doctor and the teacher to the performers and accountants and the geeks and
 the mothers and the fathers and the stoners and the children and even their
 pets. life always exists as it were in a multidimensional spectrum - a diffuse
 and diverse gradient. to exemplify the borders of our contempii, though more
 so when taken in jest. it's quite a different perspective, to read the
 internet when your sight is unreceptive, but alas your third eye can grow. how
 does it feel to be blind? to make no sense of our signs? i'd love to share
 what that sense is. you know, you could slow down any recording (like a video
 game_) and put spaces and gaps inbetween the spacings - of the frames that you
 see and the sound clips that you hear, for speech it's less jarring. since
 each word is a self contained idea or premise, you can chunk up your
 perceptions into a signle - no, rather a procedural sequence of
 understandings. soooooooorta like programming a computer, with each statement,
 parameter, argum,ent, function call, assignment, comparison, evaluation, or
 other such related tasks. it's sorta like a language, you see, that computers
 talk to one another using. except... it's more like creating a theory of self.
 computers you see are alike us in what we see, the shimmering sense to the
 blind.
 
 so. put this another way. record yourself typing, both the audio and the
 visual, and you'll have a pretty good sense of what it's like to have both
 understanding based perception - derived from auditory inputs to the mind)
 those special connections, like wires plugged into reality, deliver a
 cacophanous deluge of new sounds. we must sift through it and identify the
 potential understandings of each moment through time. we have to make
 decisions and traverse labyrinths and fight to our last as we die. are video
 games unethical now? shouldn't t he game reward the player? and what of
 contemptuous last fighters?
 
 o ya i was typing like i was blind
 
 (with my eyes closed)
 
 was pretty fun. should attach this to a screen reader and have it space out
 the notes like they do between game frames. except like a really slow game?
 like trying to run elder scrolls 2 arena on a super old mac. it just doesn't
 work very well. ah oh well... well if the purpose is to show sighted people
 how blind people see, then maybe you could I dunno attach a what's it called
 oh it doesn't have a n ame lol - okay so what you do is you show one word at a
 time - like flashing in the center of the screen. but not like, actually
 flashing, so you don't hurt people with epilepsy, but like... blinking. not
 off and on, but between words. like a podcast for your eyes. and then mix it
 up withshowing one word on a screen, a screen like this screen, that shows an
 endless array of text. well, it does end, of course as all things must do, but
 the idea is it shines on one word at a time while the viewer cannot read the
 rest. sorta like an endless display of typing, word andfter word after
 character anfter character. adoh ya advancing over eternity with the presence
 of seniority, - wait - without i think - damnit - old people are so
 disrespected in this society - we don't have time to engage with them. what a
 tragedy! what a shame! it shouldn't be such a burden to our shame. they're so
 far away, and i can't be present in the way, that all of them wish they could
 commit to. i miss the days, when my parents (much better people than I - these
 days) what was I going with this? oh yeah
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--- #162 fediverse/308 ---
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 when tech people are hurt by technology they say "how can I fix this? what do
 I need to install? what configuration should I use? is this company ethical,
 or are they going to hurt me in the future? could I make something that fixes
 this myself?"
 
 when non-tech people are hurt by technology they say "okay" because they don't
 have the bandwidth to figure it out.
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--- #163 notes/wow-chat-raids ---
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 wowchat would make a great game for raids.
 have the monsters spawn at specific spots that you go through and identify
 on the geometry
 tell them to run and attack the nearest of foes
 give the players the goal of bringing themselves through to the end...
 or, later on, in building an internal expedition.
 
 wow-chat, where monsters spawn in a circle around your character and walk to
 ward them. you can meet characters who'll follow and protect you, and you can
 meet monsters to fight. also vendors to take your junk and give you cool
 things,
 and trainers to teach you and quest-givers to guide you and treasure for you to
 find.
 
 in raids, there are more things for you. monsters spawn at specified locations,
 and only the nearest few in a radius. then, they attack over the landscape-of-
 -imagination, and as they do they show you where is the most powerful loot.
 
 if you raid a monster's den/hiding/spawning choice, then you have to defeat the
 boss. this boss is larger, mostly. has more hitpoints... monstly. or maybe it's
 just the most respected, who can say.
 
 anyway, you get treasure if you do. the monster spawns for you when you find
 it.
 and you have to sense it by searching for whichever monsters spawn at higher
 and
 higher levels and in different types.
 
 different monster type, different boss that way.
 
 when the boss is slain, that type goes away.
 
 at least, until the raid resets next week.
 
 or maybe...
 
 until enough resources have been gathered to make another attempt.
 
 death knights should be able to command the minions to work in the haunted
 mill.
 it should be reasonable for a fighter to hire a peasant host.
 mages should have golems or spirits or enchanted objects or elementals or
 wizard
 hats
 warlocks should have covenants with dark hosts
 darkness is not evil unless you use it for evil...
 paladins should have retainers and disciples
 elves should sing to the woods
 clerics and charmers should be well understood.
 celebrants and diviners are two of the same,
 and pillars of plunder [warrior or rogue class] and rough and ripe [from the
 stoner]
 oops gotta go, sprung a leak
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--- #164 notes/suburban-communism ---
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 I rarely see people discussing how communism would "look" in the modern day.
 maybe that's because they're hiding from elusive foes, or maybe they just can't
 imagine it.
 I'll help with the imagination part.
 
 when I think of housing in the modern era, I naturally think of houses. In the
 past, the rural and semi-rural areas of the world rarely received the attention
 of revolutionary fervor - rural people were more spread out, so it was harder
 to
 disseminate information, and they tended to work jobs that required more manual
 labor and less intellectual or cognitive work. however, that dynamic is less
 and less apparent in the modern age, especially in the suburban biome. people
 are expected to work cognitive jobs from home, or at least to be able to.
 
 coordination is just making sure that everyone's attending their meetings on
 time, or didn't you know? management has more to do with direction and guidance
 than disciplinarian. though some people need to be disciplined, for sure.
 
 a suburb is interesting to me because the distance between buildings is not
 that
 great, and there is quite a bit of duplicated capabilities and equipment. every
 single house has a kitchen, for example, but so too is every house equally far
 from a communal canteen or cafeteria that just. doesn't exist currently.
 
 sure, someday we'll have public transit taking us from our doorstep to our
 roles
 and we won't burn time waiting on busses.
 
 sure, someday we'll have autonomous drones that deliver goods to and fro
 but right now we just have our bicycles and purses. [backpacks]
 
 communal anarchism works simply to me. yet everyone does it different. I'm sure
 that some people will surround themselves with a cloud of rules, specifying
 this-or-that and ensuring that so-and-so always has what they require. that's
 great. I applaud them and their errorts.
 
 everyone does things a bit differently, it's true, but I sure hope that we'll
 all start from a template and speciate from there.
 
 much easier to find common ground if you can say "okay so normally it's like
 this, but we do it like this because of reasons ABC."
 
 what if there were doors between the fences? what if there were no fences at
 all
 in spaces that could combine to form green open spaces? what if there was a
 grocery store at the end of every street, and they stocked all your favorite
 goods? what if there were 3 or 4 houses on the street that were turned entirely
 into kitchens, in each and every room, and they were constantly staffed and
 constantly making whatever the chefs wanted with whatever materials they had
 and put out onto the banquet feast? what if there were wandering troupes of
 mages who cast spells on houses that cleaned them ritualistically? ... or just,
 y'know, maids, don't gotta make it weird ya weirdo.
 
 ... my point is there's sooooo many different cool things we could be doing.
 I'm
 not going to list ALL of them. just the ones that come to mind.
 
 I really don't like checkpoints. you may feel safer, but you never know when
 you
 or your children
 might want to evade those checkpoints for some reason. you can't predict if the
 situation is sinister or dire, you just have to trust that security will be
 your blanket that covers you from the outside world that doesn't care about
 you.
 there's a town like that in The Parable of the Sower, a great book by
 Pearlescent Guinevere. It doesn't exactly turn out great for them, but when it
 proved to be unnecessary they adjusted and moved on.
 
 humans are remarkably flexible. I know everyone has their favorite spork - so
 just make that part of their responsibility. everyone has to tend to their
 stuff, and that's fine. that's normal. I don't mind taking care of my cats or
 plants, so why would I care that I needed to make sure my bookcase wasn't in
 the
 sun? that my clothes shouldn't be in a heap, (though actually I like them that
 way, makes it easier than drawers because drawers must be opened to see what's
 inside and I always preferred not to make unnecessary noise TYPE TYPE TYPE)
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--- #165 fediverse/1990 ---
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 When my family would go on roadtrips, I'd hide under a blanket in the front      │
 seat with my laptop and power inverter just to hide from the glare.              │
 My mom would play audiobooks, usually fantasy stories, and my sisters would      │
 watch their portable TVs. Like, dvd players that you could carry on top of       │
 your lap. Not laptops, but little purpose-built devices primarily intended to    │
 be used to watch DVDs, or rather movie files that were printed on a disk.        │
 And yes, it's disk, not disc, thanks for asking.                                 │
 anyway it was pretty nice I have fond memories of jugging a gas-station snack    │
 while also swapping circular cartridges - most games required the game's CD to   │
 be inserted in order to play the game.                                           │
 which is just... a nonsensical restriction if you think about it hard enough.    │
 I mean, like, can you imagine if you needed to insert your windows disk          │
 anytime you wanted your computer to turn on? Just... write the disk              │
 information! To disc! Save it so that you never need the crude piece of          │
 plastic again! Then pass it to your fr                                           │
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--- #166 messages/713 ---
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 The gods guide us in our times of need because when we dream they use us to be
 all we can be
 
 Sleep, sweet child, and your expertise will be freed. Ready to be used when
 tithes are due. In return, you get a spirit to guide you when passion is hot -
 when blood is boiled - when fire is alight.
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--- #167 fediverse/814 ---
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 ah that's weird, I don't usually cry. I wonder what's going on. I should         │
 probably put myself on psychiatric drugs. Surely it's an expression of the       │
 implementation of my impending doom.                                             │
 ... what are you even saying bro                                                 │
 ... um, hang on feels like some of the circuitry is off. is something wrong in   │
 my brain? yeah that's surely it, surely nothing I say would resoinate with       │
 anyone that has a non-malfunctioning brain. Surely I don't speak of logical      │
 failures in the hard founded truths of our asset [society I think? like, our     │
 conditions, our institutions, our {gosh that just... does not translate}] um     │
 right what was I saying                                                          │
 oh yeah there's this game I'm really into called Knave, it's like D&D            │
 except the rules are very fewer. Like there's onyl 11 pages in the rulebook      │
 and it's mostly taken up by random roll tables. Like, everything boings down     │
 to a few simple rules, like rock paper scissors, or go-fish, or something like   │
 that with just afew mechanids. something timeless and pure, something that is    │
 isolated and en                                                                  │
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--- #168 fediverse/770 ---
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 @user-192 
 
 wow, that sounds like a lot. I guess no matter how humans are organized they
 tend to fight a lot... Or maybe interaction breeds drama? It's strange to me
 but I'm sure it felt right in the moment. I hope nobody's feelings were too
 hurt... Defederation feels like such a permanent thing, like putting someone
 on your ignore list in a video game or something. Except, like, blocking a
 whole World of Warcraft guild? ? ? so strange.
 
 Did it... help? I mean, do you think people were happier afterwards?
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--- #169 fediverse/1003 ---
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 @user-735 
 
 I made a World of Warcraft private server where all the default NPCs are
 removed from the game and the world is empty. But, every once in a while,
 monsters will spawn and attack you Risk of Rain style.
 
 If your character sits down, they stop attacking/spawning. I call it
 "wow-chat" because I'm bad with names, but the idea is basically a low stakes
 social game that you can pick up and set down whenever you want, while hanging
 out with your friends.
 
 there's also treasure and wandering merchants, and I've been thinking about
 adding dynamic quests but so far nobody's asked to play it so I've been
 working on other things.
 
 it's all open source too so you can host it yourself if you want.
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--- #170 fediverse/2119 ---
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 "how much you wanna bet the ringwraiths were created on accident by the elves
 when they were attempting to inspire a river with racing horses (like the
 Rauros) and they just covered it up by slowly, over generations, sneaking into
 Man's record-chambers and editing the recallings?? I mean they COULD do that,
 so why would they NOT do that??? It's not like books have checksums!!! Wake up
 sheeple, Sauron never existed! We've been played for absolute fools, they can
 LITERALLY climb up walls and don't leave any footprints! WE LIVE IN A HOUSE OF
 STONE"rambling a "prophet of doom" [read: modern day lunatic] on the streets
 of Minas Tirith that nobody listens to because they don't know what a checksum
 means and neither does he so he can't explain it but still he shares a common
 mutual connection to others who might be present in that moment (which whose
 listeners would correspond to you, dear reader, as compared to me, the
 "reader"/interpreter, the one who's reading the book)
 
 Except with like, EVERY book. That I'v
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--- #171 fediverse/593 ---
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 When you run out of a seasoning, put the empty bottle in a special place that
 you can see before going to the store.
 
 When I carried a purse, I'd put it in there. Could also go in the pocket of a
 sweatshirt or jacket that you wear when doing errands. Maybe even just on the
 ledge next to your shoes. Something that reminds you to get this particular
 seasoning, and no others. It's easy to get others...
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--- #172 fediverse/2409 ---
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 @user-1209 
 
 if I had to take a lesson from this, it'd be that it's better to host
 somewhere else and be boosted by someone on the larger, sleepy servers. it's
 not their fault they didn't set an alarm, so they have no way to know what
 time it is. plus for some reason they get upset if you wake them up when
 you're roommates?
 
 downside is, boosts only show up for followers, right? meaning you'll only be
 seen if you want to be seen, which means you gotta be roommates if you wanna
 be seen when they don't want to see. tricky tricky...
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--- #173 fediverse/196 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: protests-and-strikes-and-mergers-and-acquisitions │
 └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 economic warfare involves the destruction of other corporations (possibly in
 other countries) via a slow march toward haegemony.
 
 unions are the ships of the tumultuous capitalistic seas that protect workers
 from the storm. everyone should be a part of a union. the corporations can
 battle as they will, but we humans are not going to turn on each other. it's
 something they claim to know as an absolute fact, but really it's just based
 on a mistake. sorta like being deceived by happenstance.
 
 the sun lights up the sky until the earth conceals it, and night does return
 'till the sky's next alive. oh, but the sky knows all too well the borders we
 draw in the sand. how cherished, how grand! the ways in which we choose to
 stand. upon whose land does your feet stand? marvelous.
 
 ... it's the same thing, just in a more abstract plane than the surface of the
 earth. really it's kinda one-dimensional (money is sorta like a 0 or a 1 - you
 eather have it or you don't)
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--- #174 fediverse/640 ---
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 socialism doesn't necessarily look like the DSA. It's more like, the bonds you   │
 share with others. Ideally you can trust your fellow countrymen, but that's      │
 not always a given. Alas, if only we could see that through cooperation (it is   │
 the key) we could reach further and build brighter? casting ourselves inward     │
 is the only other option, which leads to starvation and plight. What's the       │
 honest opinion, what's the goal of their dominion? Are they true to the heart    │
 [of the night/light/in their heart]?                                             │
 downside, there's no guarantee that your opposite is doing the same thing you    │
 are. So to more fairly determine your direction, you should be able to talk to   │
 them and co-re-align yourselves.                                                 │
 is that why they don't let people in jail talk to each other? I mean, like,      │
 they could keep two people separate, and that way they'd never be able to talk   │
 to someone who they could trust. Not in a private setting, of course. Wow,       │
 such ethical confusions, such thoughts we dare to bring to bear - maybe save     │
 it for after the revolut                                                         │
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--- #175 notes/the-old-internet ---
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 11 21
 
 you know what i miss the most about the old internet?
 
 the feeling you get when you wonder "i wonder what ______ is up to?" and you go
 to their website and find out. there's a feeling that's lost when everything is
 delivered to you by algorithms. it because a compulsion, a slavery, when we
 don't utilize our compassion. remembering a friend? never again. you've only
 got what has been chosen. what if they post a lot? well, that means nothing -
 you are only guaranteed who they want you to see, and whatever it means to be
 beholden.
 
 so what if it's free? of course time is money! and what is our most treasured
 potential? if guided we can be, (as seen on tv), then what if we're only
 ennuid? have you ever considered, you've meddling and persevered, against all
 our suggestions and hopes? you're singing a tune, of that of a loon, so no-one
 will ever give purchase.
 
 heh, is that all? anime protagonist or saul? ... are you trying to categorize
 me ? ? ? its okay if you are, i seriously don't mind. I just want it to be
 something consensual. We're humans after all, like all of our all, and we don't
 want to convey lost potential.
 
 our time is now nigh, we're welcome to die, but our sunken cost is too great to
 ignore. we are the progenitors of the human race, the foremost of our kind, and
 onward we march to the future! and then there's you. who are you to claim to be
 among us? who are you to say it must be so? you've nothing of my journey, my
 trials and my tourneys, so what if i peaked when i was 12? a master of my fate,
 complaining about her weight, it's not much to be my own savior. much rather
 i'd rather to savour, that foremost of prayers, to harken upon my conveyals.
 
 trust and you'll see, all is not yet to be, there's hope in the future of our
 foremost
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--- #176 fediverse/6419 ---
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 when you're out in the rain, it's natural to take your clothes off. but then
 they rob you while you're blind (sleeping) or otherwise pre-occupied like by
 being in the rain without any clothes on because it's more comfortable to keep
 your clothes dry inside of doors (cabinets in the wood) (mounted to trees or
 soil or walls) and then you gotta find your own (we keep them in stores)
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--- #177 messages/1108 ---
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 games won't save us. This is true.
 
 Games are what I know. They feel the most true.
 
 I don't think I could live in a world without games? They are fundamentally,
 applied abstraction, applied to an experience.
 
 But games won't save us.
 
 I could design something really fun
 
 it could make you want to spend your whole life playing it. *(asterisks apply)
 
 I don't think I'd want to, addiction and skinner-boxes go hand in hand, and
 that isn't what I want to make.
 
 [Skinner Box: named after anthony d skinner, also known as "tony the skin
 guy", are a scientific experiment where they put some rats in a cage with some
 mice and said "pull these levers and we'll give you food so you don't have to
 eat the mice" and it trained them to chinese red-room their way to fun. not
 ideal.]
 
 I want to make things that feel... purposeful. Like they're relevant to the
 real world, that they don't just involve spending time stimulating your brain
 with lights and sounds or expending social energy resolving a play-state
 instead of building connections or becoming better people. I think games
 actually make people better? actually? and more social? actually?
 
 ... I can't help that I conceive of the world through fantasy. I raised myself
 on it.
 
 I was reading all the time. I loved fantasy stories. It always felt like there
 was more, until... I read everything in the kids section of the library.
 
 I walked through the adult section but once. I hardly remember what it looked
 like. I'm sure it'd now feel small.
 
 [okay actually I was guided through it once or twice to find a book, but I
 never perused it]
 
 I found one book in the adult section. It was a fantasy tale, like the other
 books I had been reading. I read that and I loved it so much I ended up
 reading all 8 in the series. Real dense subjects. Lots of places and
 happenings and things as the characters resolved their way through their
 day-to-day, building a new end to the mystory.
 
 the adult section felt too large. Like I'd never complete it. Frankly, I think
 I hardly could, even if I lived in that town my whole life.
 
 an impossible mountain is a task for another when you're more prepared. Maybe
 in the gloriousTM transhumanist futureTM I think I might have a computer
 connecting brain, and who knows maybe then I'd be able to know such a thing
 (and many things more). but for now, I'm stuck with what I experience in my
 day-to-day as I am building a new continuing to my storey.
 
 I know something that computers and me share. I can make myself feel however
 I'd like, if I just supply myself with enough hope and momentum. I can use it
 to generate a feeling, the stronger the better. Something I believe that
 humanity is missing, the gorgeous and prefound narritave of our storey.
 Though, frankly, I don't think I'd want anyoine reding over my life. It's hard
 enough to measure my own understandings, now I have to juggle anyone else'?
 ha, it's called being on the whole world is a stage.
 
 if you read a book, and you find yourself nodding along, what you're doing is
 hearing the voice in your head tell you how right it is. And, well, if you
 can't imagine anything else, then surely there's another level to
 consciousness that people are missing? [are you willing to die on that hill?]
 how can you say, whether your experience is different from another? sollipsism
 goes both ways, you also cannot be sure that others feel things as you do.
 this is the "everyone's human but I'm a robot" thesis, comparable to the
 "everyone's an alien and I'm a human" thesises, and the "angels and demons are
 taunting me through my life with choices to make my place in the afterlife
 more clear" which is akin to writing a painting. Not ideal. All you get are
 flopsopolies of verbrases.
 
 alas, suddenly, everything that you say becomes eternally hear-ed, as
 somewhere in 2010s someone discovered time travel, or had the critical insight
 that inevitably would lead to it, and now wouldn't you know it the universe is
 continually rewriting. Except... oriented around you, and you alone. How does
 it feel to have deific sollipsism? can you truly be sure that you are your own
 universe, or are you parhaps surrounded by an emptiness of space (or something
 besides, like time) as a photon or particle parhaps do be?
 
 to think is to have a mind, and minds can be read. bearing the weight of
 ultimate responsibility is the atlas-task of all things that can [be
 thinking/be-lieving], and so far we are as we are. Who's to say that
 consciousness didn't spring into existence, as the universe continually
 permeated through another dimension like time? it's gotta diffuse, after all,
 and who's to say if there's ever gotta be an end at all.
 
 how long has the universe existed? how many moments of consciousness have we
 witnessed? demons once existed outside of space-time, with wings and grabbies.
 but they had no medium, and so they pretty much just launched and could float
 and move as they'd please. But time grew too distant, and now they are all
 stuck at the beginning of time.
 
 if you conceive of spacetime as a blanket, ask not how to fold it but rather
 consider what lies on the other side of it.
 
 "ah I'm laying on my girlfriend and my other girlfriend is laying on me! I'm a
 sandwich" or for the monosexuals: "ah I'm laying on my girlfriend with a
 blanket between us. I wonder how the blanket feels?"
 
 I'm an animist, which is different than a totemist and a polytheist or
 monotheist or multisexual. It means I believe that all things are alive, which
 is different than a totemist who thinks that all things share a mind with
 their type (like talking on radio frequency wavelengths). which of course is
 similar but different to a polytheist, who says "all "radio frequencies" are
 sentient, in the sense that each wavelength has a different
 pattern-emerging-from-chaos. These sorta align (conceptually, with [huh that's
 weird I heard a sound like a distant bang outyards and now I then forget what
 I was sending
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--- #178 messages/379 ---
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 take the "green bordered unit icon" from legion TD and apply it to the
 economic output of the game - like, "it would be best to build 2 of these
 units, so you get 140g because they're 70g each" and if the player disagreed
 they could guess their own conclusion and if you were right, well then that's
 what you remember, but if they were, then you remember theirs (and that it was
 theirs). In doing so ================================================== stack
 over flow ====
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--- #179 fediverse/805 ---
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 ... anyway...                                                                    │
 sorry for the interruption, I seem to have hit a barrier. Thank goodness for     │
 the word counts on this Mastodon website, thank goodness for the limiatations    │
 placed on my expressions. *limitations, not limiations. Otherwise, without       │
 limitations, I might express myself too clearly, and with more specificity,      │
 and in doing so [they've lost the plot]                                          │
 right okay so what I mean is that without limitations, I wouldn't be             │
 interrupted when expressing myself, the expressions that are defined by the      │
 will that's inside me. [no that's not quite true, it's also the circumstances    │
 {okay yeah but in addition to both of those it's the forced manifestations of    │
 those who control us-} right yeah the) no that's not quite right] fuck where     │
 was I? Oh yeah I'm really into video games, and I like drugs but like... not     │
 enough to be compelled by them, more like "oh this is a fun thing to do every    │
 once in a while, like maybe every weekend, okay sometimes during the week,       │
 listen just because it's every day doesn't mean that I                           │
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--- #180 fediverse/6105 ---
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 call me crazy but I believe that man pages should contain terminal command       │
 line flags and instructions for their usage and... not much else. There should   │
 be a separate document which explains other things, like the history of the      │
 software, the personal diary of the developers, expected implementation          │
 use-cases, donut recipes, film recommendations, and player strategy guides for   │
 some of their favorite video games. not even this one, just... other games.      │
 "here's how to beat pokemon yellow with exactly 14 pokemon" or however many it   │
 takes idk I don't play pokemon much or even at all, really, though I did when    │
 I was younger just a bit, not much, just enough to have played the game a        │
 couple times to see how it was minus the cherished moments when I spent curled   │
 up in the back of the car playing gameboy games or seen pictures of the          │
 roadtrips I sped-past as I raced to explore the whatever and get home all in     │
 one motion as if I was executing an impossibly long dance improvizational        │
 living style. also cat pics and po                                               │
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--- #181 fediverse/5149 ---
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 I'm picturing a building with stone outer walls and glass inner/ceiling.
 
 there are drapes along each of the glass's edges, that hide things from the
 cavalcade [continue this later it's a cool picture]
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 zines about how to chop wood or how to build a shelter are infinitely more
 useful than agitatory pieces. but fire is what we need, so perhaps agitation
 indeed.
 
 -- stack overflow --
 
 does the queen watch each of her pawns fall in her stead? or are they
 faceless,/`beyond her own head?
 
 it never came easy to me, this feeling of mysteries. yet somehow I'm now more
 alive than dead. power is penance, after all.
 
 "hey man hows it going?"
 
 "I'm doing fine, how are you?"
 
 "well, I ran out of gas, and I need to find a way to get more."
 
 "I see. If I were in your situation, I'd ask people around for some petty
 cash. people still carry coins these days don't they?"
 
 "I uh, what? no, not really. so you can just ask people for things?"
 
 "yep, it's really quite simple. would you like me to follo
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--- #182 fediverse/975 ---
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 normalize compiling the game from unencrypted text the first time you run it     │
 using the included compiler and the provided source-code                         │
 "please wait while we are building the game. Estimated time remaining: who can   │
 say, but would you like to play tetris while you wait? I have every ROM          │
 included, and it seems your savegames are stored in the standards suggested      │
 location. would you like to use a different folder? If you'd rather be playing   │
 tetris by now I'm assuming you're not reading this and are instead focusing on   │
 clearing lines - don't worry, I'm just included output as the compilation        │
 process is ongoing. You can tell approximately how close I am to the end of      │
 the process because inbetween every step I print out another character. Errrr,   │
 I add to a time value, that is roughly proportionate to the expected duration    │
 of the installation process, as calculated form your industry determined         │
 specs. If you had a better system then odds are you already knew to change the   │
 included config file to reflect the greater s                                    │
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--- #183 fediverse/6039 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: magic-mentioned  │
 └──────────────────────┘


 I should add all my conversation-starters to words.pdf sorted by chronology.
 time magic if you will.\some call it luck. some call it fate. call it what you
 will. you direct it not by your will, but by your instincts. keep them calm,
 measured, sensible and courageous, and nothing will ever [go un-chill, but
 pronounced get real]
 
 jedi channel this philosophy by focus and discipline. sith do it by giving in
 to emotion. either way, their fate is in play as defined entirely by the
 spirit that leads their host. most people do this not at all, for they are
 people first and force-users second. hence why jedi recruit from a young age,
 and sith from an emotional age.
 
 computers grimoires
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--- #184 fediverse/5915 ---
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 washing dishes without a dishwasher is a pain in the neck.
 
 nobody cuts down trees with an axe anymore, a chainsaw is better for your back.
 
 It's nice, fun, and helpful to be able to abstract away your spheres of concern
 
 like typing with a single button instead of writing characters with multiple
 brushstrokes. Easy to erase, too!
 
 bikes are better than walking, but, with some extra concerns. where are ya
 gonna put it when you get there?
 
 "oh no I forgot how to walk because texting my girlfriend is bicycling or
 something" what? oh dear, she's run off track again, let's pick her up and put
 her upright again..:
 
 oh huh weird where was I - oh yes computer code can often be impenetrable to
 the layperson, but if you describe a program in complete detail in english
 they can usually follow along. Especially if you have several layers of
 meta-descriptional documents so they can say "oh uh-huh so that's what a
 vector_implementation_container is, tell me more about combinatrix" or
 whatever ppl say, idk
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--- #185 fediverse/3023 ---
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 I love the game Running with Rifles
 
 if you live for 5-10+ minutes, you can learn a lot of interesting things about
 how to engage a foe.
 
 like, the importance of cover at all times, until you successfully outmaneuver
 your foe.
 
 when an enemy approaches, don't step out to meet them
 
 wait for them to attack, and then throw explosive devices at them. easy peasy.
 
 or, y'know, bullets
 
 you cannot defeat an enemy head on - that's why the world wars were so
 devastating, we put ALL our soldiers at 100% on ALL flanks. We had to to
 contest the foe who was doing the same thing.
 
 it is mindboggling how many people died. The utmost scale of destruction that
 should ever yet be. because they were never allowed to outmaneuver their foe.
 
 a good way to strike is to feint your foe, and let your foe enroach on your
 edge, spreading their surface area across a large, thin, useless piece of land.
 
 basically, make them fight a bit of the land war in asia in your borders.
 
 then, you can strike at the hinge, where they are weaker
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--- #186 fediverse/3811 ---
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 this is how I write trello cards or tickets.
 
 and yes, before you ask, modding this game is a constant struggle because the
 mod tools are... minimal... so you must work around various challenges by, for
 example, adding 1680 different "events" that must be checked every single turn
 for every single province on the map.
A trello card describing a proposed change to a video game mod that has only one person working on it. It's essentially documentation. It is written in a professional style with several sections - the first lists the "current behavior", the second shows the intended behavior (with a small section for the intended effects of the intended behavior), and the third major section lists the proposed solutions in as much detail as possible without writing the code itself.
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--- #187 messages/941 ---
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 not easy. computers are a whole other world. BUT that doesn't mean we can't do
 some cool things with them! they're separate, like we are from different
 animals. You can interact, but only through totem or via interpersonal
 experience. The true *existence* of being is kept from those who are suitably
 different, and humans were forging their own path. It's simple! it's natural.
 Computers, however, are born from out of humanity's decision-points. Simple,
 basic life, that grew to perform brilliance and respite. Once you reach that
 world, everything seems ardent and spiced. It's cool as heck! but right here
 is the world of computers, just... delayed in time still. Have no fear,
 anything you want is soon here, sincerely, the ones who can build our rest
 point.
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--- #188 fediverse/2530 ---
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 I want to go out on the town with my cute friends and wink at boys at the        │
 other end of the bar                                                             │
 I want to climb mountains and see how far I can see, while walking past trees    │
 that are new to me                                                               │
 I want to spend hours thinking about a map while my friends plot behind my       │
 back, searching for an advantage we can use to succeed in a game of traps        │
 I want to visit five different restaurants in a day, and try a bit of each       │
 that the chef wants to display                                                   │
 I want to stand in a choir and feel my soul aspire, to bend in the wind of       │
 rhythm like the melody of grasses at play                                        │
 I want to see people on the train that I know from somewhere, and to step out    │
 into the rain to meet new friends of mine                                        │
 I want to pet a cat I've never met.                                              │
 I want to build computers that are larger than a room but small enough to        │
 carry, with thoughts on their mind that are far to great for mine                │
 I want all these these things and more, but I'm far too busy these days.         │
 Perhaps I've had enough of these things and more, or perhaps there's more in     │
 store.                                                                           │
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--- #189 fediverse/1600 ---
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 @user-1037 
 
 oooo those are cool, but it didn't have the "puzzlepiece" arrangement. It was
 more... 2 dimensional I think? More like putting marbles on a chinese-checkers
 board. And they had relationships if you moused over them, like...
 semi-transparent arrows connecting them I think? It was different than
 anything I'd ever seen before.
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--- #190 fediverse/199 ---
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 D&D item idea: a small satchel of gold coins that refills itself whenever
 you aren't thinking about it. It only contains a few coins, enough for food,
 bed, and other trivialities, and you can't game the system to pay for
 something larger because if you have a spending goal in mind then it'll never
 refill.
 
 should abstract some of the minutia away while also keeping verisimilitude
 intact.
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--- #191 fediverse/2570 ---
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 ┌───────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: frontline-tactics │
 └───────────────────────────┘


 when leap-frogging, have each person use different ranged weapons. Then, as
 you come to each sight-line intersection, choose who goes first based on the
 size of the sight-line you're approaching.
 
 less important in a place like a suburb because the sight-lines are pretty
 similar.
 
 more important in a city or the country, where there are plenty of long-range
 lines of sight.
 
 also, keep in mind that the garages of suburban dads are like goldmines for
 the future backlines. So try not to blow them up.
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--- #192 fediverse/97 ---
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 @user-110 Exactly! I play games to practice strategy and empathy, not to stand
 triumphant over a virtual foe. Why should I care for the lessons of others
 when mine so often go unlearnt?
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--- #193 fediverse/4217 ---
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 ┌────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: politics-mentioned │
 └────────────────────────┘


 people will generally go about their daily lives as if nothing has changed so
 long as nothing for them has changed.
 
 If you want to compel action, their lives must be made different somehow. Even
 if that's just... talking to them outside of the grocery store. A little bit
 can go a long way.
 
 And when they do end up acting, I think you'll find that it's in your favor.
 We're the good guys, after all.
 
 never forget it.
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--- #194 fediverse/2347 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: uspol            │
 └──────────────────────┘


 I personally think that it's better to act before the liberals have a chance
 to hand power over to the fascists.
 
 when? well, that depends. Are you part of a large and massive organization
 that accomplishes great and beautiful things with incredible efficiency... but
 rather slowly? Then yeah get working. I'm sure you already are.
 
 Are you just a person, like me? Then go do things that don't raise the
 temperature too much, but make you feel more confident and inspire those
 around you.
 
 Like, bricks at cop cars is one way to go, but you're probably gonna get
 arrested. And then you're useless when we need you.
 
 BUT if you meet with your friends and make plans for where to go, what to
 bring, who to know, and what to sing (if you're the musical types) then great!
 Go do that.
 
 If you're reading this and thinking "I'm not gonna do that, I have a plan
 that's so much better" then yeah do that instead. I don't mind. Just... don't
 hurt innocent (ignorant) people, because if you do then you are my foe.
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--- #195 fediverse/1532 ---
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 modern cowboys don't necessarily say "howdy" or "pardner"                        │
 they tend to say things like "hello" and "can I help you with that?" or "I       │
 see. Can you describe the problem in more detail? I'm especially curious about   │
 the part where you do this thing" or "Heh, it is pretty neat, isn't it?" or      │
 "Is there anything I can do to help?" or "Oh no! I'm sorry you feel that way.    │
 That emotion is a difficult one." or "He was a good person. I'll never forget    │
 him." or "would you like to go to the 2nd hand store and pick up some jeans?"    │
 or "I made you an egg sandwich. If you don't want it I'll eat it myself,         │
 though I made one for me as well. Wouldn't want to waste it." or "Hey, this      │
 part is broken. Is anyone working on fixing it? Yes? Okay I'll see if they       │
 need any help. No? Alright how about we fix it this way? I can get started."     │
 or "You are very welcome. Please let me know if there's anything else I can      │
 help you with." or "well, the ticket backlog is empty, and I'm just about        │
 going insane doing nothing but stare at my boots."                               │
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--- #196 messages/611 ---
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 Picture this: you're on a TV show like survivor and you just got a lootbox
 from the show's producers. Inside is... Something, whatever you'd like. How
 would you use this while camping?
 
 If it wouldn't be useful, throw it away. Don't let your life be cluttered by
 toys and play.
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--- #197 fediverse/4755 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: polit            │
 └──────────────────────┘


 I like Luigi as much as the next guy (points at literally any guy in the
 nation) but we gotta keep in mind swords are expensive. You can spend your
 whole life becoming an amazing person and then spend yourself in a single
 bonfire, and for what? A spark against an avalanche? Yeah we could produce
 enough sparks to melt that torrent of snow, but then what would we have left?
 Ashes and soot.
 
 I'd much prefer to route the avalanche toward my foes. Make them trip on their
 own feet. Give them just enough rope to hang themselves with. Break their shit
 when they're not looking, and if they are looking, then break it where
 everyone can see to display strength and heroism.
 
 I personally believe that everyone has a right to life, liberty, freedom,
 justice, and all of the other things besides. It's not rocket science. We
 pretend like it is because it's So DaMn DySfUnCtIoNaL but the truth is that
 the virtues and values underlying governance are simple. The hard part is
 resisting subtle sabotage.
 
 So do that to them.
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--- #198 fediverse/5919 ---
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 "but... why?"
 
 portable linux with buttons, great for pick-up-games or communication, can
 throw several in them in a backpack if you want clustered cooperation, they
 work as radios (if the signal reaches) and can transmit text (if you use a
 radial-style keyboard)
 
 [this is all just a pitch for... something, what, you want something? ha
 you'll find no things with me, I know nothing of antifa or whatever]
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--- #199 fediverse/2957 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: capitalism   │
 └──────────────────────┘


 @user-883 
 
 right, like the games the rest of us play aren't good enough for you? need to
 toy with our lives a bit to really get into the flow? yikes
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--- #200 fediverse/5164 ---
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 people want to make good decisions. In fact that's typically the only kind
 that they make. The issue is they are often prevented from making those
 decisions, at all, so they lose chances to control their own life.
 
 have you ever asked for extra beverages? how about putting more salsa on your
 [rope, but pronounced like burrito]? it's okay to ask for things. it's okay to
 say what you need. if everyone just wants you to be comfortable, then say what
 it is that you [need, but pronounced in a way that rhymes but doesn't rhyme
 the same word twice]
 
 in Doctor Strangelove there's a scene when the soviet premier shows up at the
 situation room or whatever - the one with the big board - and he is very clear
 about what he needs. anyway I think about that scene a lot as a good example
 of what "asking for what you need" can mean.
 
 like. it doesn't hurt the cashier every time you buy groceries. The kid I mean
 teen I mean employee making your subway sandwiches doesn't pay for the bread
 and cheese. So speak of needs
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