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Anomalous Materials wins 6-3! Sorry for the delay, I was... busy... not remembering this thing existed!

********Unforeseen Consequences vs. Residue Processing!

Questionable Ethics 6-2 next

********Black Mesa Inbound vs. Anomalous Materials!

I do wonder what part of the creation process led them to think people would want less roleplaying in their Role Playing Game.

This thread definitely existed. I know not what happened to it.

Well, there's my Steam Wishlist for stuff I'm interested in that already exists. I'm going to claim (incorrectly) that that counts. The outlier there is Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, which has no release date, but which will be kept at the top of that list until release or cancellation.

There's Monster Hunter World, which unlike these tentative fellows above, I am all about. If things go a certain way, I may end up playing it on PS4... which is not to say that I won't buy it on PC as well to play with the aforementioned fellows.

Dark Souls Remastered has my interest. I got into that game way late, so the prospect of actually interacting with the online elements of the game is a curious one. There's also a high chance that the PC version won't be the burning garbage the original was.

I keep an eye on Astroneer, Black Mesa and Dead Cells; all games currently playable through Early Access but which I will have much more interest in upon release. (Except maybe Dead Cells, which I have played in its current state.)

I don't own a Switch yet, but I probably will someday, so I've got a list of interest for that too. Yo, that LABO comes out tomorrow! It seems real neat!

Surface Tension wins something-0! No real point in checking what the actual number is! Let's move on!

********Questionable Ethics vs. On A Rail!

I was going to let this run a lil' longer to establish a clear winner, but apparently I've already let one win with exactly this spread, so nevermind! Unforeseen Consequences wins with 5-4!

********Surface Tension vs. "Forget About Freeman!"! We're up to the quarter-finals! Interesting to note that of the eight chapters remaining, they are all in two groups of consecutive chapters with the exception of On A Rail (which is only one chapter removed from one of those groups).

Not many Gonarch's Lair fans out there. Black Mesa Inbound trouncing with 8-0! Now, we finally reveal the last of the chapters, which deduction could have already spoiled, etc. etc.

********"We've Got Hostiles" vs. Unforeseen Consequences! The introduction of the HECU, or the introduction of all hell breaking loose?

I'm not sure I follow the logic of all that, but I get the gist. Good info! I think the site I used to get the base image mentioned something about seeds, but I didn't use them. I think it just randomized the seeds. I'm not sure why it would include them at all in that case, but whatever, it would up being random, so I'm happy.

Oh, I thought these were seeds like in an actual tournament. No way Gonarch gets a 2 seed though so did you randomize them?

(I don't know what seeds means in this context, I just randomized the order they appeared in.)

Questionable Ethics wins 7-2 despite the Apprehension revelation! Mondegreens really mess you up, huh?

********Gonarch's Lair vs. Black Mesa Inbound! The headcrab queen battle; or the complete other end of the game where it's still just another commute to work?

Not to be that guy, but I believe that it's "Nice hit"

That... makes so much more sense. How did I not realize earlier that that's what he said there

Weird! Surface Tension won somehow with 7-1! Well, at least it's the journey, not the destination! Like this next matchup...

********Apprehension vs. Questionable Ethics! Dank waterways, monsters of the deep, cold, cold rooms and the player's capture, or slick labs with the first hints of the major alien/HECU conflicts?

Good enough! Residue Processing wins 5-3! I think I agree with that. On to our first repeat with...

********Surface Tension vs. Power Up! Which is better, the HECU's and aliens' main assault, or... uh, Power Up again? (I'll have to change my format once we hit quarter-finals!)

I'm going to make an arbitrary decision and say that we need at least 8 votes, so I'm not going to end this one just yet.

We had a pretty good weave of votes going there for a while, but Anomalous Materials takes the cake with 7-4. Just for the record, if we ever bump into a tie situation, I'll break it by just voting myself (which I haven't been doing). Next!

********Residue Processing vs. Interloper! Which is better, the post-knockout clamber through the processing facility, or the latter levels of Xen?
(NB: The trash compactor is not part of Residue Processing.)

On A Rail wins 5-4! Closest round so far! Frankly I think everyone who voted for On A Rail is wrong, but oh well. On to...

********Anomalous Materials vs. Lambda Core! Which is better, the pre-disaster stroll around Sector C, or the jaunt through the Lambda Complex, from pumping coolant to pre-Xen long jumping?

10-0 to "Forget About Freeman!"! I guess that boss fight isn't the greatest of its kind, but I don't know how Half-Life could have ended any better (short of a straight up better boss). Next up is...

********Blast Pit vs. On A Rail! Which is better, the system-turning-on runaround with a visit to a big ol' generator, or the trip through the old, sprawling rail system with a visit to a big ol' rocket?

7-2 to Unforeseen Consequences! I think I agree; UC is a relatively impactful chapter, while OC plays a more transitional role between the immediate impact of the resonance cascade and the arrival of the HECU. Anyway, on to...

********Nihilanth vs. "Forget About Freeman!"! Which is better, the final boss fight in all of its crystal-breakin', jump-paddin', teleportin'-away glory; or the chapter with the HECU on its last legs as the player is nearing the Lambda Complex?

Apparently I can't guess for toffee when it comes to which of these are going to be close, so I'm going to stop doing that! Black Mesa Inbound takes this one by a considerably more balanced 6-3. Also the votes are dropping at a steady rate of 3 per round, so this bracket could become defunct in 3 more rounds! Next up, we've got consecutive chapters with...

********Unforeseen Consequences vs. Office Complex! Which is better, the player's first-hand look at the devastation of the resonance cascade on the previously pristine labs, or the romp around the office area, replete with vent-crawling, freezer meats and elevator-shaft-climbing?

@Unq: I don't think I can replace that specific image where it's hosted, and without freaky moderator powers, I can't change the link itself. One of the higher-ups might be able to do it, but I won't bother them to care deeply about this thread.

Also, since Unq mentioned it, I will remind people that the Xen chapter is indeed only the first level set in Xen. The rest of that part of the game falls under other chapters.

Alright, once again, a pretty one sided 'bout; I was sure there'd be more people batting for Hazard Course! But Questionable Ethics takes it 11-1. Something tells me this streak will continue with...

********Black Mesa Inbound vs. Xen! Which is better, the timeless (yet lengthy) transit system ride, or the player's first proper trip into the borderworld, with long jumping and strange laser crystals?

Well, I count that as a pretty definitive 15 - 0 to Power Up. Which, y'know, as much as I like that G-man speech, it wasn't much of a contest. For the record, the order these chapters are appearing in was randomized, so it's a shame a one-sided matchup like that came first. Anyway, onto the next round, which could be a little more balanced...

********Hazard Course vs. Questionable Ethics! Which is better — the classic tutorial that was likely the first bit of Half-Life many of us played, or the classy lab with caged monsters, laser shields, surgical machines and... whatd'ya mean, "overcharge"?

I've got too much time on my hands, so let's do a thing! We're going to use "science" to figure out what the best Half-Life chapter is. Which is to say, I'm going to present pairs of chapters to y'all and you'll vote on which is better. How you qualify which is "better" is completely up to you. Feel free to discuss your reasoning! Discourse is good!

Every day (roughly), I'll come back here and put up the next round. All you have to do is name your choice. No backsies if you miss out!

********

First up is Power Up vs. Endgame! Which is better, getting the generator going to kill a Garg and head off on the train, or being stuck in an interactive cutscene while the G-man gives you an enigmatic speech?

(I will now note that I assumed you meant killable in the direct sense.)

If you mean plain old Half-Life, then you can’t. You would have to make a mod with custom code to allow that, or make your maps for a mod that already has that.

Hey, I can only pick one!

Oh hey, I'm terrible at picking all-time favourites! I can't promise these are all all-time! (Also I like the idea of these expanding gradually and arbitrarily.)

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Food & Drink
Snack: Just about anything within my vicinity — notably biscuits
Meal (Breakfast): Pancakes b/w strawberry jam and whipped cream
Meal (Lunch): A nice filling sammich or two, with plenty of meat and cheese
Meal (Dinner): Impossible to pick, but let's say — A sushi train (well, the non-seafood options anyway)
Dessert: A big ol' slice of any given cake
Hot Beverage: Chai Latte
Cold Beverage: Thickshake (any flavour, but I do particularly like caramel or lime)
Alcoholic Beverage: Any that aren't near me
Non-Cheddar Cheese: Feta
Veggie: A spread of potato, sweet potato, cauliflower and broccoli (steamed, b/w butter)
Fruit: Pears (would be mangoes, but they're so damn messy)
Sauce: Sweet chili sauce

Entertainment
Movie: I'm not much of a movie person, but — Spaceballs
TV Show: MST3K
Youtube Channel: UncommentatedPannen (he dissects Super Mario 64 down to its very core, and it's really interesting) (here's the more well-known video from his... not-uncommentated account; a good starting point)
Web-Based Entertainment: Homestar Runner
Video Game: Half-Life (banal, I know, but I'm here for a reason)
Video Game Series: Monster Hunter
Video Game Track: Jazz Jackrabbit - Tubelectric
Book: The Discworld series by the late Terry Pratchett
Band/Artist: Rush
Track: Rush - Red Barchetta
Classical Music: Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor

General
Color: Purple
Season: Winter (bugger the heat forever)
Animal (domestic): Cat
Animal (wild): Bigger cat
Hobby: Video games
Physical activity: Rock climbing (though I never really have a chance to do it)
Day out: A day in
Night out: A night in with friends
Foreign country/culture: Canada
Time of the day: Twilight
Flower: Hibiscus (there was a hibiscus that grew where I grew up, a sort of red/orange colour — that one specifically)

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More Into The Breach! Still really loving it! It's so fantastically balanced. It's almost comparable to chess, with the 8x8 board you can study for a long time trying to find a move that minimizes the damage the enemies can do. The dead-basic mechanics boil down to dealing damage, and pushing units. Enemy actions are telegraphed, and if they are moved, the attack will move with them. The first squad you have is a simple combination of the two, that has each mech starting with an attack that can both damage and push. As you unlock other squads, they become a little more specialized, with squads that rely on setting fire to enemies, or excel in positioning enemies where they'll hit other enemies, and so on. The latter is the squad I'm currently playing through with, and since the mechs do little direct damage, each turn becomes a dance where I must find the right moves to make the enemies do the damage for me. It's so satisfying to make it all work.

I've also been playing some XCOM: Enemy Within. I don't know why I avoided these games for so long. I think I thought they were bound to be a shitty reboot of a title I'd greatly enjoyed in the past (which has happened a little too often, I'm sure you'll agree). Turns out they strip out all the unnecessary clutter of those old games and leaves a streamlined, enjoyable experience. I should do a TWHL squad run on ironman mode at some point...

Into The Breach released today. Made by the same folks as FTL (but easier). A really neat, distilled turn-based strategy game. Mechanics are boiled-down and simplified in such a way that you'll always have a perfect handle on what the situation is, but challenging enough that you'll always have to put some thought into your next move. I like it! Definitely recommended.

(P.S. For the next week or so, FTL comes with it for free if you get it on GOG.)

For whatever reason, I've avoided creating custom textures like the plague. Now I'm facing the prospect of needing to do it. So I thought this would be a good chance to field any tips, tricks and suggestions you might have regarding creating textures! Anything you've got, put it out there.

I'll pop this video I found in the depths of YouTube here to start off.
https://youtu.be/TXr7i8iP2IA

Recreating a location but don't have textures for the signs on the front? Just use vanilla Half-Life signs!Man... I really need to break out of my habit of sticking to stock HL textures. It's just not going to work for this one...

But who is killer mood?!

I've finally had a chance to play Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004) after... well, I remember seeing it probably around 10 years ago and thinking it looked neat then.
There is... way more Mount & Blade in that thing than I ever would have guessed. Obviously M&B came after Pirates, but I guess I just wasn't expecting the similarities.

@Urby: I seem to recall loading up on the blue life charms for that fight, since you rarely get a chance to heal anyway. IIRC.

I tried playing Hollow Knight again, but I bounced off of it. I don't think I can play it again.

Just finished The Sexy Brutale. It's like a Groundhog Day-esque mystery puzzle game. I quite liked the methodical observe-then-act gameplay, and it delivers its story at a slow but intriguing pace. Not a bad game.

I wouldn't call it a secret, but I do prefer to keep my projects under wraps until they're done. (Which is a shame since I finish so little.)

Yes, I'll be using this to make a physical model out of wood, probably balsa. Can't say when I'll actually get around to it, though, since I don't have regular access to the tools to do it anymore...

I seem to have gotten it to work. Didn't figure out the material stuff, but found an alternative using a modifier.

Thanks for the help, though!

Selecting all and pressing "assign" doesn't seem to be having any effect. It just stays the texture it already is. (Yes, I have that material selected. I think.)

Also the render seems to be solid horizon colour, despite the object being visible in the camera view. Which... I feel like wasn't the case not long ago, so I'm not sure what I stuffed up there.

Thanks, I think I follow most of this. But how do you apply the wire material to the object? It's already got a material (or texture? I don't understand the difference) and I can't figure out how to change it.

I'm working on a project which I won't go into, but I need to do something specific, and I have only the vaguest idea how to use Blender, so I don't know if it can do what I want, let alone how to do it.

Okay. I have a blender file of a particular model. This model has been scaled such that it is actual size (about a meter long in Blender). What I would like to do is print out the wireframe also at its actual size. I.E. Wind up with a series of printed pages that I could line up to have a printout of the model wireframe at its actual size.

NB: I have done exactly this in the past using 3DS Max (I think), but the trial period expired on that a while ago and I can't afford to buy it, so I can't use that again. I also have no idea how I did it.

So yeah. How can I do this? If it can't be done through Blender, what else could I use? Or is there some other alternative I'm overlooking?
If all else fails, I can transcribe it by hand, but if it can be done this way, this is preferable.

I mean, if you really wanted to make the most of this concept, you'd need to build a whole separate tool, which would be a lot of work.

Don't bring balls into what balls have nothing to do with. C'mon satch, you're better than that.

I know it's just a figure or speech, but it's got pretty obvious connotations.

If you have trouble finishing what you set out to do, try giving yourself much more attainable goals. Start small. Really small. Something you know is within reach. Once you reach that minor goal, move the goalposts. Give yourself a new goal. Again, something that seems perfectly attainable from where you are now. Take each step one at a time, and you might find yourself at the top of the stairs without realizing it.

Like, if your goal was a Half-Life mod, break it down. Make that thing room by room if you have to. You can have an overall plan for the mod, but if you approach it piece by piece, it will seem a heck of a lot more doable. And don’t be afraid to ask for help where you need it! People aren’t likely to do your work for you, but they’ll often be happy to point you in the right directions.

I've always considered something like this, but there's a lot of moving parts, more than it seems on the surface (especially once you start thinking in three dimensions). It also pretty much defies the entire point of mapping, but hey, that's no reason not to do it
Keep us posted, I'd like to keep an eye on this.

Are you some kind of people help scientist? Your first instinct was to come in here and call him a pussy, which (ignoring the obvious sexist ramifications) just comes off as jerkish and unhelpful.

I'm definitely no people help scientist, so I guess all I can say is stick with it. You can learn as much from failure as success. It ultimately comes down to what you really value.

I've still not touched Black Mesa, and won't until it's the complete package. It was due out by now at one point, but I think it was delayed?

I don’t think 69th Vlatitude exists anymore.

Well, I'll go through my Steam purchase history, because I'm sure I'll miss things otherwise. I still risk missing things I bought elsewhere...
In roughly the order they were purchased (starting very late last year):

Axiom Verge
I'm one of those folks who doesn't really care for the Metroid series much, and Metroid is very clearly what this game was evoking. It wasn't a bad game, but I didn't overly care for it.

Doom (2016)
I still haven't actually played Doom, since it ran like garbage when I first got it and I haven't tried playing it since. Not sure why I included it, really.

Stardew Valley
Stardew had me bad for a while there, and I can't say I'm worse off for the experience. There's something about games with an influential day-night cycle, I've noticed, that makes them tend to be time sinks. Anyway. Stardew Valley is a nice game, in both senses of the word. This'll help sap some of the world-weariness out of you. Also, Abigail.

Nom Nom Galaxy
I wasn't certain I wanted this when I got it, and immediately I decided I didn't like the feel of it at all. Thanks, Steam refunds! It seems like it could be enjoyed by some, but I am not that some.

Linelight
Frankly, I barely remember this game by now, but I seem to remember it being a fun little minimalistic puzzle game (which seems to be its own genre these days).

The Flame in the Flood
This was actually one of a number of games that my parter bought for herself, but I ended up playing it. It's... not that great. Its premise is somewhat interesting, and the gameplay isn't too bad, but I feel like as a whole experience, it kinda drags. I also severely dislike their character styling.

Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is a good game. My compatriot up there is right to have enjoyed it. On the whole, it is a solid game of exploration and combat. Once you get the combat down, it feels great too. I do have an issue or two with it, though. Firstly, there's very little guidance. I get that that is not unusual for a metroidvania (I hate that term), but I have never gotten stuck in one like I did in Hollow Knight. I was scouring the entire map I had seen up to that point for literal hours trying to figure out where to go, and that left a very sour taste. Secondly, even after 100%-ing that game and seeing all that there was to see... I still have no fucking idea what that game is about.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
I mean, what is there to say? There's nothing around the edges of this game, no nuance, no mystery. It's just a really fun game to play. I've dipped my toes in games like Day Z and such in the past, but those are... well, they're terrible games, and they clothe themselves in their own obscurity and arcane-ness. PUBG takes them, strips out everything that isn't fun about them, and leaves a core experience that is all you ever actually wanted from them anyway. There's some bugs, but depending on who you listen to, they can get severely overblown. On the whole, the experience is fine, and no doubt only going to get better.

Overcooked
This is a fantastic little game. It's playable solo, but it shines when you get the local multiplayer going. It starts you off by introducing you to some basic tasks, then as you get into the swing of it, the levels start to throw wrenches into otherwise straightforward scenarios. Good for chaos and for mastery thereof!

Trackmania2 Lagoon
Lagoon is good fun, like Stadium before it. A stripped down racing game where it's basically you versus yourself, making runs at a (probably crazy) course over and over, carving seconds off of your time and feeling good each time you do. I don't really know what's so appealing about Trackmania, but it's a damn good game.

Snake Pass
This is a strange one. The game is all about getting good at its controls, and it feels really good when you do. It just doesn't change up enough throughout the levels though. I didn't finish it, and I can't say I particularly want to. It was fun while it lasted, though.

Slime Rancher
Kinda like Stardew Valley, this is a nice little game to hang out in and do stuff in. On the whole, pretty fun, but it lacks... je ne sais quoi. Still a number of updates to come though, I believe! (One was yesterday, in fact.)

Cryptark
Not a bad game. I don't know if it has much staying power, but I enjoyed this until I finished it.

Quake
Quake is, uh... not that great. I've played Quake II and III previously, but had never gotten more than a level into Quake I. So naturally I put it on the highest difficulty and finished it. Boy, I'm glad video games moved on. (At least, for a couple of years there. Maybe they should have stopper while they were ahead.)

Rock of Ages II: Bigger and Boulder
What a weird thing. This is sort of half tower defence, half 3D platformer, half Monty Python. I... I dunno.

Dead Cells
Bought, have not played. I'm looking forward to its release, but I won't be touching it until then.

Monster Hunter Stories
I doubt I could convince anyone about this either way, but heck, I enjoyed this. The oversimplified way of describing this would be "Monster Hunter plus Pokémon", but truth is that it's neither of those things. This just takes Monster Hunter and makes its whole own thing with it.

Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!!
This is a fun little game. I use the keyboard, and it's damn near a typing game. A good short-time game.

Heat Signature
Fun! This is a great little top-down stealth (or not) game. You can find a broad range of tools, and a broad range of obstacles that necessitate them. There's endless ways around situations, and ndless ways that they can go hilariously bad. Emergent gameplay at its finest.

Cat Quest
This is dumb. But at least it's fun.

Darkest Dungeon
I'd been eyeing this game for a while trying to decide if it would be my thing. Turns out it's not a bad game. I wasn't anywhere near finishing it, but I had my fill after a while. Doesn't seem like the kind of game you'd want to get too drawn into.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown
I'm saving this game for a stream idea I intend to start later, and you'll all be a part of it! (If you want.)

FTL: Faster Than Light
I can see why this game was such a force for a while there. It's great fun!

Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
I like a challenge and I don't get mad at games, generally, so I thought this might be fun. And it is! But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I also played Terraria (still fantastic), Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (still good, but really feel the abscence of the quality of life improvements in the newer games), and maybe a little bit of Half-Life.

Now, the future of meat-eating is an interesting area. I could definitely see a hypothetical future where, once they figure out how to do it, cloned/created meats become prolific and accepted as the norm due to the improved ethics (since nothing is being killed for it). As it becomes established, traditional meat farming becomes shunned, maybe even banned. If cloning/creating is a more expensive process (which seems likely), meats could become a premium product, and vegan/vegetarian diets actually turn into more standard diets, with meats being a delicacy.
I do wonder what happens to the farmed animals in this scenario. Either they work through what animals they already have, drastically reducing the populations of any farmed animals, or they release everything and who knows what an influx of that number of animals does to any given environment.