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Quoting: Ehvispiper/libratbag lets you configure everything. Even better, that configuration is stored on the mouse, so it retains everything even after a reinstall.

I have three G305 and I didn't know about piper. Thanks!

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We live in the silliest dystopia

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Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: scaineThis reminds me of that ridiculous situation where a gay activist asked a bakery for a "support gay marriage" cake and the bakery refused. And the gay activist got up in arms about this, and it went to court! Madness. Sure, the bakery are bigoted scum, but they're a private firm, and they get to be bigoted about the cakes they sell. Thankfully the [courts agreed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-59882444). But in summary, if I was selling pizzas and someone came in asked me to make a pizza in the shape of (insert something offensive here), I'd throw them the fuck out of my pizza parlour. My house, my rules.

Hrm. I have a bit of a problem with that perspective. So, if someone has a bakery and they do wedding cakes, it's OK for them to refuse to do the wedding cake if it's for the wedding of two gay people. What if it's for the wedding of two black people? Or, two black people wanting to be served at a diner? I think the US had a whole big movement about that kind of thing, what was it called, "civil rights"? What if it's for the wedding of two Christian people? I'm an atheist, I'd be happy to refuse to serve evangelists, except I believe they have rights. Basically, your position takes us back to Jim Crow, except against whoever a lot of people can be persuaded to be prejudiced against. There should be limits to the rights of businesspeople to run their businesses the way they want. They're not allowed to commit fraud, they're not allowed to put poison in their cakes, and they shouldn't be allowed to poison society either.

Also consider: How does your instinctive reaction shift if, instead of simply refusing to serve (group you don't like), merchants were to start charging different prices to groups they don't like? The product costs twice as much if you're gay, or black, or muslim. That OK?

The BBC article covers some of that. Another gay activist, for example, challenged how a gay bakery would feel about being forced to make gender critical cakes.

I'm not saying we should scrap discrimination laws, but I'm very glad that common sense won out here. Let's just say that if I was forced into making a cake for an asshole bigot, that bigot probably wouldn't enjoy the cake I made...

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Quoting: KimyrielleTried to run it from Steam last night, but the client was super slow and immediately crashed when I was trying to log in a character. The pre-Reforged client ran just fine.

Anyone had any success with it?

Works fine here, game updated and launching without issues. Doing a good old Frostmaw's run atm, been a long time since I played with human beings instead of heroes.

EDIT: Spoke with a few players in game, apparently they had similar issues. running the game with Proton works for them. Personally I'm using a self compiled Wine 10.20 build.

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There is still the matter of Unreal 2, UT2003 and UT 3...

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Alternatively, face the fury of the Fishmen in . . . Gilled Wars!

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Insane price for such a great bundle! Sadly I already own most of the games... still considering getting it for Kathy Rain 2 and the few others I'm missing.

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Quoting: scaineThis reminds me of that ridiculous situation where a gay activist asked a bakery for a "support gay marriage" cake and the bakery refused. And the gay activist got up in arms about this, and it went to court! Madness. Sure, the bakery are bigoted scum, but they're a private firm, and they get to be bigoted about the cakes they sell. Thankfully the [courts agreed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-59882444). But in summary, if I was selling pizzas and someone came in asked me to make a pizza in the shape of (insert something offensive here), I'd throw them the fuck out of my pizza parlour. My house, my rules.

Hrm. I have a bit of a problem with that perspective. So, if someone has a bakery and they do wedding cakes, it's OK for them to refuse to do the wedding cake if it's for the wedding of two gay people. What if it's for the wedding of two black people? Or, two black people wanting to be served at a diner? I think the US had a whole big movement about that kind of thing, what was it called, "civil rights"? What if it's for the wedding of two Christian people? I'm an atheist, I'd be happy to refuse to serve evangelists, except I believe they have rights. Basically, your position takes us back to Jim Crow, except against whoever a lot of people can be persuaded to be prejudiced against. There should be limits to the rights of businesspeople to run their businesses the way they want. They're not allowed to commit fraud, they're not allowed to put poison in their cakes, and they shouldn't be allowed to poison society either.

Also consider: How does your instinctive reaction shift if, instead of simply refusing to serve (group you don't like), merchants were to start charging different prices to groups they don't like? The product costs twice as much if you're gay, or black, or muslim. That OK?

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Glad I upgraded when I did. (2 yrs ago)

WHEN, not IF, the AI bubble bursts, gonna be a great time to do another upgrade. :)

Until then.. I could probably make a bundle selling half my memory. (have 4x32gb sticks in it)
hmmm...

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Quoting: BoldosWell UT2k4 "always" had a native Linux build; I believe it was just not added to the official DVDs during release...
(I've had the Linux build on old HDDs somewhere for years...)

Check the back of the box. There is indeed a penguin on there.

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So, I guess we're entering the "we'll be nice from now on, pinky swear" phase of the CA cycle again.

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Tried to run it from Steam last night, but the client was super slow and immediately crashed when I was trying to log in a character. The pre-Reforged client ran just fine.

Anyone had any success with it?

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Maybe I'm over-reacting, but I struggle to see the devs as the good party there. I don't think Steam and Epic are at fault for rejecting their game. But I am very against anything related closer or further with the sexualization of children. So that makes me strongly biased against the devs there. And I do not like the complacency of the specialized press with them, siding with the small against the big makes for a better narrative, sure. But the small just made the mistake there.
I know, they have removed the scene, I am just not inclined for forgiveness in such case.
And I am not for censorship either, even if I do feel that Steam could have stronger curation, but I don't want Steam to become DLSite through.

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Quoting: rea987Well, it's hard to believe that 2 decade old proprietary has a 64 bit native build available for Linux already. It does require a bit library linking but Luxtorpeda automates that perfectly. Regardless, best arena shooter of all times.

Well UT2k4 "always" had a native Linux build; I believe it was just not added to the official DVDs during release...
(I've had the Linux build on old HDDs somewhere for years...)

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Screw Epic.

It's cool that UT2k4 will be available for free download legally but them delisting all the Unreal games from storefronts and then offloading work and server fees to the community is garbage.

I know Epic wouldn't keep updating the games but delisting the games limits their exposure hugely. How many curious players are going to look up 'Unreal Tournament' in EGS (yuck), see no results found and then look online to find OldUnreal? Very few of an already small group.

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Quoting: Petethegoatit's fairly obvious this is exactly what happened. from liam's article above -

That's simply just speculation on your end.

Quoting: Petethegoatthere's a reason EA and ubisoft and activision all stopped selling games on steam for several years and have been coming back since this change went into effect. valve didn't decide to give successful games a better deal out of the goodness of their hearts.

Yeah, because they didn't like the 30/70 share. But that doesn't mean that Valve offered them special deals to bring them back as you suggested.

They get a better deal - if they earn that.

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Quoting: Nezchan

Quoting: vertigop.s: HL1 first -> HL1 expansions if you really dug the original -> HL2 -> Episodes -> Alyx -> Black Mesa

How do OpFor and Blue Sphere work into this?

Those are the HL1 expansions I mentioned.

Quoting: chickenb00

Black Mesa is for fans who have already experienced the games for what they are.

Yes and no. I agree Black Mesa is definitely for fans of the series and IMO the superior way to play the OG campaign. I'd argue if someone had a mild interest in playing HL1 (they want to experience the story because they've always heard so much about it or they're new to gaming), advise they play Black Mesa. If they're the type of gamer who enjoys or tolerates older games, play HL1.

I politely disagree - I think HL1 is still eminently playable in 2025 and should be attempted first. If a player bounces off the game due to the graphics then by all means play Black Mesa.

I don't think it's accurate to say that Black Mesa and HL1 have the same campaign. They are radically different in most every way. HL1's largest lasting impact is not the story itself but how it's told and I think experiencing that is what's important - not the story beats.

I'm not saying don't play Black Mesa - just don't confuse it with being some sort of remaster of HL1. It's a full re-imagining, not a remaster or remake.

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Quoting: kuhpunktI think people should know better now, yes - and that's still not the argument that was made. Pete claimed that Valve negotiated with publishers like EA or Activision to lure them back... when we have no indication of that ever being a thing.

As if Valve said "Hey EA, if you come back, we start with a 20/80 share, pretty please."

it's fairly obvious this is exactly what happened. from liam's article above -

It's a smart move, one I expected Valve to do at some point given how bigger studios and publishers have been leaving Steam for their own launchers.

there's a reason EA and ubisoft and activision all stopped selling games on steam for several years and have been coming back since this change went into effect. valve didn't decide to give successful games a better deal out of the goodness of their hearts.

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Quoting: scaine@kuhpunkt - I have no idea why you're being so argumentative about this - your quote-cutting sounds really aggressive, so apologies if I've pissed you off somehow.

I just care about the facts, that's all. They depict themselves as the poor victims who suddenly can't generate keys anymore... when that's distorting what happened. There was no rug pull. There was no sudden change.

Quoting: scaineBut if you believe that a game only takes 6 months to develop, and that everyone was just instantly cool about this change, you're deceiving yourself. Similarly, 5000 keys, many of which would have gone out to press already, is nowhere near enough to cover the possibility of a top-selling bundle.

I never said that the game only takes 6 months to develop, nor did I suggest anything like that. And I doubt that there were that many keys given to press. How many outlets are even there that would get a key? 100? 200? The game isn't attractive to a lot of people... if it had, it would have sold better. Again - how many keys should they be able to generate? Does Valve owe them infinite keys now? And would those keys ever sell?

Quoting: scaineFinally, sure, the Valve cut change happened seven years ago, but is predated by nearly two decades of an unchanging, non-negotiable 30% cut, a cut that's still valid for the vast, vast majority of developers. It's perfectly normal for people to have latched on to that??

I think people should know better now, yes - and that's still not the argument that was made. Pete claimed that Valve negotiated with publishers like EA or Activision to lure them back... when we have no indication of that ever being a thing.

As if Valve said "Hey EA, if you come back, we start with a 20/80 share, pretty please."

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@kuhpunkt - I have no idea why you're being so argumentative about this - your quote-cutting sounds really aggressive, so apologies if I've pissed you off somehow.

But if you believe that a game only takes 6 months to develop, and that everyone was just instantly cool about this change, you're deceiving yourself. Similarly, 5000 keys, many of which would have gone out to press already, is nowhere near enough to cover the possibility of a top-selling bundle. Finally, sure, the Valve cut change happened seven years ago, but is predated by nearly two decades of an unchanging, non-negotiable 30% cut, a cut that's still valid for the vast, vast majority of developers. It's perfectly normal for people to have latched on to that??

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As for the Steam Deck they said they don't have the ability to test it right now, and it won't be coming to Steam until "we determine our ability to comply with Steam's policies".

There was an article in Rock Paper Shotgun today that clarifies this obfuscation:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hytale-wont-be-on-steam-right-away-as-its-devs-want-to-avoid-overindexing-on-negative-reviews-from-players-who-arent-as-well-informed-yet

In this interview, the producer and team lead, Patrick 'Lyall' Derbic, was asked if the game would be on Steam, his reply was:

"No, not initially," he wrote. "We want to spend our time in early access working with the community and improving the game, rather than overindexing on negative reviews from players that aren't as well-informed yet about what we are doing. Steam is a great marketing tool, but one that we might never need. This doesn't mean we will never be on Steam - just that we do not see the necessity of it yet."

This explanation makes much more sense to me.

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They mean in the sense of Valve's reduced cut for the biggest sellers, I assume. Which is a very real thing Valve announced.

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Quoting: Petethegoat

Quoting: kuhpunktI'm just wondering where Pete is getting the "developers can negotiate the cut" from. I'm not aware that anybody can negotiate that. Everybody has to earn it.

just a turn of phrase, sorry for the confusion.

"negotiation" in the sense that if you're EA or activision and you pull your games from steam, valve is happy to drop their cut to bring you back.

Again, where are you getting this from? What makes you think that EA or Activision are getting a better cut?

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Quoting: kuhpunktI'm just wondering where Pete is getting the "developers can negotiate the cut" from. I'm not aware that anybody can negotiate that. Everybody has to earn it.

just a turn of phrase, sorry for the confusion.

"negotiation" in the sense that if you're EA or activision and you pull your games from steam, valve is happy to drop their cut to bring you back.

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Quoting: scaineHow are they lying?? 3 years is recent in terms of a game's life-span. They had the rug pulled out from under them on this. There was no notice of it happening, just a sudden announcement that they'd changed how they issue keys.

Because it's not a recent change. The change happened in February 2023 and it made the news. Saturnalia didn't even release until November 2023. What rug has been pulled? What sudden change?

Quoting: scainePutting a poorly-selling older game into a bundle is a huge deal for a dev, generating sales that simply wouldn't happen any other way. You still get 5000 keys under the new rules, but that's not feasible for putting the game into a bundle.

They must have been able to generate those 5000 keys when they released the game. How many more keys do they want? The game has 80 reviews. There are some calculations out there, but you have to take those with a grain of salt... but apparently take the number of reviews and multiply them by 30 or up to 50. So the game sold maybe 2400 to 4000 times. Again, what do they want? Should Valve give them 20000 more keys? Just because?

Quoting: scaineNot that well known, no. Most people still tend to quote the "30% of all steam sales go to Valve", I find.

But that's on people not being informed. The change happened in December 2018. That's literally 7 full years ago... so where do people get the idea from that people can even negotiate that?

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Quoting: kuhpunkt

Quoting: scaineAs noted in the article itself, it's the devs themselves that bemoan that this change prevents them from putting their older games in a bundle.

Yeah, but why lie about this? The change happened almost 3 years ago. If they can't be straight about this... why should anybody trust them?

How are they lying?? 3 years is recent in terms of a game's life-span. They had the rug pulled out from under them on this. There was no notice of it happening, just a sudden announcement that they'd changed how they issue keys.

Quoting: kuhpunktIf their previous game Saturnalia had sold well, I'm pretty sure that they would be able to generate more keys. The game had a peak of 15 players 1.5 years ago. It's got 80 reviews on Steam. It apparently didn't sell well... so why should they be able to continue generating keys? You can still buy some keys online, so at some point they must have been able to generate keys.

Putting a poorly-selling older game into a bundle is a huge deal for a dev, generating sales that simply wouldn't happen any other way. You still get 5000 keys under the new rules, but that's not feasible for putting the game into a bundle.

Quoting: kuhpunktYes... and that's known for years. I'm just wondering where Pete is getting the "developers can negotiate the cut" from. I'm not aware that anybody can negotiate that. Everybody has to earn it.

Not that well known, no. Most people still tend to quote the "30% of all steam sales go to Valve", I find.

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Slight addition to the article below the last quote, to note the key changes from 2023.

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Quoting: Cley_FayeCensorship is censorship, no matter how some people think they have the high ground.
Disturbing content in fictional media should not be regulated the same way we protect actual people, because those "in power" that decides where the line lays will change, and their decision is extremely dubious. I'm more annoyed by extreme violence, gore, and torture than nudity, but it seems that only the later is deemed horrible enough to warrant censorship.

As long as it's all fictional content, let it exist. If it can't find its public, then it will fail. But I am the one making the decision, not some random bureaucrat/employee somewhere. This kind of issue keeps happening repeatedly, and keep coming from countries that are usually against "nanny states", but quick to accept it when a boob is visible. The hypocrisy of it is stupid.

Hard disagree on this from me. Valve is a private company and isn't beholden to our views on right and wrong. There's a big distinction between government oversight (aka regulation) and a private company not wanting to host things it doesn't like. It has it's own reputation to consider, by association to the content it sells. Sure, that's a low bar for Valve, but it's their decision.

This reminds me of that ridiculous situation where a gay activist asked a bakery for a "support gay marriage" cake and the bakery refused. And the gay activist got up in arms about this, and it went to court! Madness. Sure, the bakery are bigoted scum, but they're a private firm, and they get to be bigoted about the cakes they sell. Thankfully the [courts agreed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-59882444). But in summary, if I was selling pizzas and someone came in asked me to make a pizza in the shape of (insert something offensive here), I'd throw them the fuck out of my pizza parlour. My house, my rules.

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Quoting: amataiIf I understand the situation correctly, their game got rejected not because it was disturbing (that is non issue for Steam) but because of illegal content.
Either it is in good faith, and they should apologize, either it is a marketing stunt and the press, GoL included, should not play along uncritically, [edit: no offence intended. I don't want to be rude, of course Liam is king on how is media is run].

They did "apologize" in a sense; they amended the scene so that it contained no children. But Valve refused to reevaluate the game.

The thing is, assuming the scene is the same as it was in that build submitted to Steam except the character in question was a child, it still wouldn't be illegal or CSAM or whatever. The game is very overtly making a point about how regressive views of sex are often instilled by parents and institutions to the overall detriment of everyone. There's nothing inherently sexual about that scene whether the character exists as an adult or a child.

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Quoting: scaineAs noted in the article itself, it's the devs themselves that bemoan that this change prevents them from putting their older games in a bundle.

Yeah, but why lie about this? The change happened almost 3 years ago. If they can't be straight about this... why should anybody trust them?

If their previous game Saturnalia had sold well, I'm pretty sure that they would be able to generate more keys. The game had a peak of 15 players 1.5 years ago. It's got 80 reviews on Steam. It apparently didn't sell well... so why should they be able to continue generating keys? You can still buy some keys online, so at some point they must have been able to generate keys.

It's not a negotiation, but bigger devs suffer from a smaller cut.

Here's the breakdown I took from a Reddit thread, so I admit I haven't verified this, but I have no reason to doubt it.

Yes... and that's known for years. I'm just wondering where Pete is getting the "developers can negotiate the cut" from. I'm not aware that anybody can negotiate that. Everybody has to earn it.

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