Quoting: Calinou

Quoting: ElectricPrismFor years I have had trouble finding gaming laptops with strong AMD graphics, I trust that has changed?

No, not really... Laptops with dedicated AMD GPUs are still pretty rare, and there are no true high-end options, only mid-range options like the 7600M (roughly equivalent to RTX 4060 Laptop). This has been a problem for 10+ years now. At least we can find high-end laptops with AMD CPUs now, which also used to be nearly impossible.

The Zen 5 IGPs are pretty strong though (currently the best ones out there), but they can only match the performance of a desktop GTX 1060 6 GB in best-case scenarios.

Thanks for bringing me up to speed. I had spent (IIRC) 3,500 on a Wacom Mobile Studio pro years ago and was very frustrated over the Nvidia graphics, so much so that I actually had it disabled and used the Intel fallback exclusively on Linux.

My hopes that the Nvidia+Linux Laptop experience had improved at that time were beyond disappointed as I found out. I eventually sold the device because I don't have tons of extra time and mental focus to try to navigate the labyrinth of Nvidia bugs as they covet the secret binary of their driver and leave Linux in the trash.

Since then I've seen several attractive AMD laptops over the years but it's more or less exactly what you've noted -- mid range performance. The price is always excellent, but when I buy a AMD I generally want it to pack a punch and I don't mind spending extra money if quality is going to parallel competitors.

The situation is so bizare you would think that Nvidia has cooked the market to ass AMD out of being able to make competitive laptops through underhanded deals in countries that don't have laws against such a thing.

Having helped a Linux convert with their Razor laptop and dealing with Nvidia this year I can say that the experience is still pretty terrible. Almost none of the greetd greeters work, plugging in an extra monitor and trying to get the scaling to work correctly on each is a nightmare. Sometimes the external screen won't even turn on without unplugging and re-plugging it -- nonsense like that.

And that's what I'm paying the extra money for at least on Desktop -- I pay AMD so I don't have to waste my time having the 2nd class citizen experience that Nvidia provides me with all this broken stuff because they can't take some pennies out of their stock bubble and bother to make me happy with open source things (at least in the past, future behavior will be judged according to what actions if any they do to rectify all their nightmare linux usage scenarios.)

I'll keep my eyes peeled. Intel GPU has been sufficient on Laptops, but by design laptops use less power and the thermals are high due to having x86_64 CPUs -- it will be interesting to see if RISC-V changes this lowering thermals making it possible for stronger GPUs.

I'll keep my eyes peeled. I like Purism's offerings fine, but my next Laptop will likely be a AMD System76 as long as it checks boxes like [ Aluminum ] and it's better than just a rebrand of some barebone. I think even mid range may be enough for me at this point in time -- Steam Deck kindof proves this case & point. Which wasn't always the case -- up until very recently Laptops have been too underwhelming to be serious options for more than internet browsing (for me at least).

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Quoting: MuttMuttMy desktop is about the only thing in my house that even has windows on it. And hopefully soon I can dump that as well.

My stepson is running ChimeraOS on his gaming machine and I travel with a Raspberry pi 4 to retro game on.

I have personally tried making the switch a few times but so many things didn't work so I ended up on windows 80% of the time anyway and then just gave up. I'm awesome with hardware and can make stuff work fine with most software but absolutely not a programmer. I would rather pull ethernet throughout the house and build my server rack than try to program something.

Hopefully as time goes but and more people are able to make the switch more tools will be available for the people who don't understand the command line.

Hang in there, I've noticed substantial software developments even just in the last 5 years. And absolute explosion of apps on places like https://flathub.org/ for utilities I never knew existed.

Recently I came across what someone suggested was a alternative to After Effects out of the blue, folks have been making leaps with Affinity Photo 2 working in WINE, and other fascinating developments.

I personally had always had more problems in the Debian family over the years, it's hard to put my finger on exactly what or why.

We're still undergoing an absolute explosion of user apps since the launch of the Steam Deck drawing so many in. So my guess would be to not watch the kettle boil, but know that things have been nothing short of phenomenal and are on the upswing.

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It would be interesting to hear what Chinese Citizens think about Windows, Linux, and Mac.

If I had to guess I would think they would see all 3 of those as Western, maybe Linux less.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some significant platform and software innovations from Chinese Citizens in the next decade or two.

It's really hard to know if Linux is up for the radical changes in the tech world. I wouldn't be surprised to see a fully rust micro kernel parallel to Linux in the next decade and cutting all the legacy out in favor of the future.

Again I'm painting a mental image with a broad brush.

Linux is great, but it is also encumbered in the same way that Windows is encumbered with NTFS or Unix was encumbered with legacy. It's hard to cover all your bases when on the one hand you're expending energy on floppy disk drivers in 2024.

Linux has been absolutely necessary, but what the world needs is to stay united in technological partnerships. Similar to advancing science just for the sake of science. Advancing technology for the sake of technological innovation to make the best future possible.

The uptick on steam is definitely Black Myth Wukong. I don't expect Microsoft as a pentagon military contractor to have the governments blessing in China forever. It will be interesting to see what their people end up using 5 or 10 years from now.

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I'd prefer literally every FOSS app, especially when available on Windows and Mac ask for donations on a Startup Splash / Welcome Dialog (of course the request for donation would occupy a lesser portion of such a dialog that has Recently Opened, New, Release Notes, and other options.) Krita has done a fantastic job of this. GIMP has done this as well.

The project should be conditioning people to give a very small amount like $1.00 using a common service if possible. Then after a few years people will already be in the habit of giving and give more to all FOSS projects.

This is literally the psychology behind tipping and those grocery store checkout sharks that ask you to donate.

No I don't want to donate to your alleged "Non profit" that I have done 0 research on. No I don't want to tip you for a coffee in the drive-through and places that I don't sit down (sorry baristas of this site). I already gave an allocated amount to FOSS projects and things I personally understand, appreciate, and benefit from in turn directly or indirectly.

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There is a lesson in this.

Bundling with hardware is a solid strategy.

So the question is -- who and how do we pick up more hardware partners?

I talk to people in their 30s who are interested in Gaming Laptops. They are tired of Windows, especially after Crowdstrike.

I suggest System76, or Framework. For years I have had trouble finding gaming laptops with strong AMD graphics, I trust that has changed?

There is also a large demographic of people that intend to start using Linux but just haven't gotten around to it.

Their catalysts are things like Synology NAS and other homelab hardware.

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Quoting: devland

QuoteI'm fine with a female protagonist but things felt a little to rated "PG". Games from that genre from Y2k 2000 were like Serious Sam -- where big ( )( ) harpies and kamakazi bomber men would attack you and ambush you like you were playing in a arcade
Game is missing the salt and pepper, but I do believe that if they played their cards right they could join the ranks of Stardew Valley and Terraria.

Do stardew Valley or Terraria have big ()() harpies?

You really don't need the levels of kitsch that the 90s games had. Each developer makes the game they want to make. Not the game YOU want to play.

Have you seen the popularity of Disney the last decade? It would seem the puritanical roots of the USA are as strong as ever and the reception is franchise suicide.

India and China are stealing Hollywood's crown ( See Black Myth Wukong ) ( Baldurs Gate 3 made in Belgian) ( Helldivers II Sweden ) And honestly the developers of these places deserve the crown.

Walt Disney is spinning in his grave.

Tens of Millions of Sales in just days.

And it's not about the sales either -- it's about the fame and building something that will be remembered as a "Golden Age" game for decades and pointed to as a example of success to be imitated.

In each of the above examples, the world markets have spoken.

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Quoting: Nexxtic

Quoting: ElectricPrismIf they play their cards right they could add a couple zeros to that 70k sales.

- Multiplayer

- I'm fine with a female protagonist but things felt a little to rated "PG". Games from that genre from Y2k 2000 were like Serious Sam -- where big ( )( ) harpies and kamakazi bomber men would attack you and ambush you like you were playing in a arcade and shoving quarters in the machine to keep playing.

Other games like System Shock were basically a warning as to the dangers of AI and Eugenics -- in an effort to craft the perfect lifeform, accidents happen and the space station and ship are lost. Ironically the flood from Halo 1 was very similar, and Half Life 1 had overlap as well too.

And then there's Duke Nukem -- quick quip badass. A modern day (at the time) Indiana Jones of what boys wanted to be -- successful, confident, irresistible to hot college girls.

Star Wars -- Han Solo -- same thing, Rouge, Badass, Confident, Smuggler -- and the kids wanted to be the fastest and play with light sabers because they were cool.

I need to play more, but living during a time of such a intense cancel culture with political correctness the main character feels bland and uninteresting -- even Samus Aran was a chick pretending to be a dude with big Sxy ( )( ) breka out of the suit when you die. Jack from Chronicles of riddick -- same -- a tomboy that showed that female protagonists can be awesome -- Christmas Jones in 007 World Is Not Enough -- same thing.

Game is missing the salt and pepper, but I do believe that if they played their cards right they could join the ranks of Stardew Valley and Terraria. They'll definitely need to add multiplayer to do that and be willing to take some risks.

And if they do take those risks, the kids of today will think what we thought yesterday -- that when their looser parents complain about something that must make it cool and so they will just play it or like the forbidden thing harder.

This may come as a complete shocker to you, but not every developer is desperate for money. We've already sold more units than expected just making the game that we want to make and sticking with our own vision.

If we were trying to make "the next big thing", we wouldn't have made a pixelated retro shooter with 'confusing' level design and enemy encounters that are extremely unforgiving. We also would have skipped early access entirely if money is all that were after. The game is certainly long enough where we could get away with that.

Multiplayer is not happening. Our audience isn't into that and every throwback shooter that tried multiplayer ended up being dead on arrival with a lot of wasted development time. And even when multiplayer does well, it doesn't take long until players move on.

Selaco is not meant to be for everyone and thats perfectly fine.

Honestly, I'm just glad to compile my feedback as a player and what you do or do not with it is your business.

I do think you may have misunderstood what was meant though -- when I said "sales" I didn't mean income or money at all -- what was meant was broader reach and growth of player base. Creators typically want their creation to be consumed and enjoyed by as many people as possible, what I'm suggesting is that there may be a significant unrealized player base for this genre in the same way that Valve tries to think about unrealized markets ready to be tapped -- in laymens terms -- what people would hope and look forward to.

I wouldn't be so decidedly about axing the possibility of multiplayer just yet. Throw it on the backest of back burners -- the only reason I say that is because there may be a cross section of fans that feel that way too. But if you're making it for you and not for them and according to a strict personal vision I get it. There's certainly a time for the outside world to not effect the inside world (cough cough Star Wars 1-3). And you're right, at this time entertaining such a consideration isn't optimal. I just wouldn't axe it from the maybes so decidedly just yet.

The reason why you got the feedback that you did is because when you capitalize on an existing style people are going to have preconceptions about what that genre is supposed to be and they may feel that presenting as one thing and then turning out to be another sets their expectations up wrong which can cause problems.

Normally I am not interested in a game enough to give this level of intended constructive feedback. All in all I wish you all the best and if the game doesn't end up being for me I will understand but feel disappointed and reset my hope that one day someone comes along and makes something like this that is a nod at a famous golden age genre because the industry was corrupted by money hungry executives doing micro transaction nonsense and such.

Best of luck.

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If they play their cards right they could add a couple zeros to that 70k sales.

- Multiplayer

- I'm fine with a female protagonist but things felt a little to rated "PG". Games from that genre from Y2k 2000 were like Serious Sam -- where big ( )( ) harpies and kamakazi bomber men would attack you and ambush you like you were playing in a arcade and shoving quarters in the machine to keep playing.

Other games like System Shock were basically a warning as to the dangers of AI and Eugenics -- in an effort to craft the perfect lifeform, accidents happen and the space station and ship are lost. Ironically the flood from Halo 1 was very similar, and Half Life 1 had overlap as well too.

And then there's Duke Nukem -- quick quip badass. A modern day (at the time) Indiana Jones of what boys wanted to be -- successful, confident, irresistible to hot college girls.

Star Wars -- Han Solo -- same thing, Rouge, Badass, Confident, Smuggler -- and the kids wanted to be the fastest and play with light sabers because they were cool.

I need to play more, but living during a time of such a intense cancel culture with political correctness the main character feels bland and uninteresting -- even Samus Aran was a chick pretending to be a dude with big Sxy ( )( ) breka out of the suit when you die. Jack from Chronicles of riddick -- same -- a tomboy that showed that female protagonists can be awesome -- Christmas Jones in 007 World Is Not Enough -- same thing.

Game is missing the salt and pepper, but I do believe that if they played their cards right they could join the ranks of Stardew Valley and Terraria. They'll definitely need to add multiplayer to do that and be willing to take some risks.

And if they do take those risks, the kids of today will think what we thought yesterday -- that when their looser parents complain about something that must make it cool and so they will just play it or like the forbidden thing harder.

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Quoting: Bogomips

Quoting: WORMThe trick to getting an invite is to have friends

Does it mean I will never play? :(

Unfortunately, I am the friend that bring things to the group so I am doomed either way :P

Modern culture is broken. Generosity and kindness are conflated with weakness.

Either way, stay excellent, modern society is on it's way out.

Penguins could always make a steam group and lend a flap ;P

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I've played a couple days.

The map is divided into 4 railways each with a different color.

You press space to jump and ride the rail.

In character selection you select 3 characters you are interested in playing. The black man with the red cap and red vest in the screenshot is my favorite so far. He's pretty fun -- he shoots bullets from his fingers.

The aesthetic and artwork are very Bioshock-esk, which is extremely refreshing and unlike anything else at this time.

You can ride the rail home IIRC, and there are 2 giant stone looking guardians on the way to the enemy "Ancient" you have to defeat first. They are really cool looking.

There are pockets of areas inbetween the lanes with pots and collectibles you can use to buy things at the shop like collecting gold in the DOTA jungle.

I immediately thought of TF2 when I saw the artwork, and never really was a TF2 player but I do like this game.

When you jump in the air you press Ctrl or Shift or Alt can't remember and you can air strafe in all 4 directions as an evaside manuver (at least as that flame character).

Right now is your ultimate is you explode like a Phoenix and come back after.

The shop is a bit confusing. I think it works like this. You have 4 different stats in the bottom left of the UI as indicated by the 4 boxes with 4 slot.

You can buy up to 4 items in the shop for each stat, some are early game, mid game, and late game and you may want to buy some stat buffs in the early game and swap them out for better ones later.

Hero abilities are like DOTA, [Q] [W] [E] [R]

One of the ice heroes iceskates on a self created bridge which blocks attacks up to the sky. One has deployable turrets (Techies?), one of them flies, the electric mortal kombat looking one is pretty cool.

The heroes do make the game for sure and I'm still a noob but Valve still got it making interesting gameplay experiences.

One other difference from DOTA is that when you do get to the enemy base their "Ancient" is actually a boss you have to collectively battle which is pretty smart and fun if you think about it instead of just wailing on a castle.

Once I can, I'm definitely going to be trying this at the LAN.

I am especially estatic about the 1920s gangster Chicago Bioshock Aesthetic, it definitely provides an escape from the modern day BS of IRL.

In my opinion this game is a solid winner, it's going to be interesting to see what happens next.

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