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Latest Comments by Philadelphus
New GOL site update released, read on for what’s new
7 December 2016 at 10:21 pm UTC

I like the idea of a separate system for reporting spelling and grammar mistakes; I wish more websites had that!
I'll be sure to let you know if I spot anything. :)

Our latest user survey is done, Steam Controller seems to be the favourite
5 December 2016 at 3:53 am UTC

Quoting: liamdaweTime until drop-off to be worked out yet, it will be as easy as hitting update while changing nothing to just keep you in the system if nothing has changed :)

Also, remember guys, this isn't supposed to be some hard-hitting survey, this is for-fun to give an approximation. No matter how we do it, it's not going to be 100% accurate.
Ah, thanks. Was worried I'd end up not getting counted for not changing my distro for two years or something. :) (Actually not changing it, not just forgetting to update it. :P )

Our latest user survey is done, Steam Controller seems to be the favourite
4 December 2016 at 9:47 pm UTC

Quoting: liamdaweObviously, this is why data from people who haven't updated their profiles in a while won't be included.
How long are we talking here and is there some kind of way to tell it "no, I haven't updated my profile because nothing has changed"? Not everyone changes something every few months; some of us like to find a set-up that works and leave it alone.

What one game would blow your mind if it came to Linux & SteamOS?
1 December 2016 at 11:38 pm UTC Likes: 1

Funnily enough, this has actually already happened in my case, when Knights of the Old Republic II released on Linux a year and a half ago. I'd very sadly given it up for good when I switched to Linux two years ago (I'd played through it something like 6–8 times, love that game), and then, there it was! I have it on Steam now.

For a game not yet available, hmmm…maybe Age of Empires II. I got it when I was 11 or 12, and spent a few years playing little else—it even helped spark my interest in computer programming as a young teen by getting me to learn how to use map scripts to make my own random maps. I also bought it on Steam when it resurfaced a few years ago with the new expansion and improvements, but that was only a little while before I switched to Linux so I never got to play it much. And it's a Microsoft game, so it really would blow my mind if it was ported.

Cities: Skylines - Natural Disasters released with a free scenario editor, some thoughts
30 November 2016 at 12:12 am UTC

I remember reading from the developer diaries that the water simulation is actually quite detailed and deep, in fact one of the developers has like a Masters or a Ph.D. in fluid-dynamics simulation, but the trade-off is that it has to happen pretty slowly to support the required calculations without grinding the whole machine to a halt. I've done 3D-fluid simulations with Blender before and it is intense, so I can well believe that speed was a trade-off.

Also, as an astronomer the asteroid-detection telescopes make me happy. :D Now you just need the ability to launch gravity tugs to coax them out of the way if you find them early enough…

My top list of must-have strategy games on Linux as of right now
25 November 2016 at 8:00 pm UTC

Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: SeekTheShrubberyGah! No Hearts of Iron IV or Europa Universalis IV?
Honestly, I'm not a massive fan of them, far too much depth with very little actual gameplay. I need to put a lot more time into Hearts of Iron to get to grips with it, but it doesn't seem all that great to me so far.
This is like saying "The Pacific ocean is very deep, but doesn't have a lot of water in it." ;) If you personally don't like 'em that's fine—we all have our preferences—but Europa Universalis IV is chock full of gameplay. The best moments in EU IV come when you have a dozen schemes all in different stages of motion at the same time looking dozens of years down the road, thinking three wars ahead of everyone else, playing and exploiting the diplomatic game to turn things to your advantage, and outplaying your enemies on all levels, political, diplomatic, economic, military…it's just an experience I haven't found in any other genre of games.

Having experienced the depth and complexity of Paradox's grand strategy games, I find myself unable to get back into other games that don't require (or reward) that level of thought. The latest expansion, Rights of Man, is definitely up there among the best ones they've put out so far, and Paradox has shown that they're willing to re-think, re-work, and improve some of the most fundamental parts of the game with the change to the whole technology system in the October 1.18 patch. I even had a few suggestions for features accepted in the 1.19 patch that came out yesterday. :D

Steam store updated, Valve still haven't fixed filtering to only Linux games on the homepage
8 November 2016 at 7:45 pm UTC

Maybe it's just my imagination, but the home page seems a bit snappier in the Steam client now. I hardly ever visit it though, so…

Linux overall market-share percentage falls on Steam in October
2 November 2016 at 9:17 pm UTC

Quoting: orochikyoa reason that actually any Mac OS doesnt have a terminal since 10 years ago.
I'm pretty sure OS X does have a terminal (it's just not really advertised), given that professional astronomy (my field) uses about 50-50 Mac and Linux and pretty much everything in astronomy requires liberal use of the command line. :) That's what got me into using Linux after growing up with Windows only, actually.

Thoughts on 'Stellaris' with the 'Leviathans Story Pack' and latest patch, a better game that still needs work
27 October 2016 at 7:28 pm UTC

Quoting: Mountain ManParadox's grand-strategy games have always been a bit sparse in terms of combat mechanics (with the possible exception of the Hearts of Iron series), so Stellaris' combat is exactly what I would expect from a Paradox game.
That's what I was thinking. At the grand strategy level you're two or more levels removed from tactics, so they've never been a big part of Paradox's grand strategy games (with the possible exception of Hearts of Iron, which I haven't played [yet]).

Looks like Mojang will be supporting the new Minecraft launcher on Linux
26 October 2016 at 8:16 pm UTC

Quoting: inlinuxdudeI've never played it, but my 16 year old son has played it for several years on my Linux PC, including doing a bunch of mod'ing and other stuff, without much help from me. I'm sure he's learned a lot about computers from this experience, and I'd hate to see him lose the ability to play Minecraft on Linux (although I think he's mostly finally moved on now, but still).
Thankfully the current launcher allows you to stay on past versions—I've been playing 1.7.10 for well over a year now due to it hitting the sweet spot with regards to mods, even though the official version is up to, what, 1.11 now or something?