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Doom: The Dark Ages is unplayble on PC unless you have an RTX capable card due to ray tracing being a fixed parameter. I used to think that RTX was kind of a gimmicky lighting feature for those who could afford it, but now it’s appearing that developers want to default to it to save development time as it cuts down on the need to factor in baked lighting. Gone are the days of optimization.
In hindsight, ray-tracing turned out to be quite a scam. The promise was realistic lighting but compared to baked lighting, the difference was never really that compelling. I recall Digital Foundry videos where they zoomed in really closely and jerked each other off about more realistic reflections in a puddle or the surface of a car. Now, however, developers simply externalize the cost, i.e. they do not want to bother with traditional lighting techniques anymore because you can simply buy a fancy graphics card. It is quite sobering.
“I recall Digital Foundry videos where they zoomed in really closely and jerked each other off about more realistic reflections in a puddle or the surface of a car.”
Lol. I still let their weekly streams play in the background from time to time as I’m doing chores, but they do have awful takes sometimes. A classic example is the Stellar Blade character design controversy where he (Alex?) bitched about the playable character not matching reality (she had a model) and being archaic design. Has your opinion of DF changed over the years? Also, they are apparently owned by IGN now but don’t quote me on that.
With regards to the new Doom, player counts on Steam at launch are 1/3 the total of Doom: Eternal. This is presumably because of the RTX situation. So much for saving development costs and expecting the consumer to eat the costs. I wonder how this will fair for consoles when it costs $900 for a PS5, which is 5 year old tech at this point.
I no longer follow Digital Foundry. The main reason is that there were a few of their videos where they seemed quite biased towards the PS5. I did not recall seeing a note that I was watching an advertisement, though. On a more general note, unlike the hot chick in Stellar Blade, it is Digital Foundry who seem like a relic from a bygone era. Graphics have long reached the point where they are good enough. People spend most of their time playing games that are over a decade old, e.g. Minecraft, Counter Strike, PUBG, League of Legends, or GTA V. Another big title is Fortnite, which is eight years old. The success of the Nintendo Switch also underscores that graphics are no longer seen as that big of an issue. This is no longer the 1990s or early 2000s. Probably the PS4 is the inflection point at which graphics unquestionably stopped being an issue. Even Sony itself had to adjust to that by keeping the PS4 alive as a huge chunk of their userbase, a staggering 49 million, does not move on. In the past, in contrast, the previous generation of a console was basically dead within a year of the release of the next iteration.
Just listened to the Synthetic Man review. The new Doom sucks anyways. There are egregiously generic FromSoft gameplay elements shoved into the game. The developers really seem to have taken the route of least resistance in all regards, such as with the above example and with the RTX situation. The difficulty sliders even make the game apparently feel as if the creators were not confident in their ability to craft a balanced campaign. We’re talking difficulty tweaks which are game breaking: https://youtu.be/Sbs5TxTKMVI
Another example of lack of optimization in modern games with the Silent Hill 2 remake mod known as “Sunny Hills”. It basically removes all the fog and clouds. The fog was originally implemented to hide the fact that the devs needed to have the terrain aggressively pop-in and out to accommodate the weaker hardware at the time. I’m not entirely sure why they couldn’t also factor this into the remake considering that it certainly does have performance stability issues. However, I kind of get why developers would rather not have to deal with this sort of stuff anymore: https://youtu.be/YmfxZAGo3dM
The Dead Space remake is another really badly optimized PC port. In the original, when your character interacts with a door it initiates a loading sequence. It’s almost like waiting for an elevator door to open in real life. It was a perfectly fine solution, and reminiscent of RE1’s door animation except much less jarring. This attempt to make the game seamless seemed to be executed well enough on consoles, but when the game was dropped presumably due to being a commercial failure any chance of an adequate PC port went with it.
“However, I kind of get why developers would rather not have to deal with this sort of stuff anymore…”
Another example would be shadows. It’s perfectly reasonable to assume that in big sprawling dynamic worlds that developers would prefer to not have to draw in individual shadows. I don’t even know if that’s possible when you account for the time of day consistently shifting. I guess you could pre-render shadows for static objects to cut down on consumption of processing power, but it’s way more convenient to just automate shadows (and apparently lighting/reflections now too).
With a game like Silent Hill, though, the times of day are static so you would technically have an easier time optimizing the game. It seems that with every leap in technology developers just end up adding more “noise” into their games in an attempt to appear “next gen”, instead of just having a game that look good enough but automates certain parameters like shadows/lighting etc. for the purpose of pushing out these titles faster without compromising performance.
Yes, exactly. You wonder if developers just go through a checkbox, without anyone in charge who could look at a game holistically and decide if certain decisions make any sense. This mindset could not have gotten a foothold earlier, up to around the mid-2010s or so. Today, CPUs and GPUs are so powerful that developers can chose to just not care anymore.
In other news, Expedition 33, a game that dares to implement turn based combat in a modern RPG, is getting rave reviews. There’s something to be said about limitations in gaming (Baldur’s Gate). A game like Tears of the Kingdom, which grants you seemingly endless possibilities, falls short simply because doing anything other than the optimal strategy (attach rocket to shield, launch into the air, use bullet time while falling and fuse your strongest items to your arrows until your gigantic stamina bar runs out—repeat) just ends up feeling convoluted in the end.
Speaking of RPGs, it’s a shame the amount of artistic uniqueness we’ve lost in modern game. The static backgrounds in old RPGs used to be painstakingly hand tailored to fit the scene. Now just about everything is pulling from Unreal Engine. No hand drawn shadows or textures anywhere to be found. The best you might get are scanned-in assets.
Related is the problem that a lot of games that were developed with Unreal Engine look similar and even have a similar feel. This was already a problem with Unreal Engine 3, which was in its prime during the PS3/X360 generation. A lot of games had shiny textures, and similar lag. Today, graphics still look samey, loading times are bad, and the input lag has apparently gotten worse. I have not played many Unreal Engine 4 games, but I was not overly impressed. Samurai Shodown (2019) is a good example. In contrast, Capcom’s RE engine is really impressive, a least on a low to mid-spec laptop like mine.
I had a really good experience with the RE engine on the Deck. I could get a stable 60 fps on pretty high specs without dlss on RE2, for example. RE3 was a bit more mixed but still pretty solid, but RE4 definitely needed upscaling to get a stable 40 and handheld or a small monitor was a must for decent image quality. Going forward I wonder if the RE Engine will continue to be so user friendly. Rumors that they’re going forward an open world format with RE9 would lead me to believe not so much, but another remake title like Code Veronica could perhaps be much less demanding. I have not really had much interest in Monster Hunter.
Aaron what are you doing diet and health/fitness wise these days? Is it a big part of your lifestyle?
My diet is quite unchanged. I avoid sweets and processed foods and eat plenty of red meat. As I am pretty busy, fitness is taking a bit of a backseat, but I have a home gym in my basement. For compensation, I also walk or take the stairs whenever it makes sense, so compared to most people with a sedentary lifestyle, I am probably still more active than the average. My weight is stable. Also, I hardly ever compromise on sleep, which surely also makes a difference.
Hey Aaron, i had your meditation, but ive moved so many times, ive no idea where it is.
Regarding upping the length of your meditation, should your mind be totally clear for the duration of the session before upping the time? What if a thought enters your mind, but you flush it within a few seconds?
It is probably a high bar if you only want to increase the time of your meditation sessions if you manage to keep a clear mind all the time. Arguably, it is more practical to extend the amount of time if you realize that you could easily keep going, for instance because you are able to quickly return to a state with a clear mind.
Sleazy,
I have also meditated. But I notice that I struggle to sit longer than 30 minutes because my legs are tired. I could change positions but this break the calm state that I have. I don’t know how to continue to sit longer, and it is a shame because sometimes I enter a very pleasant state.
I also wish to ask once you have done with meditation, what should you do to prolong that state of peace and calmness, because after five minutes, that state start dissipating.
Do you meditate while walking? How do you integrate sitting meditation with walking meditation?
Zen masters insist that we are mindful all the times, including during meals and works.
I would not say that I am “mindful” at all times, but probably for at least 80% of my waking hours. The simple answer is to keep working on it.
In your forum, you used to say that you could sit for 4 hours straight. Does this imply that you do not change position at all?
I do not change my position when meditating.
Monks are as legendary fit as they are probably because they needed it in order to help them reach the highest level of Meditation, so they were raised with that foundation. I’ve met some folks that could literally Meditate and stay still for half a day. Jesus, I can’t even imagine it.
Aaron, we talked about keyboards in the past. I need a solid midrange recommendation for a macbook. I definitely need one with a number pad block for programming tablature (ex: https://files.catbox.moe/n6lxvg.png).
The problem with not having a numpad is with programming a ‘10’, for example. There is a slight delay, but you when press a 1 you must insert the 0 quick enough or the 1 gets erased and the input gets replaced with a 0 instead of a resulting in a 10. It’s definitely doable this way but requires either a fast hand or two hands which is annoying while hold an instrument. It’s much easier to extend your right hand and just slap the required 0 with your thumb real quick.
You can attach a regular Windows keyboard to a Macbook, so there are a lot of options. I have bought a few keyboards over the years but I am not that tuned-in when it comes to recent developments. Among full-size keyboards I can recommend the Ducky One as well as the Apple Magic Keyboard. The Apple keyboard I own is several years old and no longer available, and I do not know how well the new revision of it compares to it. Keyboards I would consider if I were to replace my current ones are the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro and the Wooting two.
Awesome. I just went and ordered a used apple magic full size bluetooth keyboard on ebay for less than $50 after shipping from a reputable seller.
The future of dating in the west.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XP35OjajEUk
This is AI-fueled fiction but we are undoubtedly moving towards a future of hyper-realistic companion dolls.
Aaron,
Are you still busy with work and travel?
I am still pretty busy but I have written down outlines of a few posts recently, and I hope to find some more time for writing in the near future.
Aaron,
I wanted to book you again for a consultation. Should I wait until you are less busy with work and travel?
This is fine. You can go ahead. My workload is already getting more manageable. In fact, I expect to publish my next article later today.
I dont know where else to comment on this, so I will drop it here. I recently went to a tire shop in a town where I had not been for a couple years, and went to greet the manager, who I used to have a very good relationship with.
To my shock the guys tell me he passed away a little over 2 years ago, at the age of 55 and otherwise healty. He suddenly developed a very aggresive cancer out of nowhere and died within 4 months of being diagnosed. I brought up the vaxx, and everyone nodded in agreement. Another one for my list, I suppose.
The vaxx is now officially linked to myocarditis and pericarditis:
https://archive.ph/FsLj1
I am not sure how to square this with half a decade of the authorities telling me that the vaxx is safe and effective, but I am sure this does not mean anything anyway. Go get your booster shots!
Aaron,
Have you ever used Baidu? Its China’s search engine equivalent to Google.
I have not used Baidu yet, primarily because my knowledge of Mandarin is effectively zero. I know about a handful of phrases, nothing more.
How many languages can you converse in? Was wondering how you communicate when you’re in Scandinavia.
I speak German and English. My Swedish is serviceable, my French rudimentary.
https://incels.wiki/w/Protocel
Does Isaac Newton and Nikola Tesla really count as “Incels”? weren’t they voluntarily celibate? (Volcel in their terminology.)
Nikola was pretty dashing in his young photos. I think I recall him bashing relationships with women. I feel that when you’re at a certain level of intelligence coupled with high ambition you generally denounce women in some form to focus on your work. Even Carl Jung didn’t always stick around with his wife.
Apparently you can circumvent some of Chat GPT’s built in parameters by asking it any moral or ethical considerations in Hindi: https://nitter.poast.org/SperglerAcolyte/status/1928188324423880982
This is amusing. I have recently gotten Grok to provide edgier answers. It did not lead to meaningfully better results, and I was repeatedly reminded by Grok that this was just some kind of role play and not at all serious. One would think that a true test of the abilities of AI is to list a few women you would consider stroke-worthy if you were into that kind of unnatural activity and tell it to recommend similar ones. This was obviously done purely for research purposes. I was rather amused when Grok first claimed that some of the women I mentioned, some with rather sizeable online presences, did not really exist, and thus recommended some plain to unattractive women on YouTube.
That’s pretty wild. I wouldn’t be surprised if on the flip side it was easily able to offer the names of hundreds of male influencers and actors with roided out cartoonish proportions. I mean sure, they do exist, but you know. Unless there is some crazy conspiracy where these particular super hot women are actually AI generated and we don’t know about it lol.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Studium/comments/1kze7e7/gro%C3%9Fer_anstieg_indischer_studenten_an_deutschen/
In recent years, German universities have seen a significant increase in the number of international students, particularly from India. This development follows policies by the past federal government (often referred to as the “traffic light coalition” – SPD, Greens, and FDP), which have actively promoted Germany as a destination for higher education, especially in STEM fields. Many Indian students are taking advantage of the opportunity to study in Germany, often without tuition fees.
While the internationalization of higher education is generally seen as a positive trend, some German students have expressed frustration. Concerns range from increased competition in computer science programs, language barriers in group projects, and cultural misunderstandings, to overcrowded student housing.
The situation has sparked debate online and in university circles: How can German universities better integrate international students while also addressing the concerns of local students? Is more support needed on both sides?
Whenever I read about “both sides”, I cannot help but think of AI attempting to provide a “fair and balanced” answer, which just so happens to be identical with the extremist-leftist position, i.e. mainstream-media opinion. On a side note, Computer Science graduates are facing a really rough labor market. Moments ago I came across an article according to which Computer Science and Computer Engineering graduates in the United States do really well in the unemployment competition, securing positions seven and three in the top ten of least employable majors.
@Aaron “Sleazy” Elias
Chat GPT is unfortunately politically over-correct to the point of gagging.
Why are our German traitor parties trying to flood the country with as many foreigners as possible?
Aaron, may I ask if you’ve ever had problems with phlegm and trying to Meditate while having it?
I’ve had persistent phlegm for a huge part of my life. All I can do for the moment is medicate for it. we’re hoping to visit the doc again so he can hopefully prescribe me something that gets rid of it for good. (He’s actually told me he might prescribe me some sort of steroid for it…Looks I’ll actually get my chance to legally get on that stuff if this continues, and for a legitimate reason. Hopefully I can finally return to the gym should that time come. I have a shoulder problem at the moment) I feel it’s one of the barriers/challenges I have to deal with when tackling Meditation. That constant urge to need to clear the throat.
I asked Aaron, but anyone else here with relevant knowledge/experience are also free to chime in.
I never had this problem, but it certainly sounds like an issue you should address. Also, your doctor is surely referring to corticosteroids, not anabolic steroids, so better not get your hopes up with regards to getting massive gains in the gym.
“Sam Hyde Show: Dear Elon”
https://youtu.be/YvcUQI6gAaI?si=-va6EOxarUUaDvEz