Diecast #357: The Magnum

By Shamus Posted Monday Oct 4, 2021

Filed under: Diecast 162 comments

Once again, thanks to Paul for his patience and longsuffering in the face of my ceaseless filibuster. I imagine it’s not easy to play second-fiddle to my inflated sense of self-importance, but Paul manages to pull it off. For those of you wondering just how lopsided the conversation is, I’ve posted a screenshot of the podcast at the end of the show notes.

Also, check out the reverse mailbag question below. I’d love to hear your answer, even if you don’t listen to the podcast.



Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast357


Link (YouTube)

Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #357: The Magnum”

 


 

Prey 2017 Part 12: Meet the Technopath

By Shamus Posted Wednesday Sep 29, 2021

Filed under: Retrospectives 84 comments

Like I said in the last entry, Alex locked Morgan in Deep Storage for her own good. But as I’ve made clear in the past couple of entries, Alex’s help is often a huge liability. The situation here in Deep Storage is classic Alex: He’s trying to keep us safe, but he’s accidentally locked us in a relatively limited space with the dreaded…

Technopath

Sadly, the technopath does not use techno music as a weapon.
Sadly, the technopath does not use techno music as a weapon.

This guy is a bastard. The technopath can control machines, manipulate computers, and disable weapons. He’s not the highest on the alien org chart, and I don’t think the designers intended him to be the biggest threat, but this guy killed me more than the rest of the creeps combined.

Note also how this is yet another point in the story where our silent protagonist works against the story being told. Alex supposedly locked us in here to “keep us safe”, but he’s locked us in a small-ish space with a high-level threat. Morgan ought to be able to call Alex and tell him that he’s being a butthead.I’m really curious what Alex would do if Morgan was able to explain the situation. Would he unlock the door and let you loose again, or would he just send you a bunch of supplies and tell you to take care of the problem yourself?

This game has turrets. You can find them, repair them, and reinforce them. They even carry their own (unlimited) ammunition. At the same time, they’re fragile and get broken or knocked over easily. They actually remind me a lot of the Combine turrets in Half-Life 2

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Prey 2017 Part 12: Meet the Technopath”

 


 

Diecast #356: Fiverr Surgery

By Shamus Posted Monday Sep 27, 2021

Filed under: Diecast 103 comments

For those of you curious how the surgery went, check the show notes below. I’ve done a short write-up for those of you who don’t listen to the show. In any case, I really am on the mend now, and it looks like the medical community has run out of surprises for me.



Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast356


Link (YouTube)

Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #356: Fiverr Surgery”

 


 

Prey 2017 Part 11: Chief Executive Villain

By Shamus Posted Wednesday Sep 22, 2021

Filed under: Retrospectives 147 comments

After several hours of distractions and detours, Morgan finally reaches Deep Storage. She’s here to get her arming key, so she can set the station to self-destruct.

As she enters, Alex calls her up. He’s locked the door behind her, sealing her in. 

This is actually an attempt at protecting Morgan. On one hand, Alex really doesn’t want his sister to blow up the space station and destroy all of their work. This place is new to memory-wiped Morgan, but this place is home to Alex. The two of them have spent the last few years studying the Typhon and unlocking fantastic new technologies. From Alex’s point of view, his sister has gone a little crazy due to her personality drift and is acting irrationally. 

But while he doesn’t want her to destroy the station, he also doesn’t want to see her get hurt. He’s actually helped you out at a couple of points during the adventure. As much as he wants to see your quest fail, it’s even more important to him that you survive.

I love Alex. He’s one of my favorite villains.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Prey 2017 Part 11: Chief Executive Villain”

 


 

Diecast #355: Procgen Render Farm

By Shamus Posted Monday Sep 13, 2021

Filed under: Diecast 88 comments

As a reminder: I’m going in for surgery this week. I don’t expect any problems, but I might not be around as much as usual. Please try to not burn the place down while I’m gone.



Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast355


Link (YouTube)

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #355: Procgen Render Farm”

 


 

The Anti-Entropy Machine

By Shamus Posted Friday Sep 10, 2021

Filed under: Projects 45 comments

This was a mistake. I knew it when I did it. But sometimes we’re slaves to our obsessions and you don’t have any choice but to make mistakes and hope you can escape the consequences.

(I did not escape the consequences.)

When you’re learning something new – 3D modeling, carpentry, programming, filmmaking, baking, etc. – then the thing to do is to take on many small, quick projects while you’re learning the ropes. If you’re learning to draw, then you should probably start with a small sheet of paper and not try to make a mural to cover the side of a building. You’re going to make a lot of mistakes at first, and it’s best to make them quickly, learn from them, and move on. The stuff you draw in your second hour will be much better than your first, your second day better than the one before, and so on. If you start with a mural then by the time you’re halfway done you’ll have progressed so far that you’ll no longer be satisfied with the first stuff you drew.

My first few Blender Renders reflect what you’re supposed to do: Make something simple, iterate on an idea, get it done, and move on. But then I started making gears and I was really into the idea of making this crazy clockwork machine that moves marbles around. This is the result:


Link (YouTube)

Normally I’d put music over this to hide the uncanny silence, but I’m SO done with the project at this point.

Let’s talk about the problems…

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “The Anti-Entropy Machine”

 


 

Prey 2017 Part 10: But What Do They SLEEP?

By Shamus Posted Thursday Sep 9, 2021

Filed under: Retrospectives 73 comments

A few entries ago I made a big deal about how much I love the design of Talos-1 and I’m impressed with the attention to detail that went into building this world and making it feel real. So now it’s time for me to do my predictable face-heel turn and obsess over some nitpicky detail. Specifically, the sleeping arrangements on this space station are ridiculous.

I realize this is one of those details we’re not supposed to notice, but the crew quarters are absurdly, comically undersized. They are so undersized that I find it really distracting. I don’t mean they seem too small in retrospect, I mean they are flagrantly, outrageously undersized in a way that I can’t help but notice while playing the game.

I’m making a big deal about this because the population of Talos-1 is a known thing.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Prey 2017 Part 10: But What Do They SLEEP?”