What game are you playing?

Mapman · June 29, 2025, 09:18:38 AM

Quote from: DavidW on June 27, 2025, 02:35:54 PMI've also gotten back into Sudoku after many years.

Are you familiar with the YouTube channel Cracking the Cryptic? They solve incredibly difficult variant Sudoku. (I'd recommend their shorter videos to start; many of their recent videos are on the long side due to the increasing difficulty of the puzzles over time.)

DavidW · June 29, 2025, 12:37:35 PM

Quote from: Mapman on June 29, 2025, 09:18:38 AMAre you familiar with the YouTube channel Cracking the Cryptic? They solve incredibly difficult variant Sudoku. (I'd recommend their shorter videos to start; many of their recent videos are on the long side due to the increasing difficulty of the puzzles over time.)

I'll have to check it out!

drogulus · July 03, 2025, 02:30:25 PM

I note that the Arc B580 price is now dropping to the $300 range, though not yet at MicroCenter (peace, blessings, whatever). Now on purely game performance the Arc is not outstanding. For me it's a good option because I need QSV to squish my videos in a reasonable amount of time. With the B580 I'm free to select an AMD CPU, which I might want to do.

DavidW · July 03, 2025, 05:24:22 PM

Quote from: drogulus on July 03, 2025, 02:30:25 PMI note that the Arc B580 price is now dropping to the $300 range, though not yet at MicroCenter (peace, blessings, whatever). Now on purely game performance the Arc is not outstanding. For me it's a good option because I need QSV to squish my videos in a reasonable amount of time. With the B580 I'm free to select an AMD CPU, which I might want to do.

The RTX 5050 is out this month, and it should be priced at $250. The RTX 5060 is already out and readily available at $300.

drogulus · July 03, 2025, 06:41:57 PM

Quote from: DavidW on July 03, 2025, 05:24:22 PMThe RTX 5050 is out this month, and it should be priced at $250. The RTX 5060 is already out and readily available at $300.

The 5050 is a major POS. It tests hideously against the B580 on the PassMark site, 10,727 v 15,760. Even the lowly A580 gets ~12,000.

The 5060 is better at ~20,000 but with 8GB of VRAM it's gonna be obsolete by lunch tomorrow. The MSRP for the 16GB 5060 Ti is $449 and good luck with that.

DavidW · July 04, 2025, 04:02:02 AM

Quote from: drogulus on July 03, 2025, 06:41:57 PMThe 5060 is better at ~20,000 but with 8GB of VRAM it's gonna be obsolete by lunch tomorrow.

I thought you said you weren't using it for gaming. As a gamer, yeah, I would never buy it. But I don't know know it all why you would care.

drogulus · July 04, 2025, 07:19:11 AM

Quote from: DavidW on July 04, 2025, 04:02:02 AMI thought you said you weren't using it for gaming. As a gamer, yeah, I would never buy it. But I don't know know it all why you would care.

I'm offended by its existence.

DavidW · July 04, 2025, 10:22:44 AM

Quote from: drogulus on July 04, 2025, 07:19:11 AMI'm offended by its existence.

I've seen the video. I know all about the controversy. I bought the card that I did and the one before it to have enough VRAM (and the one before that as well). Nvidia cheapening out on VRAM is not new, but, surprisingly, it is still happening 5 years after the launch of the consoles that pushed that needed buffer up to 16 gigs.

drogulus · July 04, 2025, 10:51:58 AM

I've been using a 1650x1050 monitor since the Ice Age. My next one will be a 1920x1200. I like the vertical space for reading stuff.

I have to run Serious Sam Siberian Mayhem at very low settings. I like the franchise because it's funny and cartoonish. One day I might want a card that would allow me to play it on high.

DavidW · July 04, 2025, 11:36:34 AM

Quote from: drogulus on July 04, 2025, 10:51:58 AMI've been using a 1650x1050 monitor since the Ice Age. My next one will be a 1920x1200. I like the vertical space for reading stuff.

I have to run Serious Sam Siberian Mayhem at very low settings. I like the franchise because it's funny and cartoonish. One day I might want a card that would allow me to play it on high.

I really like that aspect ratio. I think we should have stuck with it in the PC space.

Mapman · July 09, 2025, 02:43:57 PM

Quote from: DavidW on June 29, 2025, 12:37:35 PMI'll have to check it out!

Today's video from Simon is a great one. Every few months, someone comes up with an incredibly simple, elegant ruleset that results in a beautiful puzzle. This is one of them: it's an 8 by 8 sudoku subdivided into two spiral cages. The only other clue is information about how many times each digit appears in each of the cages! (The title, like many on YouTube is a bit of clickbait: it's more like the discovery of the month.)

DavidW · July 13, 2025, 07:15:46 PM

I need a break from Sudoku. Following the campaign on Sudoku Coach, I'm at a point now where all the puzzles are hard (which is far, far, far harder than anything on sudoku.com), and it is taking anywhere from 20-40 minutes to solve a puzzle. Some of the techniques can be so hard to see. It is satisfying to see the moment you crack it wide open, and then you're furiously resolving and filling in singles until the board is full. I didn't get nearly as far as I wanted to as far as mastering advanced techniques... and I don't know if I'll ever have the patience to master puzzles that require forcing nets.

I'm back on Oblivion Remastered, trying to finish the Fighters Guild, some side quests, and then I'm going to play the two DLC (which I haven't played since they came out).

drogulus · July 14, 2025, 06:54:14 AM

Mahjong Titans is an old favorite.