BmeBenji

It just occurred to me that the Switch 2’s MouseMode could be the only control method that the Steam Deck is “missing.” I would absolutely love to be able to play DOOM or Halo: MCC or Overkill from the couch. This would be the only thing I’d like more than the rumored Steam Controller 2 design.

I've seen surprisingly little about DOOM: The Dark Ages across Lemmy so far even though the game has been out for almost a week. I thought I'd post my thoughts here.

My personal context:

About a month ago I wanted to get back into the DOOM mindset so I replayed The Ancient Gods (on Nightmare) for the first time since the first time I played through them and it reminded me just how much I loved the visceral challenge of DOOM Eternal.

Since that took me all of like a week, I installed DOOM 64 since it came with Eternal and realized I had never played through it, let alone even got familiar with what it added to the old DOOM games. Holy hell what a cool game. The lighting, the colors, the sounds, the level scripting. The game is a technical improvement in so many ways over the original DOOM and DOOM II. But hot damn is it difficult: a bullet hell in so many ways (those fucking arachnotrons EVERYWHERE). However, rewatching the promotional material for DOOM: The Dark Ages I realized this is a good way to get into the mindset of what was about to be released.

My thoughts on The Dark Ages

I cannot sing the praises of ID enough for refusing to just make more levels for DOOM Eternal. This game is such a cool change to the formula. Giving the Slayer a shield and the weight of a fucking boulder really immerses you in the sense that the Slayer is the legend that Samuel Hayden respected and that Olivia Pierce feared. Honestly, I can't not think about how ID must have been heavily inspired by God of War (2018), and God of War Ragnarok while working on the sound design, control mechanics, and art direction for this game. The only thing I think is a little ridiculous, gratuitous and goofy is how everytime the Slayer touches the ground it sounds like there's an earthquake starting. But it's a video game, it can be goofy.

The new mechanics in the game are extremely fun and I would say they're all gracefully redesigned to fit the new tone of the game. Demons are repurposed so well and I love seeing the design inspirations from various older games return (like the revenants remind me heavily of those from DOOM 3 and the imp stalkers are so similar in behavior and sound to those from DOOM 64). The melee weapons are as satisfying as they should be in a DOOM game, and throwing the saw shield around feels exactly how it should. I can't find any kind of fault with the mechanics of the game. *chef's kiss*

I'm about halfway through the game right now on Ultra Violence, and I'm stuck wondering when the challenge will come. There are so many life sigils littered around the game that I have yet to die and be sent back to a checkpoint. Maybe that's part of the narrative point, or maybe I'm still in the phase of the game where mechanics are being introduced (which is a theory only reinforced by how I just reached the Ancestral Forge where you get a new [spoilers redacted]).

On the other hand, both DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal waited until maybe 2/3 or 3/4 the way through the campaigns to take the training wheels fully off and throw the full force of hell at you. That's what I want. That's what I need. If I don't get that, I will remember my time in the Dark Ages fondly since it's fun, it's indulgent, and it's satisfying. It's just not scratching the same itch that "VEGA Core" and the "Mars Core" master level do.

Overall, loving the new game. I just don't think I'll end up loving it, or replaying it, as much as I do the previous 2.

Credit to user ickplant@lemmy.world for telling me about this in C/mildlyinteresting with this post

What you need:

• An Oven (I'm not sure how you could make this work in a microwave)

• Non-stick cooking spray

• Muffin Tray

• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

• Shredded Parmesan Cheese

• Pepperoni

• Marinara

• Your Hot Sauce of Choice (I went with Tabasco, classic)

Spray down the tray with the cooking spray first.

Now create a mixture of the cheeses, then layer the ingredients in the muffin holes like such (from bottom to top)

1. Cheese

2. Pepperoni

3. Marinara

4. Cheese

5. Pepperoni

Afterwards throw these bad bois into the oven at 400°F/200°C for 15 minutes, and let them cool for ten

The hot sauce can go in with the sauce, or throw it on top

I’m largely asking about between Spotify and Apple Music, but hell I’ll take suggestions for Youtube Music, Tidal, and Windows Media Player while I’m at it because that information will be useful to someone.

All my searches so far have proven fruitless, but FOSS seems to evade web searches unfortunately so if anyone knows of a community-grown tool I’d love to know

Before you suggest chromecarletters.com those don’t really match the font of the brand.

I’d be happy to learn about any sources for this, but specifically I’m looking for the font used on the back of a Toyota RAV4 which seems to be consistent for the past 15 or so model years. It’d be very cool if someone sold the OEM lettering.

Sometimes you need a break from deep, meaningful art. When you are constantly worried about the implications of every little action and event happening around you, you might just want to focus on that time you were parked out by the lake. You know the one; that lake that’s 80 miles from Santa Fe. There’s nothing to worry about here. There’s nothing here at all. Just you, the lake, your truck, and 80 miles of road between you and Santa Fe.

Hell yeah, brother. Beer.

St. Louis - Donald Trump, with permission from President Elon Musk, has enacted his latest executive order, essentially removing all DEI hires from every chessboard in America. The US Chess Federation is currently adhering to the order, but plans to fight it in courts in the coming weeks. We took to chessboards across the country to see how chess pieces were feeling about Musk’s latest order.

“I think it’s about time we leveled the playing field,” said a white knight who happened to be a blood relative to the King. “The other side was just hiring black knights to fill a space. Those guys aren’t nearly as qualified as me when it comes to moving in L-shapes.”

The front row whites also showed excitement for the changes coming to the game. Every pawn we spoke to mentioned the ‘high hopes’ they had for their future on the board.

“This is a win for the little guy,” one white pawn said. “The chances of me making it to the other side and getting a promotion have gone way way way up. Maybe one day I can make it into the back row myself.”

Not all pieces are too happy about the new order. White Queen felt blindsided about the changes to the game.

“What the fuck, I’m considered DEI? I thought it was just the black pieces,” the white queen said. “This is bullshit. Who was moving around the board making all the moves? Me. Who was saving the sorry King from all the checks and from getting checkmated? Me. I worked my ass off for that side of the board and this is how I get thanked? Getting tossed aside in favor of some stupid moron who can only move one space at a time. Fuck you and fuck this game.”

At press time Trump had asked permission from President Musk to sign a new executive order, allowing the King to move wherever he wanted. Musk replied he would look into it.

Hard rock. The artwork here is real heavy-handed and doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Muse has never shied away from talking about fascism and governments overstepping their bounds (see The Resistance (2009) and The 2nd Law (2012)) but this artwork made sure no one would misunderstand them.

I’m convinced, especially by the opening “Glory Days” sequence that Brad Bird wanted this film to look like comic book panels come to life, and damn did he nail it

Hard rock album, entirely written and recorded by Wolfgang Van Halen. Cover artwork inspired heavily by the chaotic, manic single “Another Celebration For the End of the World”