ToasterToastin'

Looks like it's just an issue of my laptop and GIFs. I got a milder slowdown on the first (due to shorter length probably), still with 90% CPU usage, but the Planetside post has the same issue I originally had.

I figured it was all the GIFs too, but I just tried the alt link and again my browser slowed to a crawl with 80-90% CPU usage (typically 20-30%). It doesn't seem to be a Wordpress issue, since Medic's cosplay article loads just fine. The only real difference I can note is that there's an embedded YouTube video, but that's never really affected other sites. It's entirely possible that it's just a quirk of Firefox + 4-year-old craptop. I'll read it when I get back to my desktop.

My browser/computer hate this article. Which is a shame because I do want to git gud.

who even plays their 3DS now Me: 2208-5123-9664

Surprisingly, "Ancients" actually might have made for a better title.

I never considered how much the removal of duplicates would affect the currency until this update, and now I think I want to go back.

Is anyone really all that surprised, though? Pretty much everything is working against Valve with this game, and it's only just been announced: DOTA is already a pretty polarizing entity (as are MOBAs in general). Sure, it's huge, but Digital card games are also pretty polarizing: in my observance, you either like them, or you don't care about them. If you don't care, you most likely can't be made to care about them. I'm not sure of the overlap between the two genres, honestly, but I can't imagine that every DOTA player will enjoy digital card games. And, if you do like them: There's already a major competing, established card game, plus several other niche games, plus the entire mobile game catalog, on the market. Normally, that might not be a big deal, but Since card games are basically little more than a fancy loot box feedback loop already, no one's going to give up progress in one of their other card games to spend even more money. It's not Half Life 3, Portal 3, L4D3, TF3, etc. Hell, anything with a 3 at this point. Even Ricochet 2 might have had a better reception. Related, People have wanted Valve to make a Valve-quality game. This isn't exactly a groundbreaking entity in a game company's history. This is a game you make for blatant cash grab fodder, which only kinda works if there's not already something in the marketplace or you have a clientele so loyal that they're willing to try anything. Valve's trustworthiness has slipped in recent years, with people being far less sympathetic to some of their tendencies than once was the norm. Contrast with Blizzard, who gets flak for server issues and odd balancing choices but doesn't have, for instance, a freaking derogatory term dedicated to their lack of timeliness. Barring some massive gimmick they pull out for Artifact, Valve's got one of their longest uphill battles. If it were 5 years earlier, with the support they used to garner, they might have had a chance. I think you're right on the money, Corvette, if not a little optimistic.I'll admit there are a few benefits Valve has in taking this route, though. For one thing, card games are cheap, so you don't have to worry too much about server overhead like you would a shooter or MMO. It's a low-risk, low-reward scenario that I only see grabbing DOTA traffic and possibly disgruntled Hearthstone players. Oh well. Valve could always just bundle a free TF2 hat with it.

Too little, too late. ...kind of Valve's motto now.

I keep wanting to replay old games instead of one of the many unplayed games I own. I'm fine with playing Planet Coaster or Cities Skylines or Civilization, but I balk when I go for a new.or old story-based games. I split the difference by not playing either!

This is the fault of the update, isn't it?

Today, out of habit/muscle memory, I visited the main TF2 page and clicked the forum link to get into SPUF (my usual method of accessing the forum, since I never actually bookmarked SPUF proper). Made me sad, but sadder still that this is like the 3rd time I've done so.

Sleep continues to be for the weak, anyway.

Planet Coaster has become a really fun pastime for me, which is terrible because it seems to take me forever to actually get something made and before I know it it's 5 AM on a work day. It's only gotten worse with the BTTF DLC release. Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies/lores, if not my favorite, and the release of the DLC also helped me find the myriad of Hill Valley creations in the workshop. All in all, a nice addition. That said, in the mix of structures from throughout the movies, I found that there wasn't much from (either) 1985. Specifically, Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise. So I built it myself. Picture in the spoiler. Semi-related: Is there a "show off your creations" thread anywhere? I (briefly) looked but didn't see one.

Visiting family in Pittsburgh for the weekend and the one time I take out the car I get pulled over. It's hard to adjust from Las Vegas traffic speeds and unwritten laws (though it wasn't even speeding). Was in my dad's car, too, so they stuck the ticket in his name for some reason, meaning I can't even sign the darn thing to pay the fine. He wasn't even in the car at the time.

Wasn't just you; I too missed the point. I kinda just figured he was portalled to another game world entirely, instead of space?

So I just experienced this while browsing through the Planet Coaster workshop and I'm awestruck. It's bloody brilliant, even if the ending takes a time or two to actually understand. (spoilers for Portal 2 contained)

Unfortunately, I can all but guarantee SNES Classic will be scalped thanks to my own retail experience. Even if Nintendo tries to run a "one per customer" thing, the scalpers just grab 5 buddies and swoop in. It's pretty much unavoidable. Unrelated: I started playing Civ V again, after having avoided playing it since before the G&K expansion released, because playing a lot of AoE II has given me a Civilization itch. It's been one day and I'm already remembering why I basically cut myself off way back then. I am currently filled with regret and shame... but I'll deal with that after one more turn.

Monday has to be the worst for me, since I work in a pharmacy and doctors generally don't work weekends, thereby saving all of their stuff for Monday. And we have to make calls on stuff that's happened over the weekend. Actually, no. Saturday is the worst. I'm the only technician working (usually have ~2-3 at all times on weekdays), I have to make a bunch of stupid telemarket-y phone calls, and I have to both open and close (my normal shift is closing at a 12-hour store, but on the weekends it's a 9-hour store). It's a long day, or it's a hard day, and both suck. Also, it's hot as hell in Vegas.

As one of the ones interested in Fire Emblem, I'm pumped to see a little more on it. That said, they are definitely leaning a little heavy on the newer characters. Granted, since Awakening was the game that brought most of the current fanbase in - myself included - it makes sense to go with the latest two games... but I'd still like to have a little more info on the roster drawing from previous games. It's nice to see Nintendo has finally figured out that people want to give them money for a new Metroid. Here's to hoping they don't resurrect the series by pulling a StarFox and screwing up the reboot.

That's... almost forgivable, actually. I hate it a smidgen less now. I'm glad it's not just me who has felt entirely underwhelmed this year. For one thing, I didn't even know it had started until I saw this topic yesterday, and there doesn't seem to be anything worthwhile coming out of it. There's not even any "Blunder of the Century" type news, which is at least fun (though this thing with Bethesda's paid mods and Pete flipping out on Twitter could prove interesting), so it's not even interesting from a trainwreck perspective. Ah well, at least we have Ubisoft coming up. Always good for a cheap laugh.

I'll take you up on that (assuming it's a US thing). And in return: Some games I purchased, stuck in my inventory, promptly forgot about, and then bought again! Banished Defcon Battleblock Theatre Castle Crashers

Did someone say Fire Emblem? I too need to get around to finishing the latter half of Revelation, but the damned completionist in me demands I unlock every single support dialogue before choosing who S-supports where. First playthrough is exclusively compatibility (no min-maxing stats), and that requires a fully fleshed-out support log. Damn gigantic party! Also, expect a step or two back in Echoes. It's good, but there's a few QOL enhancements they skipped in the remake (it's definitely more "remake") that muscle memory is killing me on.

Might as well toss my name in too. Jorrel#1454 I'm mostly playing Total Mayhem because those long stalls at Overtime are great for 6000xp on time.

Yeah, there's no way the numbers haven't been tweaked for the worse since Uprising. I bet it was caused by that Chinese law that forced them to reveal the drop rates.

Nail on the head, I think. Valve has a ton of projects they've either abandoned or forgotten (I will never stop laughing at the Portal 2 store), or that have failed (like the Steam Machines), and I'm guessing the penny-pinchers are starting to get ruffled. Even the gaming community - stalwart defenders of both Valve and its Time - is starting to turn against Valve the Video Game Company, since they... well, they don't make video games any more. 5 years ago, Valve could Do No Wrong, even when acting as the biggest/most used DRM service in the business. DRM has always been generally frowned upon, but given a pass on Steam because "Hey, it's Valve. They're a gaming company first, profit-seeking company second. They won't try to screw us." It's a completely different atmosphere now. Mentioning Valve (the gaming company) now comes with a smirk, just like Valve Time always did. Now, if they come out at E3 with some big game announcement, tides may turn... but it's probably too late, with Valve's current track record and good old Valve Time working against anything they would announce.