Games and Stuff //
As I suspected, I can't quite immerse myself in Baldur's Gate 3. It's nothing against the game, it's just not my preferred setting. It's unfortunate for me, but I bought it nonetheless, doing my part to support the studio. Currently, my alternative gaming choice is Diablo 2 Resurrected. I'm currently in the middle of Act 2, and despite the controls feeling a bit stiff, the game holds up remarkably well. Another intriguing option is Helldivers 2, giving off strong Starship Troopers vibes. It might just find its way onto my gaming list in the next few days, especially considering the servers seem to be running at near melting point levels of activity.
Helldivers 2 and Palworld could serve as prime examples for other game publishers to halt the price spiral. The correlation between high prices and high-quality games is becoming increasingly evident. Take Skull and Bones, for instance. Every opportunity for momentum was crushed against a cliff, leading player numbers to never reach the level necessary for Ubisoft to recoup development costs. To be fair, it seems that getting those costs back in was an uphill battle from the start. But in the end, it's often the little designers and programmers who bear the brunt of the fallout, while the individuals who initially steered the ship remain unscathed. Every nautical pun was pure coincidence, arrr.
Project EVE was originally announced as a multi-platform title, but it has since been renamed to Stellar Blade and will become exclusive to PlayStation. It's disappointing for me, I thought I would enjoy the style, but I'm not willing to purchase a PlayStation just for that. Perhaps it's only a timed exclusive, and it will eventually make its way to PC. Sony has a thing of releasing games for PC after 6-12 months, depending on the title.
I also tried making bubble tea with tapioca pearls. At this point, I'm not sure if it will become a permanent addition to my regular consumption, but for now, I'm really enjoying it.
Soft & Hardware //
I've been experimenting with various Linux distributions lately. Currently, I'm testing EndeavourOS on Proxmox, and it's providing a really nice out-of-the-box experience. Alongside this, I've been researching different NAS options. My EasyNAS (running on Proxmox) has been hitting a hard wall more often than not recently.
Also, just for fun, I tried installing MacOS as a virtual machine. I'm really not an expert on Apple products, but having one ready for testing couldn't hurt, I guess. It did work out in the end, but man, it really wasn't as smooth as I thought it would be. It was more of an exercise for me to get deeper into Proxmox.
I did lean into this:
https://i12bretro.github.io/tutorials/0775.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbynSgDdw6g
An ASRock AD255R/U3S3 is sitting next to me. It has a 10W Intel Atom processor, 4GB of RAM, and 7 internal SATA ports for storage. Additionally, I've got an ASUS ROG Hyper M.2 card for testing purposes, which adds two M.2 slots via PCI Express. It might not be the ideal card for the relatively slow CPU, but I'm willing to run some tests and see how it performs.
I'm in need of a case for that system. I mean, I do have PC cases lying around, but I'm specifically looking for a ITX case for the NAS, one with a fairly small footprint. There's no need for another big system. My Proxmox server is housed in a super small SSUPD Meshlicious case. I managed to snag that case for a steal, and I want the NAS to match its compactness.
Also on the hunt for a new PC chair. Gamer aesthetic is fine by me, but if that's the case, I'm looking for something in purple or navy color. I want something with cyberpunk vibes. Purple might just be the perfect fit.
Novaras Story //
For Novara's Story, I have a general direction in mind for its development. I'm particularly drawn to the concept of a deep swamp-like bureaucracy, so vast that it's impossible to discern what each part of it is actually doing. That's just a teaser for now. Novara, in essence, is my rebel.
Here are also some inspirational things for worldbuilding that vibe with me at the moment.