#thinking of releasing a preset again

[windslar]

messing around reshade while waiting for the nine kids in this neighbourhood to ring my doorbell

[paluding]

MODDERS WANTED!

Maxis lost and found: Sims 2 werewolf faces?

Nope, I didn't use any custom face templates or sliders to make this render. This werewolf face IS in the game! Once again, nothing to download here, at least not for now. Hopefully we can make this an actual thing. All the details and research under the cut 🐺

So I was digging through the Pets EP files the other day for a project I had in mind when I found these meshes:

The "Arch" in the name caught my attention, because that's how the CAS face templates are named as well, so when I loaded the preview I found these really cool werewolf faces!

That got me thinking… this was probably intended for the werewolf transformations, right? Looks like the devs scrapped this idea on the final Pets release. @/hypersaline already restored the werewolf fangs, and I was wondering if it would be possible to restore these faces too.

Are "temporary face sliders" overlays even a thing in this game? The closest interaction I can think of is the Plastic Surgery station and its preset faces for the failed surgeries, but those just create a new face in the genetic data of the Sim, which is permanent unless the player gives them another plastic surgery session. The ideal thing would be morphing the face with these "sliders" when they transform into werewolves, and then remove them once they go back to their human shape.

Anyway, I figured I could extract the meshes and see if I could preview the faces in Blender just to showcase them. The files are pretty broken, they don't even have a UV map and the vertex order is all over the place. So after some tedious vertex snapping shenaningans I kinda remade them in Blender. Here's how they all look, compared to the base second face template in the game:

Adult Female Face (afArchLycan):

Adult Male Face (amArchLycan):

Teen Female Face (tfArchLycan):

Teen Male Face (tmArchLycan):

No elder faces as far as I know, and obviously children werewolves aren't a thing in the vanilla game.

The modding skills needed to restore something like this (if it's even possible) are way out of my scope. So yeah, if any modder knows a trick or two about how to implement this face transformation back in the game and feels brave enough to give this a try, please count me in! My DMs are open. I'll be more than happy to help with anything I'm able to on the meshing department 🙇‍♂️

Until then, at least here's a showcase archived of what could have been for Sims 2 werewolves 🌝

[sdrklx]

I haven't posted much on here. My account sort of became a go-to for when the demo released and people wanted the sprites right away. It kind of removed the purpose of it being a personal art account, and I have been hesitant to post more on here. 😓

Anyways... This piece took longer than it should've, with trial and error during the initial sketching process to even finding a proper way to color everything, but I think getting the lace design was the most challenging part. I'm not particularly a fan of preset brushes, and I don't think I could get them to work in the same way I'd expect. I think it turned out fine. I hope I can get more opportunities to work with multiple characters again someday.

[noideabutsims]

Donut Co. Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs 📢 Simmers, Are Your Sims STILL Stepping Onto Snore-fest Rugs?! 😴 (We're Looking at You, EA!) 📢

Let's be real, folks. Finding decent rugs in the Sims 4 is like searching for a unicorn in a haystack. You spend hours scouring the build catalog, only to be greeted by a sea of beige, blah, and just plain BORING. 😫

And don't even get us started on the elusive "half rug." Seriously, EA, where are they hiding? Did they get lost in a time portal? Are they being held hostage by a rogue pack of Build Mode gnomes? We need more options! 😤

But fear not, fellow decorators! Donut Co. is here to rescue your Sims' floors (and your sanity!) with our Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs! ✨

These aren't your grandma's rugs, folks. We're talking vibrant, playful masterpieces that'll make your Sims want to ditch their shoes and do a happy dance! 💃

🌈 A Rainbow of Possibilities:

Whimsical Rainbows: Step into a world of color with our signature rainbow arch designs.

Playful Rubber Duckies: Add a touch of whimsy to your Sims' bathrooms (because who doesn't love a rubber ducky serenade in the shower?).

Blooming Leaves: Bring the beauty of nature indoors (without the risk of your Sims forgetting to water them... again).

Enchanted Mushrooms: Step into a fairytale with these whimsical mushroom designs (no, they won't make your Sims trip out... we think).

Unique Designs: For those who love a touch of abstract flair (and maybe a little mystery).

✨ Why You'll Love Them:

Perfect for Entryways & Bathrooms: Finally, a rug that's the perfect size for those often-overlooked spaces! No more awkwardly oversized rugs in your tiny bathrooms!

Plush & Comfy: Your Sims will love sinking their toes into these soft, inviting textures (it's like walking on a cloud... but without the fear of falling through).

Vibrant & Playful: Add a pop of personality and charm to any room (because let's face it, beige is SO last century).

So, ditch those snooze-fest bath mats and welcome your Sims home with a burst of color and comfort! Donut Co.'s Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs are here to transform your Sims' homes into havens of style and personality. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GUYS - A friend of mine saw my rugs while WIP and has decided to make some wallpapers to go along with them - Using my png files!! So they will match exactly to these rugs! They're already a wonderful cc creator - so you should definitely check them out; but be sure to watch out for the wallpapers coming really soon! Xx (They look amazing already!!!!) Find them here: https://crimsonrozes.tumblr.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All images have my reshade on - You can find no reshade images on the patreon and curseforge posts!*** If you are interested in my reshade, or want to see how much it changes the color - you can find it here: https://www.tumblr.com/noideabutsims/763209634729345024/remember-those-days-reshade-preset-guess-what?source=share ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Has 17 swatches New mesh

All of our CC can be found by typing " Donut " into the search bar! Name: Donut Co. Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs Buy Mode Description: "Add a splash of personality to your Sims' entryways and bathrooms with Donut Co.'s Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs! These vibrant creations blend playful patterns and eye-catching colors to transform those often-overlooked spaces.

Imagine your Sims stepping onto a plush rainbow archway as they enter their home, or sinking their toes into a cloud of softness after a relaxing bath. With whimsical rainbows, playful rubber duckies, blooming florals, enchanting mushrooms, and unique rainbow swirls, there's a design for every style.

So ditch those boring bath mats and welcome your Sims home with a burst of color and comfort!

Woah-oh - You're halfway there - to having the best rugs in town! XD" Will be releasing more content soon! stay tuned! ❤️ (NOT affiliated with EA or Maxis in any way! We just make CC!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DOWNLOAD: Curseforge: https://legacy.curseforge.com/sims4/build-buy/donut-co-rainboho-tastic-halfway-there-rugs Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/116930384 Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MF3sWv5ZzL10PgM_kNZZ6pJZfN5hhIPe/view?usp=sharing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Due to financial issues and our promise of never paywalling our content; We have to ask that you guys download on our curseforge if you are willing and able. Just using their site to download makes us be able to have at least a small income that helps us when things get tough - however no matter where you download; we genuinely appreciate every download regardless!! If you can, you can find our curseforge here!: https://legacy.curseforge.com/members/the_lady_gaia/projects

Download it today and let the color explosion begin! 🌈✨ @alwaysfreecc @maxismatchccworld

[sundays-sims]

× NAVIGATION ×

patreon   |  TOU  |  instagram  |  download section

× FAQ ×

“This link is broken or doesn’t exist anymore” and “Where can I find X set”

head over my blog’s download section to have access to a list of all my free content; this is an easy-to-navigate list, with direct download links (mediafire or patreon) & includes all my older sets that had broken links.

→  download section  ←

“This bed is broken”

when the game adds new features through updates, it can break certain type of content; to update my beds & have them work properly again, you will need to re-download them here :

→  beds update  ←

“Where can I download your builds?”

my builds & rooms are not available for downloads because I do not keep them myself. I usually create simple rooms only to showcase my content & take pictures, I then delete them.

“What ReShade/GShade do you use & where can I download it?”

my GShade presets are all my own personal presets. I think that one’s preset is such nice way to add a unique touch to pictures & I won’t share any of my presets for that reason.

“Do you allow recolors & conversions to other Sims games?”

yes. I allow recolors & conversions (to Sims games ONLY), as long as my content is already released for free & out of early access. For more information, please read my terms of use;

→  terms of use / t.o.u  ←

“I just downloaded X set, and my game won’t start”

this can happen for a few reasons; your game isn’t up to date, you have a lot of duplicate packages, or files got corrupted while downloading. If you download a lot of fully finished builds with merged cc (or into different files), you could end up with a lot of duplicates of the same object. This could cause your game to be slower or even not start at all. Secondly, downloading a lot of files at the same time, especially on patreon, seems to be causing problems & corrupting files. The corrupted files will cause your game to either crash at start or give you an error message. Try taking the last files you downloaded out of your Mod folder and re-downloading the set, or sets, only one part at the time. This seems to always work for me. My content is tested by multiple people (and me) before uploading & I would not upload broken content. If you are facing issues with an older set of mine, it is most likely a problem that occurred while downloading or with your game/mod folder. I am always happy to help when it comes to my content, but I will not “fix” any other creator’s content. In short, make sure to check for: - batch fix (e.g. broken beds updates) - game updates - cc duplicates - corrupted files Lastly, if you did all the above, and are still having problems, do not hesitate to send me a direct message (DM). When it comes to troubleshooting, I will not answer comments below posts for the simple reason that it makes it difficult to have a conversation. Going back and forth with replies into a comment section makes it too difficult since it will most likely require going through a few steps to solve any further issues.

"Do you do commission work?"

no, I dont. I often take suggestions or make small polls on my social media (insta & patreon), feel free to follow me & participate in those, send me pictures of things you like etc.

"Are you WCIF friendly?"

yes. I will do my best to remember where it was from, but since I don't keep any builds in my game, it can sometimes be difficult. Also, please note that I often write a small WCIF section at the end of my posts, take the time to read all the way down!

Thank you all for being here, supporting my work & taking the time to read.

S. xx

[pictureamoebae]

Hey! First of all I’d like to thank you for all the help and resources you provide to the community! I had some questions about updating to the new version of reshade. I use 5.9.2, and never used any other version. But I’d like to update so I can use the immerse ultimate shaders.

Will updating mess up my current presets at all? And in order to update do I have to uninstall or remove anything I have currently or just run the setup for the new version of reshade?

If I’ve paid for the immerse shaders before, do I have to pay again for the update or are updates free?

Also, is it the newest version you’re using in your YouTube video? The UI seems different and I love the relight spheres being slightly transparent. Would you recommend the update?

Sorry for all the questions lol Thanks in advance!!

I love an in-depth ask anon lol

The important thing when updating ReShade, to make sure your presets look the same, is that you have all the required shaders. I recommend going through your presets and noting which shaders they use, so then when you update you can check them off, and grab any you don't have. Make a backup of your current set of shaders and textures first, that way if anything's missing you can just grab it from the backup and drop it in your new files. You don't have to remove anything first. Because you're moving from one major release to another (in this instance from 5.x to 6.x) I recommend selecting the option for updating ReShade and the shaders. If you were just moving from say 6.1 to 6.3 then you could just choose the option to only update ReShade. But with a major version switch, updating everything makes sure you won't run into any compatibility issues along the way.

You do have to subscribe again to update the iMMERSE Pro and Ultimate shaders, yes. I believe there may be a new version coming before too long, so unless it's super urgent that you update now you might want to hold off for a little while. I'm not 100% sure when the next update will be though, so you could just be like me and be impatient and get it now!

And yes, I'm using the 2412 version, which is the latest one. You can change the transparency of ReLight's orbs, which is super helpful at times. Even on their lowest transparency though (which I think is around 10%) they will still be annoying and in the way if they're over someone's face, so I still toggle them off a lot when I need to see what I'm doing. Is the update worth it? I'm biased, for a couple of reasons, first I am ReLight's biggest cheerleader and will always try to get people to use it because it's such an essential shader for me now, but also I've just started doing some work for Marty so full disclosure full transparency, etc etc. I always get the latest versions, but iirc it wasn't as big a leap between the previous version and this one as it was between the old quint version and the immerse version, so if you're happy with how it works right now there's no harm in keep using it, at least until a newer version comes out.

[simbic]

what do i look like, someone who can resist a life sim in any form

I needed to see my OCs with some realism. She's mf perfect, like exactly what's in my head.

Honestly the talk about it being a "sims killer" was hilarious before and it's even funnier now that I've played it. Because this is not the sims, this is a different game in its own right, and it's going to pull in a specific type of sims player.

Gonna be real, played for a few hours and I'm not really feeling it. I'm going to give it grace; it is early access, but i feel like they should have just waited a while before release. Maybe the end of the year.

And I just learned about the AI thing and honestly, I need to learn to read the fine print before I make manic decisions at 2 in the fucking morning.

anyway, stuff below

Generally speaking, I just don't like it. Gameplay feels just...blegh. It's got a sterile feel to it that just leaves me a little underwhelmed. I can watch them interact and talk and smile and fall in love, but it feels like a couple robots just doing things? Relationship building is too easy. This is a complaint I used to have about TS4; two sims who are polar opposites or just fundamentally don't like each other or have different values should not be able to fall in love before 10AM.

Literally. They were soulmates by 10AM.

Also

Now look.

I understand this might be a culture thing, I think Korea has a different view of what counts as obscene. But this made me mad lmao

And when they got back out of bed they were fully clothed! Excuse me!! At least put them in PJs! It took me all the way out of it, and I was already half way out lol

Like I don't need to see anything my dudes, but the bed covers moving is the standard okay. There's a reason blur mods are always among the first to be created in games like this lol

The musical stings when I switch between zois makes me insane; I'm going to assume you can disable that and I just haven't looked through settings thoroughly enough. I don't like it in sims 4 and I don't like it here. There seems to just be a kind of...sluggishness to things that frustrates me. It's not clicking with me and I'm kind of sad about it. I was hoping for a just "yay!" feeling but it's TS3 all over again; it ain't working for me, not right now anyway.

I do like that you can control them with WASD though, watching over their shoulders is cool, but I'd rather use WASD for moving the camera, not controlling them. A couple articles I read complained about the world feeling hollow, and while I get why (went looking around the city in general and it does just feel kind of "empty"), the lots I visited were busy. A lot of activity happening. I saw this complaint about TS4 years and years ago, and it was much the same; the neighborhood never appeared empty and lifeless to me, so yeah.

On that note, the musical chairs drives me bonkers, just like in TS4. Creating a game like this is NOT a small feat, and I commend them for taking this on. The musical chairs occurring in a competitor to sims just kind of drove this home for me. This is not easy; there's a reason the sims hasn't seen real competition until now.

I'd like to see that boring, sterile feeling dealt with, or just play more and figure out if I can deal with that myself. I'd like to see the character customization made a bit more flexible? Like not just face presets; I want to see eye, nose, mouth, etc presets to give me more wiggle room. Clothing and hair selection disappointing, but it was disappointing when i played the demo so. And the basegame selection is always going to be a bit limiting.

The realism bothers me quite a bit. I've always liked TS4's cartoony feel; it's always felt warm, full, and vibrant to me, and hyper realism doesn't really create that atmosphere for me. Plus, it's a reminder that it's not real and I can do whatever I want; there are no limits. I've never been one for realism in the sims in any iteration, so I guess that makes sense.

Inzoi already has weather, which I was impressed by at first, but realized it's purely aesthetic, so the point of it is lost; they don't react to it. They get cold but the rain/snow might as well just not be there. For me, the character creation is amazing, I actually do love it, I loved seeing my OCs through a realistic lens. But once I plopped them down on a lot, I felt...eh. I haven't gotten into building, so it remains to be seen how I'll feel about it later.

I find the HUD to be a little too...fiddly? Like wants, needs, moods, it's situated in a way that my eyes don't like, but I wonder all the time if this is because tablets tend to be busy like this? My eyes couldn't figure out what to look at first, though I got used to it. I feel the same way about Marvel Rivals; I hate it when everything is busy as fuck.

My time in sims 4 is like 20% building, 15% CAS, and the rest is all regular gameplay, and if I'm not entertained watching them do things, then it's not going to hold my attention. I hope this aspect of Inzoi improves, not because I want to play it but because the sims NEEDS some healthy competition to keep them on their fucking toes. That, and I think alpha players are going to be really drawn to it in the end.

I'm glad to see some real variety appearing after sims has held the market for so goddamn long, but I think I'll just...see how Paralives turns out. Like I said, you have to remember Inzoi is in early access and it's not going to be what you want it to be for a while. I'll just check back in on it after it's had some updates. I don't see myself pivoting to it just because the aesthetic does not appeal to me. I don't like hyper-realism, so it's very likely just not made for me.

[snapsnzips]

Why Am I Even Here? My Initial Dragon Age: Inquisition Reaction

I didn’t even like DAI at first. Especially coming in hot from DA2 and a lifetime of built in keyboard habits from Bioware games. Suddenly trying to click-to-move has me stopping and shooting. I can’t walk around using my mouse buttons while I drink some coffee or have a snack. Every time I try to pause the game I jump and the pause is now way off where my small handed pinky can’t really reach.

I’ve always played dual wield rogues. I love them. I instantly hated them here. No DA2 gap closer, no click to move if I’m not quite close enough, she kept ending up back in front of mobs no matter how I positioned her. No health bars or nameplates on mobs, they were impossible to see for someone overwhelmed by the input of a new game.

Also wtf is that tactical cam? As a diehard DA:O combat enjoyer, I was in shambles.

I can’t name my save games, I have to maintain a text file with save timestamps of things I want to keep.

I had to be standing on top of something to loot it with no click to move for better repositioning. The hold key is more of a suggestion to your party than a command that they actually fucking stay where I put them. Releasing a party from hold (if they actually stood still for more than 5 seconds) is now a separate keybind.

I finally made it to the tutorial boss and was so mad about how bad melee rogues play that I restarted the next day with a mage. Things got a little better.

I remapped jump to a mouse side button. I remapped disengage to another mouse side button. I put pause on the key it’s used for the last fucking 20 years of bioware games. I gave up mostly trying to get my party to stop moving. (I’m never doing the temple puzzles again where it requires everyone to stand in really specific spots all over the room). I installed mods that:

widened search radius

constantly search pinged

extended gathering reach

quicker looting

more banter

deshine (why tf is everyone soaking wet?)

more hair mods because again bioware hair is all square blocks

HD textures

A Reshade preset

complexion textures

beard edits for the male NPCs because wtf is that facial hair?

And then I restarted again to get something better out of the character creator.

I ended up with a bunch more mods but those are the big ones. I finally ended up needing mods to stop Maryden from singing so loud when I’m talking to people, to shut up Xenon because he’s so loud and stop the requisition officer from talking so she stopped interrupting banter that triggers on zone in.

Weirdly I don’t hate table missions. Although I wish some of them could have been side quests. I managed to kill my Dalish clan at least once and also killed off the Wardens in a set of missions. At first I thought table missions were purely flavor so I didn’t realize I could accidentally murder people and get really bad outcomes. I honestly don’t mind the war table although I did eventually cut mission length to 50%.

I got a conversation zoom-in mod as well. The default conversation zoom is so impersonal it just felt bad. The game should allow more zoom in during none cutscenes.

In case you can’t tell, I’m a game restarter. I often need two or three starts into a game before I can finish. I’ll restart and play the intro a few times to get a feel for what’s actually going on once I’m no longer overwhelmed. I’ll also restart halfway through if I realize I’ve made some really irredeemable mistakes (those conversation wheels don’t always mean what you think), or if I realize I’m really into what’s going on and want to replay what I’ve already done for a deeper understanding before moving forward with my story.

Restart scenario: I had been playing DA2 from my original pre-order disc from over 10 years ago. When it went on sale over Christmas, I bought it so I could play the DLC. Which I did then realized as I was part way through act 3 that I didn’t want to go there again. Anders my beloved.

Since there’s no way to save a character outside a new game, I had a lot of early false starts with DA:I. But that’s probably a story for a next post.

[guardiantales-fanblog]

Guardian Tales Director Q&A

and now for the Director's Q&A that also came out today. This is gonna be a long one. And again; all MTL'd from Korean, sorry. link to interview

Q: You are receiving favorable reviews for your story. Are there any plans to provide separate content to view past stories? A: There are no plans to provide it in-game. If possible, I hope you enjoy the story along with the gameplay. As of now, we are thinking of steadily adding a replay feature so that you can enjoy past stories. The full story is also being released on YouTube, so I hope you'll get into the game and try it out yourself.

Im... not sure what this means tbh... Maybe they're talking about prequel side-content.

Q: Many people are unhappy that the playable hero is locked to Knight. A: It's a matter of choice. In Season 2, knights and princesses were the centerpiece of the game, so it was for the sake of immersion. In Season 3, we plan to change it so that users can use their own heroes in the story. However, for those who like to play as knights, we've also made significant improvements to the knight experience. It's your choice.

So basically: teams in story are coming back, and we might get Knight ascension soon?

Q: Last year, you mentioned a new summoning system. Can you elaborate? A: […] Since I personally don't enjoy picking and the current picks don't fit the current state of Guardian Tales, we're introducing a selective pickup system to make it easier to get each hero. The pickup system will allow users to select five heroes and then those heroes will appear. This will make it easier for players to collect the heroes they want. Since the game doesn't force duplicate picks, the value of each hero will be lower. We will adjust the release window to preserve the value of new heroes. In Season 3, we expect that new players will be able to easily pick their favorite heroes from the existing ones, and existing players who have collected all the heroes will be able to focus on picking up new ones.

New summoning mechanic coming soon

Q: There are not enough party presets. A: We plan to improve the preset system along with the UI in Season 3. Enjoy all content with 30 presets. This method allows you to specify a preset for each content once the update is applied. 

(possibly the new UI for master arena)

Q: When will the replay feature be added after Chapter 13? A: Replay is a huge resource drain on our development team. We're working on improvements to simplify and standardize the development process, as there are multiple options in between. Although we did not have enough time to work on Season 3 until the first half of this year, we will develop it in a simplified way in the second half of the year and even show World 18 again

I was not aware replay development was so rough... I hope things become smoother for them

Q: Is it possible to add the ability to visit a guild lobby other than chatting with friends? A: I thought a lot about including the whisper function in the season 3 specs. As a result, there was a lot of other work to do, so it was omitted from the current plan. Adding the ability to visit other guild lobbies is difficult because it requires creating a new guild room. However, in order to strengthen the community function, we will make improvements to make it easier to invite when playing cooperatively or in friendly matches. There were issues that made it difficult to get together in the cooperative expedition. We are also considering updating our profile page so that we can show off our achievements to other users.

they might mean stuff like those stickers they've shown in the stream?

Q: Balance controversies are always inevitable. A: There will be no drastic balance changes before Season 3. […] We promised not to nerf existing heroes. We need to look at it over a long period of time, but we plan to periodically buff non-mainstream heroes so that the results can be felt relatively quickly.

Q: There is a trend of subculture games announcing animation production. Does Guardian Tales have any plans? A: There are no immediate plans to do so. It's not my personal preference. I watch a lot of anime, but I really want to tell a story in a game. The main character of Guardian Tales is the player. I don't want to create subculture content centered around the knight. We're open to considering external animation, but we want to keep the emotional impact of the gameplay.

Im surprised to know that they actually considered it. I have to agree with the director here, while i did wish it got one, I dont think an anime would give the same feeling playing the game does.

Q: What are your next collaboration plans?  A: I have a plan. It could be introduced within this year at the earliest, or next year at the latest. Originally, the Tensura collab was planned for last year. There is something I have prepared to present this year. That IP is my first pick. It's an IP that everyone will know when they hear it.

Q: I’m curious about the future princess’s whereabouts. A: We know that there is a high need for a reappearance as it left a great impression during Season 1. Based on the scenario, I think the story of the future princess and the unrecorded world was neatly concluded in season 1. Now, the story of another timeline is open to all possibilities depending on the users' imagination. Rather than waiting for the future princess, I would appreciate it if you looked forward to a scenario where you meet new characters. I will show you a story that will satisfy you.

ah..... FP............ come back home soon...

Q: What is the current status of overseas services? A: Still receiving a lot of love. However, in the case of China, Japan, and Global, content is being used up in line with Korea's progress. As the progress reached a certain level, the initial explosive power faded away. Still, new articles are coming in steadily. In Season 3, we plan to inject new momentum so that you can quickly enjoy it with other users. In line with Korea Season 3, it is being developed so that it can be quickly expanded to overseas markets.

Q: What is your biggest goal as Guardian Tales director? A: There is no final goal point. Because I like story RPGs, I am happy just by creating Guardian Tales that can provide the highest level of emotion. I just hope Guardian Tales continues to make good stories.

[ms-foobles]

for NES asks: at the time it was released, what technical aspects of the console set it apart from the other consoles of that generation (like the Master System and Atari 7800)? i know the design of the console and the strength of the games were big, but what about the machine itself made it so great?

That is a very interesting question! I don't know quite as much about those other consoles as I do the NES, so this was a great excuse to research some new tech!

(I hope this response isn't too long, there's a lot to talk about!)

In my opinion, the thing the NES does best compared to all the competition is sound. The NES has 5 sound channels: two pulse channels, one triangle, one noise, and one delta-modulation channel. The pulse channels each support various different duty cycles, which all have different harmonics and gives you some versatility in timbre even with a simple pulse wave. And the delta-modulation channel enables a game to play actual audio samples. Some of the other consoles had sample playback capabilities as well, but in those cases the CPU had to be doing all the work to feed data to the sound chip. On the NES, the system itself does that work instead, which makes it feasible to play recorded instrument samples or effects while the CPU is doing other work (kinda).

By comparison, the Atari 7800 had only two channels with a preset list of waveforms, and way, WAY worse tuning when it comes to specifying the frequency of the sound you want to play. The SMS is better, but still worse than the NES. It has 3 pulse channels and 1 noise channel, but you couldn't even control the duty cycle of the pulse channels!

Graphics are a whole 'nother story though. In terms of raw picture quality, I might have to say that the SMS wins over the NES. The SMS has way more graphics memory, and also allows for way more simultaneous colors for any given sprite or tile. The 7800 comes in last place again-- I don't think it's really a contest. Sorry Atari! (That being said, I could do a whole nother writeup on how weird the 7800's architecture is, it's exceedingly different from the others).

One thing the NES did very differently from almost all the competition though was the way that it accessed video memory. On most systems, including the SMS and consoles that came after the NES, it works like this: The system motherboard has a graphics card and a video memory chip (VRAM) on it. The CPU occasionally sends graphics information into VRAM (such as pixel data or tile maps), and the graphics card then uses whatever data is in VRAM to draw a frame of video.

The NES is very similar, except that instead of the graphics card asking an internal VRAM chip for graphics data, the graphics card asks the game cartridge for graphics data. This means that custom hardware can be put inside of the cartridge that handles the graphics card's requests in special ways in order to achieve REALLY cool effects! This is particularly powerful when combined with the idea that drawing a frame of video happens line-by-line, top-to-bottom linearly over a span of time. If the hardware inside the cartridge re-maps memory in the middle of the graphics card outputting a frame, then everything before that point (i.e., above it/to the left on the TV) will look one way, and everything after that (below/to the right) will look another way. This can be used cleverly to, e.g., expand the maximum number of tiles that are visible at once, or even implement cool stuff like rudimentary vertical split screen! None of this would be possible if the NES fetched graphics data solely from internal VRAM, because if it did, there would be no way for custom in-cartridge hardware to intervene.

[simeffable]

Hi! Looking forward to seeing your next Sims! A couple of questions: I don't see the old pinned post about your upcoming sims, just the one about the Lost ones (which look amazing btw) and now the Buffy one I'm very excited about! Were you still releasing whichever the others were on the old pin? And Question 2: do you have any tips/can you offer any help/talk about how you make such accurate lookalike Sims from TV shows and other media? Simmers make it look so easy, but I can't figure it out tbh... Thanks!

Hi! Thanks for your question :) First of all, thank you for reminding me that that LOST post was still pinned! I pinned it for a while because a few people for people on Reddit, but I very much intended to replace it with my 'upcoming projects' one and totally forgot! It's all sorted now. Everything on that post will be released, and anything that has been is linked on it :)

Second of all, great question! I find even though it sounds obvious, always have a photo of the person you want to capture the likeness of. Don't assume you just know what they look like. I usually stick with a front profile photo to begin with, then will look at 3/4 and side views if I'm still struggling (but not always, as altering the side profile in Sims can sometimes completely change the front and make it look goofy. I'd rather have an accurate front profile and dodgy side.). I then try to have my game split screen in windowed mode with the photo along side it (if you can't get split screen there are a few apps available to overlay images onto windows) zoomed and positioned so that the real guy's head is the same size as the sim's. From there, I start by trying to get the physical features lined to match their position on the photo and get the size of them correct. Then, I always start with the eyebrow shape (sliders from @miikocc help a lot) and the eyes (again, @obscurus-sims sliders for eyelids will help capture more complicated shapes and hooded eyes). A lot of the time, its actually the width of the neck that makes a sim look goofy so @golyhawhaw 's Neck Width Slider is a life saver for male sims. Just keep going back and forth between the picture and your sim, choose the most accurate hairstyle you can and don't be afraid to download as many CC sliders as you can find as these really optimise the games' sculpting ability.

Hope this helps!

I've linked my favourite sliders below, as well as my go-to hair creators as it really is the make or break!

Golyhawhaw's Neck Width Slider (male only) | Miiko Eyebrow Slider | Eyelids Sliders | Squeamish Sims Temple Slider | Cheekbone Slider | Scalp Slider (male only) | Luumia's Assymetry Sliders, Ear Slider and Presets

Favourite hair creators: @johnnysimmer , @daylifesims , @simstrouble , @nolan-sims , @feralpoodles , @aharris00britney , vevesims (inactive I think, but creations can still be found), @okruee , @wistfulpoltergeist

[liaragaming]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard HYPE Q&A

What was the first Dragon Age game you played?

Origins. My husband encouraged me to play it, saying that he thought I would like it. And then I loved it more than he did. lol!

2. Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far?

Inquisition. That cast of characters just sucked me in.

3. Do you usually play as a warrior, mage, or rogue? Which class are you planning to try first this time around? Which subclass?

I tend to switch it up. Origins, I played rogue because that was recommended to me. Exodus (DA2), I played warrior because I wanted Bethany in my party. And then Inquisition, I was like, well, I haven't done mage, so I'll do it. Thinking of going full circle and going rogue again in Veilguard.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

That's a little difficult to get into since we don't know what will be important. But:

Romanced Solas / vowed to save him

Leliana Divine

Inquisitor didn't drink from the Well

Do you typically use a preset character and name or spend hours in the character creator coming up with a custom one?

I can get overwhelmed in the character creator. I tend to start with a preset and then customize it a bit and then jump into the game. I'll make tweaks to the character overtime though as I play. I prefer coming up with a my own name though, just because I don't want my character to share the same name as other players. And I will spend hours on that.

Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

Waiting for more information, but I'm thinking elven and red head. I like the idea of a non-magic user who joined the Veil Jumpers. Just because you can't use magic, doesn't mean you can't be fascinated with it.

Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

FENRIS! I need, need, need Fenris!

Dorian feels like a given.

There's more, but those two are tops!

What faction are you most excited to learn more about?

Veil Jumpers!

But also, all of them, to be honest. I can't wait to learn more about each one.

Which romance, if any, do you plan to pursue first?

I was thinking Bellara because I like elves. And then I heard about Lucanis being the angst romance, and I'm a sucker for that (as long as it end happily - I'm already in hell over Solavellan). But then I heard Emmrich is a total nerd and loves learning - and like... I don't know anymore!

Which location are you most excited/hoping to explore in-game?

It was Tevinter, but now... Arlathan forest? I also really want to see Rivain and learn more about the culture there.

There's so many place we'll be visiting. I'm excited for them all!

What's one thing you'd really like to see in this next game?

Resolution to the Solas romance. I've been in hell for 10 years! Please release me from this prison!

What's one thing you're hoping we DON'T see in this next game?

Anyone dying. Please Bioware. DO NOT give me the Hawke / Warden choice again.

What's one thing you've seen confirmed so far that you're a fan of?

The theme of regret. I can't wait to dive into that.

Developing a relationship between Rook and Solas. I have no idea how that is going to work, but I am so excited.

The Lighthouse. Just... gimmie.

What's one crack theory you subscribe to (yours or someone else's)?

Solas and Ghilan'nan were a thing (mine).

Are you interested in all the lore and speculation or do you focus more on the games and stories themselves?

All of it. All the lore, all the stories, all the characters. I just eat it up.

Which aspect of fandom are you most looking forward to? (e.g. reading/writing fic, the bounty of gorgeous art, getting to know new people, etc.)

Very excited for all the companion fanart and meta that is going to come out. Also all the fanfic I'm sure I'm going to write.

Are you planning to replay any of the previous games, watch Dragon Age: Absolution, or read any of the books/comics/short stories, or are there other games you want to play in the meantime?

Reading through Tevinter Nights now. Then going through the World of Thedas books. I WISH I had time to add the comics in there as well.

Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[simplyanjuta]

Thank you so much for your Adjusted Thumbnails mod! I needed it so much and I didn't know it. :P I don't know if it's possible but could it also be adjusted for the Pre-teens mod? I have no idea since that is not an actual EA age but figured I would ask. Thanks again!

Hi there! Happy a few people find the mod useful :-)

From what I understand pre-teens in the referred mod are just teens with a special trait & height preset applied, so similar in that way to the Shorter Teens mod.

I just tested it to see if the pre-teens fit into the picture frame with the adjusted settings for shorter teens from my mod... It kinda works but it's indeed a bit cropped. Seems like the applied height preset is even shorter than the shortest version from the Shorter Teens mod.

I guess I can add a variation zooming out yet a bit more, but need to see how it looks overall. I felt a bit hesitant even with the version I released tbh.

P.S. When I experimented with the settings, I also tested how far I need to zoom out with max and min settings of Redheadsims height sliders, but at some point it just looks really silly imo 🙈

Update: Tried it out and the portraits would need to be teeny tiny, so I don't think it's a worthwhile option.

[cpcwiki]

I am suggesting for the wiki account to start from the very beginning, which imho related about the episodes. Like maybe give tutorial of the how to starts at the wiki.. Wiki is free to edit from and for all, but one need to register themself first so maybe it's confusing to the totally new account of the fandom. After that, maybe teach how to upload images (I already taught in reblog about how to properly naming image but the better things be repeated, the more info of it being on remember) like from screenshotting image/panel of the CPC (if in mobile, which at app - means to be aware from the logo webtoon watermark.. it's best to screenshotting from the PC)

Our absolute immediate danger is to putting (uploading) any necessary images that related to wiki before CPC going to becomes daily pass. Based on my calculations with @meritre24601 that taking account of anything possible like LambCat claims that she likes to end the CPC at episode 169 at IG = We're literally in red danger as it makes the FP ep 169 will on release at January 15 - well, just one month from now

The free pass of the final episode will be 2-3 weeks from that, but once the very final episode on free - then the possibility of daily pass is usually only few weeks PLUS sadly English platform not really warning about certain webtoon will becomes daily pass (unlike Indonesian that has monthly warnings about which series that will become DP) SO I won't try my luck to urging delegations of the wiki project BY not giving all my best effort - but also I know I can't do anything alone, I am just a human with limitations after all

Move on the most crucial pages in the wiki IMHO, Episodes. There's 2 types of Episode Template (I am not sure which we'll decide to have, personally I really want the more complete and longer one which we have 'gallery' section so from a particular episode we could analyse the image that related to it. I think that way easier and more understable to do, make someone focus on certain topic (in my experience, I'll pour my everything to improve overall Frederick depiction especially my initial reason is - I hate the comment section on his character page, and his page likes abandoned for years, so i am one of the most eager editor that helps to improve Frederick informations ~ later on basically 'everyone/thing'). The focus is totally depends on certain interest of editor, so as long that editor could writes objectively based on canon original source then why not? Any helps will be immensely helpful than no help at all espc from people that confused

I can try to write some guides for beginner editors! That seems like something I can get done pretty quickly that might still be helpful. I'll be free for the next two days, so I can try to get some of those done then. (Ofc some confirmation that people are actually interested in editing would be nice to have first, so I know I'm not wasting my time writing guides for people who'll never read them... I think I'll make an interest check for people who actually think they'll be able to edit soon)

Encouraging people to only focus on the area they're interested in seems like a good tactic!! As long as it falls within one of the areas the wiki is incomplete in, then I agree. Any sort of work would definitely be appreciated.

Also, what do you mean about there being 2 types of episode templates? If you're talking about the one that only has headings and no preset information (like on episode 50 for example), I wouldn't consider that a template. The only one I do consider a template is the one I made. Okay maybe I'm a little biased, but I would really like us to use the longer episode template with more information. So, if we need to choose between them, my vote is for my own template :)

Again, I am VERY VERY VERY sorry for my inactivity over the past few months!! I know keeping up an entire wiki for a still-ongoing series is difficult - I was the only editor on a couple wikis for a while, including this one at one point. It doesn't give me an excuse for having basically abandoned the wiki like that, though, especially at such an inconvenient time for us. Right now, running this blog is the most wiki-related work I can do without exhausting myself :(

This is also a good time to thank you for all your hard work again!! Btw Cookie and I maaay have been considering making you an admin... we can talk about that if you're interested!

[roaldseth]

For the Trianfgle Strategy question: 17, 19, 22?

Sincerest, deepest apologies that this answer didn't arrive sooner. A lot was going on, and a lot consistently kept going on, and you know how it is, and of course making the House Wolffort live stream was of upmost seriousness and importance. The last was jokingly, but the others not so much. Anyway—

17. What ending did you go for first?

Liberty. As I had said in this set of answers, anything for Benny Boy. The story goes is that my fate was already preset before release, because, to much dismay, Benedict Pascal stands as the sole reason for why I even gave glances at Triangle Strategy. I'm not known to be an TRPG/SRPG player, gameplay was not the pull, concept did seem fun though, but on GOD I had to find out what was UP with that man. In the end, when actually presented with the options full context, I still selected Benny, half from favoritism (and not wanting to loose him first go), half from process of elimination of not wanting to do the other options at the time.

Though I am a strong Liberty End enjoyer, I was not impressed at all first impressions on how it was presented as an idea. Quite frankly, I didn't really like Benedict's argument, or at least not how he presented/worded it. Ultimately, I think I reacted that way because it wasn't presented in a way that was appealing to a person like Serenoa. But, it turned up being a "the worst man you know makes an excellent point" but the excellent point is not his point at all, and it's assessing the likely to happen/known collateral of the other options. I don't regret doing it first play through, and know I'm very much an outlier in NA-EU group with this option.

19. Most heartbreaking moment?

Finishing—UH. When I say this, I speak from a place who always inevitably has to abruptly stop when the end of the game is coming up for days/weeks as if that'll prevent it from ending because I don't want to have to deal with a conclusion when it can just, you know, live on ambiguously suspended. Endings are markers, and though I know I can—and do—live my days happily attached to Triangle Strategy as a piece of media, I can never get that first time feel ever again. It cannot be recreated. It was a specific moment in time, and it's bittersweet. So, I just don't like finishing games in general, especially if it's in a place of much love and facination, for this reason, but it's something that is important to do.

But, I know that's also not what the question is asking, so perhaps consider: Utility End does a good job of making you feel like shit, sure (moral heartbreak)? Every ending (except Golden) ruining a perfectly good marriage before they could even get married (matchmaker heartbreak)? Realizing that the stick up Benedict's ass was put there by himself (being forced to witness idiocy heartbreak)? IDK, options are there.

Actually, no, you know what? Parting with Benedict for Morality fucking sucked. Hated that shit. Like, yeah I'm a known Benedict enjoyer, which is not helping my case, but from the stance of his history and job, his parting is painful because you—the lordship—is choosing to forego the House, its settlement, its people, its ancestry, and such is a name he had served devoutly since before it was a High House (30+ years).

This doubles with Frederica leaving for Utility end, because abso-fucking-lutely. You—her betrothed—are choosing to side with the oppressor of her people because the current king doesn't have much of a spine because he's the second son and wasn't expected or taught to deal with stuff like this, and then you thought it was a good idea...

Okay, actually, halt the post (sorry Roland, you don't get a section). The easier way to say what I want to say is that your partings with any of them are so painful. Like, I get it that they're supposed to be heartbreaking because "oh disagreement, oh bestie is leaving" but it's heartbreaking because they all have good reason to fuck off (it's just Benedict and Frederica have more push with other things not canon-specific events). The emotion they all put behind it fucking rocks. Love it, but I emotionally hate it.

22. Favorite moment?

Honestly, no idea, but I will say that the Chapter 17 voting period as a whole, no matter which way it's split, and because it's split, is... something for sure, important for sure... that I can really put a name to. It will certainly likely be a benchmark if future installments are made. In functionality, gameplay and writing, it's got to be something that works in unison with each other. I don't know. It's a very important part of the game for various other reasons that isn't narrative, but still greatly includes the narrative absolutely, and it's also just oh neat let me see everyone react, excellent.

(One comment I have heard in passings is that a let down of the game was that the 4 [reps] to 8 [war council] didn't disagree enough during votes, and on one hand, yeah they probably should have butted heads more at some capacity. But, for where Triangle Strategy is right now, I can understand why they didn't, whether or not it was the right or wrong call. I personally didn't hold it against them, or mind, or think it too out of the ordinary, so it's just a personal taste and maybe "you might be looking for a different game" really.)

[thedragonagelesbian]

Oc flower asks for Cyrus- Sunflower, Violet, Wisteria

flower asks (thank you <333333333)

Sunflower - What name(s) were you originally thinking of calling your OC?

God, it's been so long since I made Cyrus, I can't remember anything else I considered? I initially made him ~2017 as the twin brother of my other Hawke, Belladonna, for an inquisitor!Hawke AU*. I wanted to give him a 'C' name to match with Carver, since I already had Belladonna & Bethany, as well as something sufficiently fantasy-ish and soft-sounding for my gold-hearted hunk of a warrior.** I might've also considered Cyril?

*No one asked but I had to abandon that idea after this version of Cyrus proved to be too much of a stabilizing influence on this version of Belladonna, countering her penchant for self-destruction to such a degree that the original character stopped working. I don't think I'll ever write them together again, but with their new and improved 2024 characterizations, they'd definitely make each other worse, not better.

**Original Cyrus was also human, bald, and heavily bearded asofjpf there were some. adaptations. when I decided to reuse him for sapphim & vaelsmod's (then) recently released Playable Elfs mod.

Violet - Do a voice claim for your OC?

I really like Nicholaus Boulton's voice acting for m!Hawke, it's hard for me to imagine anything different for Cyrus! I love that he also does the voice for Malcolm in the Legacy DLC, since Cyrus desperately wants to have his father's deep voice, whether via imitation pre-voice drop magic or approximation through voice drop magic. Also @/zevsurana has some great posts about how... performative and strained m!Hawke's red dialogue options sound, which I love as an additional detail for Act 3/post-Kirkwall!Cyrus & ranger!Cyrus. To the extent that the anger and aggression are real, they're also very much a coping & protective mechanism to try to keep himself safe.

Side note, now that I'm finally spending some time with another BG3 OC, it's wild how different some of the acting direction is across the voice presets. Voice 7 (Cyrus' voice) sounds way more tired & done with things than Yiseeril's voice (8). It's very fitting, especially for ranger!Cyrus.

Wisteria - Does your OC have a skill they'd like to learn? What is stopping them?

Varies depending on version/setting

When he's living in Val Royeaux between games, DA2!Cyrus spends a lot of time being frustrated that his brash sword & shield skill set isn't well-suited for Orlais. He tries to learn some more subtle rogue maneuvers from Varric & Zevran, but he never takes to it, being so utterly antithetical to how he's fought & conducted himself for all his life.

Both paladin versions of BG3!Cyrus (so pallybarb/Karlach & Halsin romancing timeline, and shadow sorc/Astarion romancing/turns into a sword timeline) want to further develop their Elvish, as it's a skill that has turned quite rusty in the ~century since his parents died. Pallybarb!Cyrus has a very willing & eager teacher in Halsin, though going to the Hells with Karlach has paused their lessons for the time being. Meanwhile, shadow sorc!Cyrus is a bit too distracted with the. Nonstop existential body horror that is this version of the game for him, so it's not something he's pursuing right now.

And ranger!Cyrus wants to learn to dance!! Though he has a complicated relationship with it, he loved dancing with Wyll sosososo much and wants to be able to do it well to give Wyll the dance partner he deserves and so they can show off in front of the other Baldurian nobles.