The Bridge

Ben

12:13 AM

I have been an SE member for [x number] years... What is time?

:P

ToxicFrog

02333333333333320000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lazers 2.0

6:08 AM

2

Q: Are Enderman slaves?

Are the Enderman really slaves to the Ender Dragon? I was researching them and I read that they had been subjugated to slavery under the ender dragon and that they are virtually insane.

minecraft-java-edition

ave

6:57 AM

been a member for 7 years here.

wild to think that I've been "here" for 1/3 of my life, heh.

Nzall

7:11 AM

@ave I think I've been here for like a quarter of my life

8 years since 2013 or so

SPArcheon

11:05 AM

you know how that problem should have been fixed? By not having it.
2021 and we still have battery powered components where the battery can't be replaced easily or without voiding the warranty.

Nzall

@SPArcheon actually, the battery was replaceable AFAIK

It was just a standard CMOS battery like in your PC

SPArcheon

@Nzall First question, does the average user know how to open up the PS4, change the battery, reassemble the console and have it still work? I said "replaced easily". As in "alarm clock" easily. Compartment on the back that you open and the battery is inside.

Second question - are we sure that opening the console to change the battery does not void the warranty (that say, just a pro-forma issue here. By the time the battery dies, the warranty is probably also dead...)

Nzall

@SPArcheon I don't think "alarm clock" easy would be feasible, but they could probably make it as easy as replacing it on a desktop: remove a panel (maybe through some screws?) then replace it.

SPArcheon

@Nzall Yep, maybe "alarm clock" is a bit to much (that said, I am quite sure that GBA chart could have had a clock-like panel on the back for the battery...)

Nzall

@SPArcheon it did, I think

SPArcheon

11:13 AM

But surely one should be able to devise a way that is not "disassemble half the thing"

TUTORIAL-How To Replace Any PS4's CR2032 Lithium Battery Full Guide!

►

Nzall

Yeah, I just checked a video for how hard it is to replace the PS4 CMOS battery

Yeah, that's the video I just watched

it's absurd how hard that is

yeah, I think there should be a rule that any newly designed electronics with any sort of battery should have that battery be replaceable within 10 minutes without specialized hardware or voiding your warranty

That includes things like smartphones and wireless headsets

SPArcheon

And BTW, on this one I admit my utterly complete ignorance, but the simpleton mind of mine can't really avoid to think about one thing....

WHY isn't the cmos battery RECHARGEABLE???

Nzall

@SPArcheon You mean as in "if your computer has power, it recharges the CMOS"?

SPArcheon

@Nzall yep

but I admit I don't have elements to understand if that is because "would cost 5$ more and would cut profits" or "can't do for these actual reasons [insert electronic stuff here]"

ave

@SPArcheon Simple: CR2032 is the widely accepted CMOS battery option, and non-rechargable ones are easier to get than rechargable ones.

Nzall

11:22 AM

And also: generally a CMOS battery lasts for 5-10 years purely based on charge, so chances are you'd replace your computer or console before that point anyway

SPArcheon

12:16 PM

@Nzall something something something retro-console.

Which obviously Sony&Co must hate since any time you spend on the old ps console is time you don't spend buying a new shinny ps5 (from a scalper)

SPArcheon

12:28 PM

on an unrelated topic, less than 24 hours left for Mohoyo to find a way to not-become every gaming site laughing stock.

Nzall

1:07 PM

@SPArcheon ?

SPArcheon

@Nzall "A series of unfortunate events"

- released Yoimiya. Adorable artwork / animation, poor performance. Single target focused archer in a game that favors AOE. Not even a glass cannon with huge attack against single target, gets surclassed on single target damage by other characters that attack multiple target at once. Skills do not make much sense. People raged, no fix, no skill rework, no buff. Only result was censorship during patch livestream where everyone was mentioning her in chat asking for fixes.
- released Raiden, people expected op character since Archeon, she is not that powerful. Also the whole scandal about the …

so they have three consecutive limited characters banner that players weren't satisfied with.

Now they have the first anniversary and the rewards so far seem to be ten pulls (nothing you can do much with)

in the meantime, they have anniversary community contests that basically ask people to do fan-art / cosplay for a very small chance to win.... not so good prizes

(some prizes are "decent", like ipod)

Invader Skoodge

It's a Gacha game. Did people expect anythong other then unabashed greed?

SPArcheon

@InvaderSkoodge what can I say... other gacha usually give something for free on anniversary, like free pulls every day for a week and so on. Some may give a free rare character etc. I don't think they were that wrong to expect something.

Yet, what I would be really annoyed with is a contest that asks you to do fan-art for a chance to win 100gems.

a single pull is 160 gems...

Invader Skoodge

To be fair I wouldn't know, since the "gacha" mechanic makes a game irredeemable to me so I haven't played one for more than long enough to identify that it is a gacha game.

SPArcheon

so you do free advertising for them... to possibly win less than a pull.

@InvaderSkoodge oh, I just know from comparison. I don't play, but I am kinda laughing at the chaos that is going on right now....

Invader Skoodge

1:21 PM

Let's hope that stuff like this happening ultimately makes the genre die. (It won't happen, but I can still hope.)

SPArcheon

1:58 PM

@InvaderSkoodge even if pure gacha dies, we will still have DLC galore games.

Still better when you just BUY the dls instead of gambling for it, but even dlc can be insane sometime

I mean, if this page is to be believed link then the entire DOA 6 dlc collection is ... MORE THAN 2k????

Train Simulator 2020 $10,373 worth of DLC ?????

For that price, is a 1:1 pvc figure of Thomas included with the game?

Invader Skoodge

Cherry-picking some of the worst DLC isn't really fair for DLC in general. Some of it is reasonable.

Gacha as a concept is irredeemable.

4

Nzall

@SPArcheon The idea behind the game is that you only buy the tracks and trains you're interested in

The base game itself is somewhat barebones, but the developers frequently add new skins.

Invader Skoodge

However, the very concept of "Overwatch 2" being a sequel and not an expansion is pretty much rubbish.

I watched some gameplay and it's indistinguishable from the first one.

SPArcheon

@InvaderSkoodge Yes. SOME. The train example is kinda unfair if @Nzall is right. Yet DOA 2k worth of dlc with most of it probably be swimsuits (never played but the bad reputation still precedes the game)....

Invader Skoodge

I don't like the way games are going with recurring fees and stuff, but at least if you know what you're getting for some amount of money you can decide whether it's worth it for you.

Mystery boxes need to go.

SPArcheon

2:12 PM

@InvaderSkoodge Depends. Now we have games that add gacha AFTER the launch

Invader Skoodge

Clearly I would be against that, but do you have an example?

SPArcheon

@InvaderSkoodge See for example some as innocent as Xenoverse. Added a sort of minifigure battle mode. Not required but since it is there players want to play it and collect figures. Bad odds, but Bandai is your friend and you can buy coins to get more ! All for just a bit of real world money

Invader Skoodge

:(

SPArcheon

I mention this specifically because random pulls are involved but that is not really different from Devil May Cry selling red orbs packs for "faster progression"

Invader Skoodge

Oh that practice is garbage too.

SPArcheon

2:16 PM

the difference is just that with the orb there is no rng involved

Invader Skoodge

"We intentionally tuned our game so progression is too slow to incentivize you spending real money to not play the game."

SPArcheon

2:28 PM

Undercover gacha.

Artificial progression with paid-for booster.

Invader Skoodge

Not every despicable practice is "gacha".

Just like not every difficult game is dark souls.

SPArcheon

Ultimate really final deluxe last edition of the same game with some additional content you will miss because you bought the previous one

OnlineJustBecause

they... are creative.

And do not forget the "fanservice useless dlc that we can overprice because players are stupid"

Invader Skoodge

That one's on players IMO

Nzall

@InvaderSkoodge Ubisoft has done that with the last 3 AC games as well

They made it so that if you don't buy their 50% EXP booster, you end up grossly underleveled at some point

and at that point you need to do A LOT of relatively boring side content to catch up

Fredy31

@Nzall idk i did most of the side quests in AC Greece edition and kinda liked them

but it might be because I love mythology and history

but yeah I always hated the fact that they shoved in the level progression shit in this game

Nzall

2:37 PM

@Fredy31 I mean, I liked it too, but I didn't do it all, I pretty much focused on the Odyssey questline and the Cult of Kosmos

There were some sidequests that were part of that, but not that much

Fredy31

but yeah, i hate that they threw in that leveling crap and trying to beat an ennemy even 2-3 levels above you is hard

probably just to make you buy microtransactions in a full priced game

Nzall

I didn't clear the map or anything, but I did do most of the content

Fredy31

i'm a collector so I did all the collections and quests, but thats not everybody

if there is something I fucking hate is seeing microtransactions in a game that if I bought day one, would be 80$ now

and 2 companies do it. Ubi and EA

SPArcheon

Oh, I was forgetting one of the premium scams.

Limited time events.

Either you play now and grind as hell or you miss new (insert forever missable item here)

Monster Hunter LOVES that.

Wrigglenite

If we're talking DLC, you can't really be worse than Amiibo

SPArcheon

2:45 PM

@Wrigglenite wait. For the amiboo you at least get the plastic figurine. Not that better but you have SOMETHING.

Invader Skoodge

I can imagine something worse than Amiibo.

Imagine if you didn't get to pick the one you bought, and had to gamble by buying random ones with varying rarity.

Wrigglenite

That sounds so effective I'm surprised there isn't an Amiibo blind box

SPArcheon

@Wrigglenite I prefer 20$ for a Link amibo that unlocks wolf link in the game... than 20 bucks for unlocking wolf link WITHOUT getting the figure

@Wrigglenite you sure?

Wrigglenite

No I'm not

Fredy31

@SPArcheon Most online games do so. My completionist heart hate that if I don't start a game on day 1 I will never have everything

Wrigglenite

2:47 PM

I don't own a Switch

SPArcheon

@Wrigglenite THINK AGAIN MWHAHAHAHA (Bowser laugh - seems appropriate)

Animal crossing has amiibo cards

so yep, gacha amiibo exists.

and yes, that is as low as it gets.

So... part of me is kinda evilly happy that things like THIS exist.

yep, unlicensed amiibo cards.

obviously kinda not legal, won't advise to buy those but part of me still thinks they kinda deserve that for giving birth to that idea in the first place

(and funny enough, if you search for amiibo on Amazon you will find these bootleg before the original ones...)

SPArcheon

3:08 PM

reference:

Kotaku - The Bootleg Amiibo Business Is Booming, Thanks To Nintendo

And how to forget the 60$ Mew tax.

Wrigglenite

The entire concept of having two Pokémon games is a scam to begin with

Fredy31

i guess its a rfid chip, so if you figure out how to do the rfid and what the code is, well, replicating the RFID should not be hard

@Wrigglenite Yeah, that is forcing you to buy both or to have your friends buy the other one if you wanna 'catch them all'

there is a fucking reason why pokemon is the most profitable franchise in the world

SPArcheon

@Fredy31 see Kotaku above. Technically illegal.

Fredy31

they sell you every single game 3 times

Blue, red, and then yellow

SPArcheon

@Fredy31 3? Just 3?

Diamond, Pearl => Platinum => Brilliant Diamond Shinning Pearl => (Holofoil Platinum?)

the remake of the remake

Wrigglenite

3:15 PM

There hasn't been a third game in several generations now

SPArcheon

"I'll wait Holofoil Platinum" is a common meme right now.

Wrigglenite

In fact, Platinum was the last one

And if Legends is the Arceus game, you can probably expect a Giratina episode or whatever in BDSP

SPArcheon

@Wrigglenite yep, now they just add 2 dlc after promising to not add more 'mons later....

At least same save, less grind from the start I guess

ave

@SPArcheon hi! In the time I was gone I did a ton of rfid things so I can actually talk about this.

shit. wrong reply.

@Fredy31 this is what I meant to reply to.

They're NTAG215s, which are smol chips with minimal security. They can contain like uh, ~500b of data I think? They also have a unique ID that is a bit more protocol-wide.

Anyhow. Nintendo utilizes both the password feature (which sends the password unencrypted over the air btw, which is derived from the UID) and stores encrypted data on them. The encrypted data is also encrypted using an AES key derived by again, the UID.

This means that without the keys, you can't clone them, unless you also close the UID.

UIDs are designed to be unchangable, but whenever there's a demand there's usually also a supply, so there are companies that make "magic [insert technology]" for a wide variety of rfid things that allow UID etc to be changed. However, these are costly and not very widely available. There are also bits of hardware that let you emulate the UID, both made for general RFID research and for amiibo piracy. These are also more accessible, but can get fairly costly.

Anyhow. The keys have been dumped long ago, and there are a bunch of tools that let you write whatever amiibo you want to a blank NTAG215, which tend to go for like $20 for 100.

(though you cannot overwrite them, as one of the security features on the chip is "lock bytes" which effectively block you from making changes to certain parts of the memory once set, and this is not reversible. These are set on official amiibos, and the console checks if it was set.)

Anyhow. Regarding the "rfid specialist tools" and "emulation", I played around with that before, obviously by cloning an actual amiibo I have, because I'd never violate copyright. youtube.com/watch?v=xpPsp_DiTUU

I guessssss I can namedrop tagmo as the article mentions it? But yeah, that's one of the tools I was referring to when I said "a bunch of tools". Quite possibly the most popular one.

SPArcheon

3:39 PM

LOL. Just realized. Tomorrow is not just Genshin Anniversary. It is also the birthday of one character. On characters birthday players get a mail with some (useless) food items.. So, not only people will rage for no anniversary rewards. They will also rage because on anniversary they get the memetic three fowls.

SPArcheon

3:54 PM

@SaintWacko In the remote case you are actually interested in trying the current NMS expedition, please do yourself a favor and use the Minotaur radar to locate a in-walk-range building. Trying the signal booster only finds stuff in about 20 hours walking distance... and the whole point of the expedition is that the ship is damaged....

@Memor-X ^ could be useful for you too.

Transcript for