Just my blogroll - BlogFlock

I’m Back! - Irreal

2025-12-02T19:12:16.000Z

Sorry for the missed posts. I’ve been traveling. On a train. In coach. For about 30 hours. The itinerary didn’t list it but I’m pretty sure we crossed the River Styx at one point. The person behind me was coughing her lungs out and now I have whatever she had and am coughing my lungs out.

Perhaps worst of all for a nerd is that WiFi (and even broadband) was spotty and at one point I had to ask the conductor to reset the router because it wouldn’t complete connections. Oddly, she knew just what I meant and fixed that problem but the broadband—upon which, after all, the WiFi depends—was still unreliable along much of the route.

I’m safely home now at the Irreal Bunker so normal blogging should resume.

Embark almost put crafting timers in Arc Raiders when the game was F2P, but the model made it "hard to respect the player's time" - Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed

2025-12-02T17:14:36.000Z

Arc Raiders developers Embark have shed a bit of light on how their looter-shooter changed after shifting away from the free-to-play business model back in 2024. Apparently, it made Arc "drastically easier" to design, in the sense that the Swedish studio felt less pressure to turn players into whales.

Helldivers 2 install size reduction effort yields 131GB in cuts, and you can try the slim build right now - Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed

2025-12-02T16:58:20.000Z

Seems it’s a good day to be a Helldivers 2 player: in addition to the buff-happy Into the Unjust 5.0.0 patch that launched earlier, developers Arrowhead have shared an update on their efforts to shave down the co-op shooter’s mammoth install size. And it’s not so much a shaving as a fully fuelled chainsawing, high vis vests be damned. As the Steam post explains, there’s now a beta build, available to try, that cuts the 154GB game down to 23GB – a 131GB (!!!) reduction. That’s like surgically removing an entire Black Myth: Wukong that was growing out of its back.

Horses review - Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed

2025-12-02T15:58:18.000Z

One of the first "moving pictures" ever created is a moving picture of a horse. In the late 1870s, the photographer Eadweard Muybridge produced a series of "chronophotographs" of horses and riders, including the famous 12-frame sequence Sallie Gardner at a Gallop. I know about Muybridge's work thanks to Jordan Peele's film Nope, which considers the historical erasure of Sallie Gardner's Black jockey, whose identity is disputed. Another thing that easily gets overlooked when considering these images is their contribution to the practice of horse-breeding.

Muybridge - who, incidentally, murdered his wife's lover, which doesn't seem wholly irrelevant here - captured the images after many years of tinkering with shutters, triggers and emulsions, but they were commissioned by the industrialist Leland Stanford, founder of the university of the same name. Stanford kept racehorses, and wanted a more precise understanding of their movements, with the obvious wider motive of being able to raise more champions; nowadays, gait analysis by means of video capture is commonplace among breeders. Muybridge's breakthrough in terms of photographic reproduction is thus an important development in control of equine reproduction. To stretch that point a little, you could argue that the moving picture has always been a way of disciplining sex - and one animal may seem much like another, once reduced to a quantity of frames.

Fanatical launch new Play on the Go Bundle - great for Steam Deck and other handhelds - GamingOnLinux Latest Articles

2025-12-02T15:50:34.000Z

Fanatical are running various new game bundles during their Bundlefestive 2025 event, with a just launched Play on the Go Bundle that's great for Steam Deck.

Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

Let's Encrypt to reduce certificate lifetimes - LWN.net

2025-12-02T15:37:09.000Z

Let's Encrypt has announced that it will be reducing the validity period of its certificates from 90 days to 45 days by 2028:

Most users of Let's Encrypt who automatically issue certificates will not have to make any changes. However, you should verify that your automation is compatible with certificates that have shorter validity periods.

To ensure your ACME client renews on time, we recommend using ACME Renewal Information (ARI). ARI is a feature we've introduced to help clients know when they need to renew their certificates. Consult your ACME client's documentation on how to enable ARI, as it differs from client to client. If you are a client developer, check out this integration guide.

If your client doesn't support ARI yet, ensure it runs on a schedule that is compatible with 45-day certificates. For example, renewing at a hardcoded interval of 60 days will no longer be sufficient. Acceptable behavior includes renewing certificates at approximately two thirds of the way through the current certificate's lifetime.

Manually renewing certificates is not recommended, as it will need to be done more frequently with shorter certificate lifetimes.

NVIDIA Beta driver 590.44.01 released for Linux - GamingOnLinux Latest Articles

2025-12-02T14:32:45.000Z

The first release of the 590 driver branch has arrived in Beta for Linux with 590.44.01 now available for those willing to give it a test.

Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

FreeBSD 15.0 released - LWN.net

2025-12-02T14:19:56.000Z

FreeBSD 15.0 has been released. Notable changes in this release include a new method for installing the base system using the pkg package manager, an update to OpenZFS 2.4.0-rc4, native support for the inotify(2) interface, and the addition of Open Container Initiative (OCI) images to FreeBSD's release artifacts. See the release notes for a full list of changes, hardware notes for supported hardware, and check the errata before installing or upgrading.

[$] Zig's new plan for asynchronous programs - LWN.net

2025-12-02T14:10:36.000Z

The designers of the Zig programming language have been working to find a suitable design for asynchronous code for some time. Zig is a carefully minimalist language, and its initial design for asynchronous I/O did not fit well with its other features. Now, the project has announced (in a Zig SHOWTIME video) a new approach to asynchronous I/O that promises to solve the function coloring problem, and allows writing code that will execute correctly using either synchronous or asynchronous I/O.

Security updates for Tuesday - LWN.net

2025-12-02T14:06:51.000Z

Security updates have been issued by Fedora (gnutls, libpng, mingw-python3, python-spotipy, source-to-image, unbound, and webkitgtk), Mageia (libpng), SUSE (bash-git-prompt, gitea-tea, java-17-openjdk, java-21-openjdk, kernel, openssh, python, and shadowsocks-v2ray-plugin, v2ray-core), and Ubuntu (binutils, openjdk-17-crac, openjdk-21-crac, and openjdk-25-crac).

Routine review - Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed

2025-12-02T14:00:00.000Z

'If you want to torture somebody, first show them your tools' is one of the better horror game design lessons taught by Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I thought of Amnesia's cistern chapter while playing through a later area in Lunar Software's excellent first-person spookathon Routine, announced 13 long years ago, though only in active development for around five. The area centres on a curious underground tree, with water dripping from a hydroponic ceiling and sealed doors on all sides. You can imagine Amnesia's Shadow manifesting here, clogging the roots with acid rot as it homes in on your comically loud footfalls.

Of course Hitman 4's coming, say devs IO, as they lay groundwork for a Diana Burnwood/Eminem buddy cop flick - Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed

2025-12-02T13:10:29.000Z

In case you missed it, Hitman's latest celebrity elusive target mission is all about Eminem. The rapper has Agent 47 take down his blonde alter-ego Slim Shady, it's all very meta and a tad less appealing to me than the cameos previously made by the likes of Bruce Lee and Mads Mikkelsen as Bond villain Le Chiffre.

That said, a new interview some IO Interactive folks have given to Variety, in which boss Hakan Abrak makes clear there will be a new Hitman coming once the studio have gotten some stuff off their plate, has caught my attention by contrasting Mr Nem with murderbald handler Diana.

Star Fox spiritual successor Wild Blue Skies gets a fresh gameplay trailer - GamingOnLinux Latest Articles

2025-12-02T13:05:26.000Z

Originally called Wild Blue and now Wild Blue Skies, recently we had a fresh proper gameplay reveal and it's clear this is the spiritual successor to Star Fox.

Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

Don’t Worry, Our New Stadium Will Have an Endless, Gigantic Parking Lot - McSweeney’s

2025-12-02T13:00:00.000Z

When you’re going to a concert or a sporting event, you’re worried about one thing: Will the stadium have an endless parking lot packed with thousands and thousands of cars, making entry and exit a living nightmare?

Rest assured, when the city gave us the green light to build a new stadium, we remembered to include the most important part of any modern arena: a gigantic asphalt hellscape stretching as far as the eye can see.

We know it’s not fun to trudge across a parking lot, but we’re confident that our new stadium will make up for it with its fantastic acoustics. You’ll need an incredible soundscape when you’re missing Lady Gaga’s entire set, trying to parkour your way through twelve acres of haphazardly-parked sedans and abruptly abandoned tailgates. Don’t fret about missing the whole show; you’ll have hours to listen to her songs on the radio, sitting in standstill exit traffic, begging God to deliver you from this misery.

You’ll make memories in this state-sponsored La Brea Tar Pit long after the event is over. Your family will never forget Mom and Dad’s whisper-screaming match about where they parked the minivan (hint: they’re both wrong).

We wanted our gargantuan parking lot to be unique, so we said goodbye to boring numbered lot sections. You don’t want to park in Lot A, Section 2. You want the excitement of remembering whether you left the car in the Verizon Lot or the GrubHub: Powered by Seamless—A DoorDash Experience Lot. Here’s a hint: you parked in the Dippin’ Dots Overflow Lot and your car was towed.

Our parking lot lets you drive right up to the action, as long as the action you came for is a swearing match between two panicking dads whose next decade will be defined by their failure to get their daughters to see Sabrina Carpenter.

Our parking lot benefits everyone. This sprawling wasteland will create thousands of jobs, exclusively for the six attendants who sit in tiny booths and never have change for a fifty.

This city’s old arena was so lacking, tucked away in a central business district, easily accessible by a dozen public transit options, and surrounded by regional-appropriate flora and fauna. Now, you can take out a second mortgage to afford the gas, tolls, and overnight emergency equipment you’ll need for the hellish pilgrimage to our paved inferno forty-five minutes outside of city limits.

It will easily connect commuters directly to our downtown (via three highways, two freeways, and one space-time wormhole) so businesses can take advantage of their favorite customers: enraged drivers recklessly speeding home after a ruined evening.

Our endless parking lot will earn outside revenue from many sources. We can rent it to post-apocalyptic television shows as an easy visual for the destroyed, soulless husk of society, and that’s about it. Fingers crossed for Mad Max: Rochester, New York.

We’re looking toward the future. Specifically, a burning-hot apocalyptic future where harried groups trek across inhospitable landscapes in search of $19 bottles of water.

Plus, once you’re through with the Herculean task of navigating our parking lot, you can enjoy our second most popular amenity: a confounding M.C. Escher-inspired series of stairs and escalators that will destroy any hope you had in the cosmic order of the universe.

Mewgenics will be "100%" Steam Deck compatible at launch - GamingOnLinux Latest Articles

2025-12-02T12:24:24.000Z

From the creators of The Binding of Isaac and The End is Nigh, Mewgenics is promising to be one of the most interesting roguelites released in forever.

Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

Helldivers 2's latest patch buffs a bunch of guns, nerfs tongues, and dials down the drawbacks of using scopes - Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed

2025-12-02T12:14:43.000Z

Hey, Helldivers 2's just gotten a patch with some noteworthy balancing tweaks and fixes ahead of its latest warbond - Python Commandos - dropping. In short, a fair few guns now do more damage, some enemies have been made a tad less potent, and the drawback which usually comes with attachinga magnifying scope to your favourite bug blaster has been scaled back.

Pixel-art RTS game TFC: The Fertile Crescent joins with MicroProse Software and it's now Steam Deck Verified - GamingOnLinux Latest Articles

2025-12-02T12:09:46.000Z

Now freshly Steam Deck Verified and with MicroProse Software backing it as publisher, TFC: The Fertile Crescent has a big upgrade out now.

Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers' tangram-like level design shines past its rough edges - Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed

2025-12-02T11:59:00.000Z

Imagine a fantasy version of Ming dynasty China, suffering from a plague that slowly mutates infectees into avian-like creatures. Toss in a femme fatale named after the Chinese gods of death, more hard-as-nails enemies than you can shake a guandao at, and Soulslike vibes imitating the greats, and occasionally even surpassing them. This is Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a game I loved - warts and all - purely on the strength of its level design.

A Lies of P co-op mod offering multiplayer boss battles is out now, with full seamless runs in the works - Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed

2025-12-02T11:17:41.000Z

An online co-op mod for very French and very puppety soulslike Lies of P has been released in alpha form. As of writing, it'll let you take on boss battles with a friend and its creators are hoping to offer full multplayer playthroughs similar to Elden Ring's brilliant seamless co-op mod further down the line.

Valve's version of Android on Linux (based on Waydroid) is now called Lepton - GamingOnLinux Latest Articles

2025-12-02T10:56:45.000Z

Lepton appears to be the new official name for Valve's version of Waydroid (Android in a Linux container).

Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.