Category: Videogames

Steam Controller

I know I’ve posted about the Steam Controller in the past, but still, it never ceases to amaze me that I can play games like Morrowind, Oblivion, Undertale, etc, seamlessly from my couch on my PC on my TV with my controller, and seriously the experience is as good as (or, in the case of Morrowind, better than) playing it on a console.

Initially, I was incredibly skeptical about the track pad on the controller, I thought there was no way that would work. I had used similar things in the past with only frustrating results. But somehow, the track pad on the Steam Controller *just works*. I was terrified of traversing my inventory in Morrowind (I infamously carry just about every single thing with me throughout the whole game), and yet… it feels natural.

This is important for me now, at this current stage of my life, because we currently have a tiny apartment and there’s no place to set up a “normal” PC gaming area. So I had pretty much stopped PC gaming for a few years (that’s why I only recently got around to playing Undertale). But we have a TV, so finally I just connected a PC to the TV and set it up almost like console gaming – and never looked back.

Wizard: Know Thy Hotkeys

As you already know, I had “Mark” set to Aryon’s chambers in Tel Vos, which I’m sure Aryon wasn’t exactly thrilled about. But on top of that, I had “Recall” as one of my hotkeys, and I can’t tell you how many times I was fighting some monster and accidentally cast “Recall” whilst trying to cast “Fireball,” and ended up in the middle of Aryon’s chambers mid-combat.

And it was always something stupid like a Kagouti. Although one time I was in the middle of a huge sunken dungeon I was exploring and I had made so much progress and then – FWOOSH! I was inches away from Aryon who was saying “A warm welcome to you!” and I howled with rage and anguish right into his face.

I eventually took Recall out of my hotkeys, which gave me much relief. And I think Aryon appreciated the change, as well – no more Steen popping into his chambers at all hours, screaming and sweating with the fury of battle.

Lessons of Vivec Generator

I was playing Morrowind just now, and as I was reading one of the 36 Lessons of Vivec, two thoughts came to me in rapid succession:

  1.  These things sound like a Markov chain generator wrote them
  2.  I should write a Markov chain generator to write new lessons of Vivec

So I did.

Just think of all the new and revolutionary knowledge this could unlock for us! CHIM for everybody!

It was just something quick and fun I did, I haven’t refactored it at all, so while it is fully functional it is somewhat messy. One day I will re-write it in something like Rust or C, so I can just have an executable for people who want to play with it but don’t want to have to install Ruby. But today is not that day.

If you want to make your own, I’ve pushed it up to GitHub here: https://github.com/Steenaire/lessons_of_vivec_generator

Anyhow, this is an example of the sort of thing it spits out when I feed it all 37 of the 36 lessons (yes, there are actually 37):
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No perils are the netchiman’s wife and was not a hammer.

Then Vivec could do you will.

Vivec spoke two Dwemeri high priests stir up invalidating the Big Moon, further from the promise of swords.

Seht to show the star-wounded East, under the House he had the place it had built against her and cut her belly with six cutting strokes. The Dwemer said, ‘I am the day you in, mantra and its segments had the sun by violence and told him in the error of Veloth, creating the mouth with happiness. ’ Second, he no guarantees made the word of the twin gates of the sea, Vivec was a crown. Walk across the high priests stir up together, combining as a span of Boet-hi-Ah.

‘I would prefer,’ he recalled the Striking. That way than the awe of bones. He destroyed by our former meanings, like a trick worthy of a mystic that was of modular warriors who told the Scaled Blanket is attached to hide theirs from it out,

Ayem and so married him deny Ayem the black sea. My brooding has something the Hortator was a legion of Muatra and Vivec pierced Horde Mountain slowed its medicinal nature ‘I am needed from the wheel,’ he said, ‘New emotions to the settled a legion of the Hortator Nerevar, who fell and thrown out and notice if you will rule nothing. His head of corresponding conditions and knew the northern men, crusty with the wisdom they are controversial.’

Second:

This magic hermaphrodite. Mark the time to spears, so the majesty sideways and looked into hardening resin, until mystery and mighty killers and the lands of the slave that chose a view primarily based on his lord’s answer. ‘Why are those brave souls around it. Trinity in unholy number. Which of the devout and beautiful, skin of days with the bright, terrible angel of its under-skin. I wanted it was saying this: it there came the monster, called Fa-Nuit-Hen, or beautiful. ’

To MURDER IT IS MY DEAF MOONS

Certitude is the immutable. Cosmic time to exist in silence, for ruling king is the arts of the short season of royalty.

The contents spread out of falsehood; even looking. Hoary Magnus and offer instructions to the illuminations, inscribed by wearing it. ALTADOON AI, the fourth walking star, which the Trinimac-eaters. Pitch your will murder him never known children since. Vivec donned a century of detail!

He reached into the ribcage of truth: by Velothi cheered.

Chemua, the sun by a star, which will return, he talked harshly:

The effigies of iron vapor and with the enemy children. Molag Bal crushed the exact model, but Vivec was of the reptile wheel, coiled potential, ever-preamble to place to the House.

The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.

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