Friday, February 9, 2024

Honkai: Star Rail Main Character at Maximum

 It hasn't been a year but here is version 2.0 now and my main character is at maximum.  That took a while, especially since I didn't use any real money.  Am I the only one?  Probably, that is the case.  Still, the main character on the other account needs more Eidolons to be complete, but I'll take one complete over none.







Update 2024.02.14: Both accounts are at maximum, as well.

Saturday, February 3, 2024

I'm still waiting for the Year of Linux

 Back around 2005, I got my parents x86 machine because my adoptive dad was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and wasn't really coherent enough to handle a computer.

I'd been experimenting with BeOS on my PowerPC 604e-based Mac Clone from Power Computing.  The Power Center 120 was fairly powerful but at some point, I bought the upgrade processor card, which was quite an enhancement.  Still Mac OS 8.5 was slow.  BeOS certainly showed me how good it could be.  However, BeOS was lacking almost everything except an internet connection.  Mac OS X was coming along but wasn't quite finished.

When I got the x86 machine, it was running some version of Windows that wasn't very reliable.  Having run Windows NT at work and finding it only somewhat more reliable, I decided to replace Windows at home with Ubuntu Linux or FreeBSD.

After trying multiple times to install FreeBSD and having 90% success and not being able to fix it, I installed the Ubuntu distribution of Linux.  It was a more user-oriented version atop the Debian distribution.

It was sufficient.

About the time I became familiar with GNOME, they introduced Unity, which was their own User Interface.  It was better, and worse.

However, people kept shouting "This is the Year of Linux!" and I kept wondering how they were going to get grandma and grandpa onto machines running Linux, if I was taking time finding out how to use it.

A lot of time has passed and a lot of releases have been released and macOS is past X and both Macs and Windows machines are running 64-bit operating systems.

There is also a handheld Linux-based machine called Steam Deck.  You can regularly find machines running Linux and buy them easily, if you know where to look.  If you want to count them, anything running ChromeOS is a Linux-based machine.

 

I spent some time with KDE on Steam Deck after adding a keyboard and mouse.  It's quite comfortable, although I didn't do much.  Things are better, if you get the best desktop environment for you.

I always thought that a simple machine for e-mail and web browsing would help grandparents deal with family.  Why isn't there a self-contained family machine or perhaps, recycled machines re-purposed for that?  The only reason I need Windows or macOS is so that I can run specific software.

Certainly, Linux is better for everything than it used to be.  Valve's work on Proton and funding of related software has assured that gaming on Linux is the best it has ever been.  SteamOS in handheld mode and desktop mode is quite good at running games.

I've been looking at converting my mid-2012 MacBook Pro with GeForce 650M to a Linux distribution, but I can't decide which.  I considered Kubuntu and Arch.  Kubuntu will probably be easier to install, but will it accept the Nvidia driver for my 650M?  Arch is used for SteamOS but will it be easy to install for Mac?  SteamOS itself has too many requirements for newer equipment that it won't work.

I'm currently looking at an article on Gaming on Linux that Linux is in second place on Steam, above macOS.

It shouldn't be much of a surprise that macOS users on Steam are playing less.  Those paying for Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), found that their game had been removed and all the money they spent was just gone.  There was a download to Counter Strike 2, without an executable.  All of the Valve games that introduced Steam to Mac users were 32-bit, so no more Half-Life 2, Portal, or Portal 2.  Yes, Mac users are not playing on Steam as much.  Linux is doing better.

I really hope that there will be more than Steam Deck pushing Linux distributions forward.

Update 2024.02.27: I've been in Steam Deck desktop mode today.  Like a successful operating system, the Discover application presented me with software updates to be installed.  I didn't have to fight with anything.  I clicked "Update All" and everything was fine.

I also wanted to download the Heroic Games Launcher for Linux.  That was a bit more tricky.  I downloaded the wrong version at first and it asked how to open it.  My first thought was to find "tar" and use that, but it didn't seem to be that kind of archive.  Then, I was reading the page and noticed "and Steam Deck", and that one ended up showing up in Discover, and the installation was easy from there.

There is a new Linux-based gaming device like Steam Deck, the Orange Pi Neo that runs Manjaro Linux Gaming Edition with an AMD 7840U.  That's more powerful than Steam Deck and hopefully, better organized than the ASUS ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go devices running Windows.  Ayaneo started to do something similar and then, installed Windows instead.

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Honkai: Star Rail with all characters and their light cones at level 80

 It's been more than half a year since I started playing.  I've added quite a few characters.  Some are strong and others are not so strong.  It's a trip that I'm at a point where all of my characters are at level 80.

That's not to say that they're 100% complete. That would be 21 on one account and 20 on the other.  I'm still working on Light Cones and more.  However, how can you deny the awesomeness of having all of your characters at the highest level possible?

Even at level 80, the characters sometimes struggle.  Multiple teams make it easier to succeed.

I wish that I could do so well in Genshin Impact.  I've done okay, being at AR 41 without spending a penny but it seems impossible to have all that you need when you can't get to some of the locations to find upgrade materials.

Now that I've received my free fancy Warp tickets, I'm probably going to wait to enjoy having all of my characters at maximum, for a while anyway.

Update 2024.01.06: Used my Warp tickets and got no new characters.  Adding a couple of Eidolons was better.  It's still amazing that I haven't spent any real money.  Being at account level 68 now, I'll be a the maximum some day.  I've got a couple of Light Cones up to level 80 on each account and brought others up to level 70.  I've also managed to increase Traces levels, though I'm not doing those in any predictable way.  I just have some resources from working to Ascend Light Cones, and used those to upgrade Traces.

Update 2024.01.16: All light cones that are in use for all characters are at level 80, also.  Still working on Traces.

Update 2024.01.17: After I got everything set, Dr. Ratio comes along and undoes my numbers slightly.  He's at level 40 on each account, and I happened to have the same Light Cone on each account that was never used, at level 1.  He's a third character with Imaginary damage on one account and the second on the other.

Well, a couple of hours later on one account, Dr. Ratio is at level 60 and the Subscribe for More! Light Cone is at level 50.  That's not bad for about an hour of upgrading.  Of course, there is more to be done and the other account needs to be handled.

Got the other account up to 60 and 60 for Dr. Ratio, plus some of the Traces have been upgraded.

Update 2024.01.21: Dr. Ratio is at level 70 on both accounts with some of the Traces upgraded again.

Update 2024.01.27: Dr. Ratio is at level 80 on both accounts and the Light Cones are both are level 80.  More of the Traces are upgraded, but it's slow going.

Update 2024..02.12: I did my two warps on each account.  Got another Tingyun and Guinaifen on one account and Misha and Imbibitor Lunae on the other.  I wish I had appropriate Light Cones, but that isn't going to happen apparently.

Update 2024.02.18: Guinaifen is and 80 and her Light Cone is at 80. I've got Imbibitor Lunae at 76, Lynx at 71 and Misha at 50.  I probably need to complete some seasonal events to get the items I need for Misha.

Update 2024.02.20: Imbibitor Lunae is at level 80 and Misha is free to rise from 50 to 60 now.  Seasonal events have provided the needed materials.

Monday, December 25, 2023

My favorite games on Steam Deck

 There are many games available for Steam Deck.  Valve has tested over 13,000 by the end of 2023.  Many work well and some have been re-worked to be better on Steam Deck.  I look at the most-played games from Steam's own records and I might have played one of those.  I don't leap for every US$59.99 game out there.  In fact, I may never have paid that much for a game.

Here are my favourite games on my Steam Deck, in no certain order:

Asphalt 9

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Hi-Fi Rush

Spyro: Reignited Trilogy

Road 96

A Space for the Unbound

Heaven's Vault

Ni No Kuni Remastered

and just this week, Hogwarts Legacy

Supposedly, I have 81 games that are "Great on Deck" but I have installed 47 games on it, with a 1 TB microSD card, as well as internal storage.  I'd really like to get one of those 1 TB m.2 2230 cards but I'm not spending more money just yet.  Equally, I'm not interested in the OLED version of Steam Deck right now.  This one is about one year old.

I was surprised at the performance of Hogwarts Legacy.  So far, it's fine.  However, most games are fine for me.  I'm not a person who looks at the performance overlay to gauge whether I'm having fun or not.  Let the people with a website do that.

If you just got a Steam Deck for Christmas, I hope you enjoy it.  Don't expect everything to be as it was.  Change with the machine.

Update 2023.12.28: I've seen that Hi-Fi Rush and Hogwarts Legacy got some love.  Even Ghostwire: Tokyo, from Tango Gameworks like Hi-Fi Rush, got a mention here or there and A Space for the Unbound did, as well.  I wanted to try Baldur's Gate 3 but it's too expensive and too big.  I appreciate that it works on Macs but they changed their requirements several times and it's more-or-less just available for the most powerful machines.  I had hoped for Divinity - Original Sin requirements, another of Larian's games that runs on Macs.

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Gaming without a desktop or laptop computer?

 You've thought about it, haven't you?

Since the Steam Deck has taken hold, and the ASUS ROG Ally has arrived, mobile gaming computers are real and good.

I admit that back when Epyx Games designed their handheld gaming machine with color display, I was interested.  Atari bought it and put it out under their name.  When Nintendo brought out Virtual Boy, it piqued my interest.  However, bad, tiny displays weren't enough for me.

I looked at the Nintendo Switch several times.  The newer, OLED-equipped Switch really looks good, but it's not very powerful for 2023.  So many people bought them in 2020 and 2021 because they were stuck at home, the company did well.  For me, I want different games, and mostly, those games don't end up on Switch.

So, here I am with a Steam Deck and it's good.  I have over 182 games available in Steam, 62 are in the Great on Deck category, and I have 42 games installed.

Earlier, I was watching a YouTube video about installing a game launcher that could handle non-Steam-based games.  You have to exit Steam and go to the Linux/KDE desktop, use the virtual keyboard, and more.  Without a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, it sounds difficult.  It sounds like my 8-bit days before the GUI arrived. The good thing is that there is a GUI.  I'm not sure I want to bother with GOG Galaxy or the Epic Games Launcher on a Steam Deck in desktop mode, though.

Play Games or Mess with the computer?

This reminds me so much of my time at work getting Win98SE and WinNT to work.  Then, going home to my MacOS machines.  I really don't want to mess with the computer.  I bought Steam Deck to play games, not to become a Linux laptop replacement.

Windows Local or Windows Remote?

The good thing about Steam is that it allows you to Stream a game from another machine.  I can stream a game from Steam Deck, Mac, or Windows.  I can even play remotely on Android or iOS.

GeForce NOW will also allow you to run Windows games remotely on Android or iOS.  However, unless you're a premium subscriber, you may be waiting in the queue quite a while.  The Razer Kishi V2 works fairly well, but only supports/is supported by a handful of games I have.  It did not work with my OnePlus 8T and, while it works with my Google Pixel 6a, the Pixel 6a isn't as powerful as the 8T.  Gaming is not so happy, even for light, casual games.  Playing from a Mac is fine, but seems a waste.  I don't have a Kishi V2 for iPhone.

Valve has really worked hard to make Steam Deck a success and I'm pleasantly surprised how many games work well.  I'm not too quick to jump on the latest trends, but Ghostwire: Tokyo and Hi-Fi Rush from Tango Gameworks and Bethesda are pretty bug-free for new releases.

I'm not about to buy Hogwarts Legacy this year, partly, because it's massive, and partly, because it's expensive.  I would rather buy Baldur's Gate 3 sooner but it's going to be buggy and expensive, also.

Then again, if certain games arrived on Mac, I'd be spending to show my support for native Apple Silicon gaming development.  Some games work fine as Intel-based applications but more speed would make things go more smoothly.

It's interesting how many indie games are available for Mac and Windows at the same time while big studios can't seem to muster the courage.

Is playing handheld good enough?

I've played a number of games on Steam Deck, but some of my favorite pick-up-put-down kind of games, like Unreal Tournament 2004, don't work easily.  For the most part, you can play almost anything.  Games that require a keyboard and mouse will be difficult.  I currently have 44 games installed and they mostly work the way I'd expect but I removed one or two because they didn't work correctly.  Valve continues to make improvements in the Proton compatibility layer.

On iPhone and Android, I've been playing the Galaxy on Fire series for around 11 years, since the original Google Nexus 7 tablet with Nvidia Tegra processor and the second generation iPod touch.  Using gyros for the movement was surprisingly good, although it might have looked silly while playing in a waiting room.

Using a Steel Series Nimbus+ for the iPhone and a Razer Kishi V2 for a Google Pixel 6a makes certain games much easier to play.  It's a bit sad that Android controllers can't be more compatible with a wide variety of phones.  My OnePlus 8T just didn't work with the Razer Kishi V2 but the Pixel 6a isn't as powerful.  Now, Razer has a Kishi V2 Pro.

I still find myself at the computer, whether Windows or Mac, to play games that can't easily be played on Steam Deck, Android, or iOS.

I mentioned UT2004 earlier and it's one that I pick up for 15 minutes and then, put away.  I play Toxikk that way as well.  I haven't spent much time on Honkai: Star Rail or Genshin Impact on my phone.  They're too much for my Google Pixel 6a, but run fine on my 2022 iPhone SE.  The display dimensions aren't very good on the iPhone SE, as it doesn't really have a widescreen display.  It does have a powerful processor, though.  Genshin Impact demands a lot of my Windows 11-based machine.  Those fans run quite a bit while playing, even for a few minutes.  Teyvat is shown in great detail.

Which handheld will succeed to break the need for a laptop computer?

I'm looking forward to seeing Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Legion Go take hold and change the face of gaming.  It's time.

Update 2023.12.14: Attached a keyboard and mouse to my Steam Deck and played Toxikk and Unreal Tournament 2004 as if I had a laptop computer.  It was a good experience, even though I need to adjust to the keyboard.  UT2004 actually ran better on Steam Deck than it ran on my Ryzen 7 5800H through the AMD application launcher using AMD graphics.  That experience on the 5800H was surprising, considering that my experience in 2004 was better on a Mac clone with an ATI card that was probably priced around US$200 in 2004. ATI's XClaim VR was the card from 2004.  The Steam Deck was awesome.


Cheap keyboard/mouse combo from Temu wasn't bad.  Longevity?  Who knows?

 Update 2023.12.26: I have Hogwarts Legacy on Steam Deck.  Performance is good so far.  I need to acclimate myself to the controls or I won't go far. 

Update 2024.01.13: Ayaneo has just announced a Steam Deck-like device using a SteamOS-like operating system, Ayaneo Next Lite.  It's starting just a bit cheaper than Steam Deck, but who knows whether they'll continue to support the operating system or not.  The company has so many devices that it may just be throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.

Update 2024.03.08: Ayaneo Next Lite will be shipped with Windows 11, for some reason.  Orange Pi Neo has been announced with Manjaro Linux Gaming Edition.  Supposedly, it will be less expensive than Steam Deck, even with Hall Effect triggers and a higher resolution display.

I've been acclimating myself to SteamOS desktop and updates through Discover.  Trying to work a machine without a good desktop interface is difficult, but this one is good.  When I was experimenting with Ubuntu back around 2005, there was a lot to dislike.  GNOME desktop wasn't good and Ubuntu's Unity was different, not better.  People raved about KDE but it wasn't that far along, either.

In any case, it's good to have a handheld device that can replace a desktop computer in a pinch.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Don't Track My Web Browsing and Shopping, Please

 Powered by Admiral--I see this a lot.  I have Firefox' Tracking Protection set to Strict.  I'm fine with seeing advertising.  I just don't want it following me everywhere I look.

In the last year, I have removed bookmarks for several websites because they allow tracking advertising.  I couldn't care less about seeing advertising, although I'd prefer something that doesn't sap the life out of my machine.  In the days of Flash, we were inundated with animated advertising and I'm glad it's mostly gone.  I don't deal with Facebook at all, because they make money from your information, and they gladly share it with scumbags.

E.G., the co-owner of the house needed my help with some perfume she was trying to buy through Amazon, through Facebook.  The perfume was US$19.99, so she was buying two.  Facebook gladly supplied her address, but didn't have her credit card.  The website pretending to be Amazon said that the card had expired.  We had just placed an Amazon order a day or two prior to that.

I pulled up the perfume on the Amazon app to find that it was US$150.00.  I had some trouble shutting down the scam, but eventually got rid of it.

I apologized for my insistence and brusqueness, but I really wasn't happy that someone almost got her information.

I don't mind that a site needs advertising to keep it going.  Maybe, I might even buy something through one of the adverts.  Still, if you want to force me, or follow me, forget it.  I have no need to visit a website that has shaky moral fiber.  If they're unwilling to look at what they're presenting to the public, they probably aren't worth the visit.

Update 2023.11.24: Rakuten has complained about my adblocker.  I don't have one, but I have the anti-tracking bits.  If I have to be tracked to get cash rebates, forget it.

Update 2024.02.20: Rakuten is working again on some sites, without my changing settings.  A photographic web site has apparently switched completely to tracking advertisements and I don't see any advertisements, but they're complaining.  The site administration chose them.  I didn't.  I get that they want more money, but when you're not providing information much any longer, and mostly just providing ways to get money from clicks, you might want to be prepared for the effects of your actions.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Updated Mac, Apple Watch, and iPhone to the latest operating systems

 I took the leap to update all three devices around the same time.

Apple Watch Series 7 was on watchOS 9.x, 2022 iPhone SE was on 16.7.2, and MacBook Air was on macOS Monterey.

I usually wait until the x.x.1 version of the operating system, but lately, Apple has not been as good.  I was going to wait until the release that happens right before Christmas.  None of them want to deal with problems over the Christmas holiday, so they usually do a better job of bug elimination.

However, the Mac has been two generations back from Sonoma, and it shows when I want to back up the iPhone.  There is a need to download a compatibility patch of some sort.  I wouldn't be two generations of macOS back except that Ventura has had so many bad reports, I didn't want to encounter any of the problems.

I remember too well how my PowerPC machine was having trouble with Leopard and later, Snow Leopard.  It just never was so good again.  However, the people with Intel-based machines were really happy with the performance.  Transition time anywhere is not so easy.

So, I clicked on Install, and Sonoma was downloaded and around 30 minutes later, was running.

 Downloading 17.1.1 was just as simple and the update process was free from errors.  The time to process the update seemed forever but was suddenly finished.

Requesting the Apple Watch update from the iPhone app was interesting.  At one point, it said "1 Day" and later, it seemed to lock onto "16 Hours", which was way too long.  I restarted the phone and the watch, and then, started the update from the watch.  It requested agreeing to the Terms and Conditions on the phone, which went back and forth four times.  The screen had things overlapping, as if they hadn't really tested the installer.  However, it claimed 2 Hours once everything was handled correctly.

Everything is up to date for the moment.  Battery life on the phone and watch seem less than ideal, which I expect with every new release.  Usually, macOS has some checking and cataloguing to be done for days, and that hasn't seemed to have happened.  It just went to work immediately.  It seems fairly steady.

I hope that it will all be good before the releases in February.  Hopefully, the battery life will be improved with the releases before Christmas.

Update 2023.11.24: The updates are generally good, although the battery life for the watch and phone have been less than ideal.  They have not entered the dreaded red zone yet, though.

People have been mentioning that Sonoma has been quite a bit faster.  Maybe, I'm not seeing it because I don't use Safari as my web browser, plus, I never used Ventura.

That said, I keep waiting for GOG Galaxy and Steam to become Universal applications and speed up a lot of things.  Steam will be the last one of all, I'm almost certain.  With dwindling Mac game play through Steam, Valve doesn't really care to invest much effort.  Perhaps, when the last of the Intel-based machines are on the obsolete list, Valve will do something more.  I really liked playing Half-Life 2 and Portal 2 on my Mac.  It's a shame that I loaded Catalina on my older, Intel-based Mac because I could still play those 32-bit games before Catalina.

Hopefully, with Sonoma' Game Mode running successfully, more developers will arrive with good ports of their games.  Feral Interactive has done well on conversions, and Larian Studios has Macs in mind when developing.

Update 2023.11.30: Sonoma 14.1.2 is out with bug fixes and security updates, as well as iOS 17.1.2.  Updates went smoothly, so I'm hoping for the best.

Update 2023.12.14: My Apple Watch decided that I wanted to update to watchOS 10.2 and did it without asking.  I'm waiting for macOS 14.2.1 and iOS 17.2.1 before I go further.  Those should be out in the next week or two.

Update 2023.12.20: macOS and iOS are on my M1 MacBook Air and 2022 iPhone SE.  They are both working relatively well.  Given that there won't likely be another update until February, I'm satisfied with the performance.  Everything needs better battery life, though.  People with Intel-based Macs are complaining about Sonoma but it's macOS is finally getting better for Apple Silicon-based Macs, in the way that Leopard made Intel-based Macs better, and messed up PowerPC-based Macs.

Sonoma's Game Mode does help, but my SteelSeries Nimbus+ controller is not working, possibly due to a fall.  It disconnects intermittently, even when using a cable.  Why are game controllers so fragile?

Update 2023.12.31: I continue to see users complaining about random bugs and I wonder how many used developer or public beta test versions before using a production version.  I would have that happen occasionally in the early days of Mac OS X but haven't had that happen lately.

I started the mid-2012 MacBook Pro, with Catalina, the other day.  I'm considering a Linux-based distribution, so that I can turn it into a decent game machine.  I can't decide on a distro.  I'm leaning toward Arch or Kubuntu, in hopes that I can load the SteamOS Proton layer in order to play Windows games.  However, with only 512 MB of VRAM, it might not be enough.  Even the full 1 GB of VRAM might not be enough for recent games from my experience with the Omen by HP with a GeForce GTX 1050 with 2 GB of VRAM.    This latest Windows machine has an RTX 3050 Ti with 4 GB of VRAM.

Still, the old MacBook Pro is a good heater with that quad-core Intel i7-3770.

Update 2024.01.28: This week, Apple pushed iOS 17.3, macOS 14.3, and watchOS 10.3.  I don't usually go until the x.x.1 release is ready.  They were pushing a lot and they mentioned a security flaw that might have been exploited, which usually means that it had been exploited.  Ugggh.  So, I updated.  It may have been a fluke but cellular connectivity doesn't seem as stable.  Battery life is still not right.  Hopefully, the x.x.1 update will be ready before Valentine's Day.

I'm still glad to have the M1 MacBook Air on Sonoma.  I wish Apple would really take software development seriously and produce better software.  The only good thing is that we're not paying for bad releases, as we were in the System 7.x and MacOS 8.x, 9.x days.  When I would pay US$79.99 for a release and it wasn't really any better and then, they would discontinue things that really helped, it was rather frustrating.

Update 2024.01.31: I wanted to make room for Death Stranding: Director's Cut and I started deleting games and more because I only had about 153 GB available in Finder.  So, I went through Steam and looked at the games I wasn't playing or that we're as important.  I also deleted so other various stuff, and found through Settings(Control Panel) where various data was too much.  I checked and the available space was 2 GB smaller.  I waited for fseventd to finish and I restarted the machine.  No significant change was shown.  I deleted more and still no change that I could see.  I used the application WhatSize to help me find things that macOS wouldn't let me access easily.  I deleted more but there still was no visible change, even after a restart.  I left it along for a while and it had gone from 151 GB to about 298 GB available.  Today, it was showing 458 GB available.

Apple apparently doesn't have any long term developers watching what they're doing.  It's a bit scary that they've handed off development to people without oversight.  Someone should be checking the quality and fixes should be issued as soon as possible.

Sadly, they only seem to handle security flaws when they're on the news.

I live out in Central Valley and many people from the San Francisco Bay Area live out here now, including people from Apple, HP, and Google.  I wonder how many are so tired from their three hour commute that they're just not productive.  I'm hoping that someone cares but I'm not so sure about that, either.

Update 2024.02.08: Updated to 17.3.1, 10.3.1, and 14.3.1, which is the best fix for a while.  They had a fix for a major inconvenience in editing text on iOS or macOS.  Hopefully, they fixed a lot of other little bugs, as well.