Most of the video game subs, BG3 is active enough, but I like Tribes and EvE online and their subs are sorta dead. I know niche titles wont have as much discussion, but representation would be nice.

I had some DYI hackable computer kits (ClockworkPI) that I orderd last year, both of them arrived in the last few weeks. Im very glad they made it through customs before most of this shit gets enacted.

Holy forking shirt balls.

You are 100% correct. Im semi-retired (winning) from the game and while I remember my time cosplaying as a space bureaucrat fondly and will attempt to get involved every year or so. I do not wish some of aspects of that game on my worst enemies.

Functionally yes, being a worker bee in a large alliance is probably the most normal MMO expirence you can get. Fleets are called, you will have your own corp leaders that act as HR for the alliance, you go farm the space or just chat in stations with your friends. The power fantasy is there as well, but the process to get there involves being much more specialized and flying expensive things (Titans are 2k$ golden space coffins).

The nice part is being a cog is optional, but recommended, its a much more social game. Hell, ive been to several of my former corp mates weddings, and the Iceland/Las Vegas convention manyl times. The stress about going it alone mostly stems from the games rules of engagment. In a majority of star systems (anything not High Security space, but that opens up a new can of issues), if your alone, you truely are alone and people in the local system should be treated as hostile by default (if you can even see they are there).

Its the hardest and best MMO to not play.

The gist is basicly it has the most complex in-game player organizations/managment and shockingly few “rules”. Your not allowed to RMT*, dont cheat the game client, and your not allowed to impersonate a dev/mod. Beyond that, go nuts, so the space conflict is real, the politics is real, the espionage is real. The actual game is very math focused, and slow (the server runs at a 1hz tick, most other MMOs are 60+) and that allows those big fights that make mainstream gamer news as armies of 10k angry nerds all try to murder their space rivals.

TLDR: I love the game. The people there are some of the most intense MMO players out there, its not everyones cup of tea because its spreadsheets in spaceships.

Open registration is a flag in your config file. Its normally not there by default. Plus half the mobile apps do not support account creation pages of you have the flag turned on.

Room settings are what controls view/join roles from federated instances.

Im pretty new to this space, so if your up for talking shop.

Your correct, there is a big difference between wanting to be better at a game and wanting a job to put food in your face. A good guild leader/manager will recognize that and plan accordingly, but the methods they employ to gets people to do things is the same, to the point we had a catch-phrase for it.

In EvE you have four currencies, ISK (money), Time, Content, and Trust. You can buy 3 of them.

Ive had good guild leaders and terribad bosses, regardless of the motivation, people organizing is a skill and if you phrase it correctly, you can 100% put your guild leadership role on a resume.

Anyone who runs a guild, clan, corporation, or what ever your games group title is 100% has the skills to be a manager outside of cyberspace. If its a themepark MMO like wow, getting 10-25 nerds to clear their schedules to show up at the same time is a feat of organization, and your skills can be put to better use. If that group is a corporation in EvE Online, put that shit on your resume (I do). When I was at EvE Fanfest in 2023, there was a presentation on exactly this, a space game about cosplaying as a machiavellian space warlord turns out has a lot of overlap with being a manager in meat space.

We believe in you, there are other write-ups and guides on how to get it working. Its was great learning expirence for VMs and Proxmox (thats what I did and it did make it harder, but I feel more confident when im cosplaying as a sys-admin)

Guide

This one is pretty close to whats needed, but go into it expecting each step to open a new tool/application that needs to be researched before you press enter. Also look up how to set it to a PSQL db before you start inviting users, it defaults to SQLite and that will cause problems eventually.

Hell yah, TS3 crew all the way. (Or TS5 for the zoomers…)

My nerds herd recently also set up a cluster of Matrix Synapse servers so we got our little “We have Telegram at home” set up. Getting non-tech people to accept that this is how to find me has been tricky without sounding like a digital prepper.

Props for Koyaanisqatsi

I too like subjecting my neighbors to hours of Philip Glass albums.

My immediate meat-space circles are aware of it and have stopped asking me WTH is wrong with my meme links in the group chats.

I do not believe anyone else has an account.

If self-hosting and “Warning, some assembly required” isnt an issue, Matrix - Synapse. I spooled that up in my home lab recently and im slowly moving my group chats over to it.

Most of it… Last trip I took to Europe, I was staying in an airB&B in Iceland with a few friends, and it had a kitchen. I went to the Bonus (local grocer) and got bread, cheese, eggs, and butter and made a simple fried egg sandwich for breakfast every day. Best damn food ive ever made for myself.

We dont have good cheap bread state side, cheese product is most of whats on the shelves and Euro eggs were just better. It took about a week after coming home for random food items to stop tasting like plastic…

I understood that reference.

Woof, those choper rides aint cheap. That is exactly why all the signs/books/guides say “dont go past this point, unless you know what your doing” and “only stupid people do the rim to river and back in a day”. My folks and I did that last one back in the day, it was fun, but dont try it (seriously dont). It took us 20 hours and almost didnt make it back before sunset.

The best part of that hike is thanks to my mother, who froze an extra water bottle and hid it in each of our bags before we set out at sunrise. We are hiking back on the bright angel trail and get to the waysation half way up and find it. Its 3PM, at the height of summer in the grand canyon, and my father and I are sitting around drinking ice water, I have never see more envious hikers in my life.

Go with the classics

-The Blues Brothers

-Blazing Saddles

-Young Frankenstine

-Animal House

Fuck, your right, annual rewatch day of V for Vendetta. (Amongst other notable events)

International Talk Like a Pirate day (Sept 19)

Lief Erikson day (Sept 9)

Memorial for the Edmund Fitzgerald (Nov 10)

No Capes (Nov 15)

Mario day (Mar 10)

Pi day (Mar 14)

The Ides of March (Mar 15, et tu brute)

Elvis Presley’s birthday (Jan 8, Nixon’s is on the 9th)

Star Wars day (May 4)

Got to find things to look forward to so I mark the calendar with many things, some silly, some serious.