Slaughtahouse

4 hours ago, Sir Beregond said:

I'm a big fan of mint tea. How is that one?

The teas literally arrived today

So no comment but I will follow up in the coming days / weeks.

Edit: Decided to brew a cup before bed. Made Stress Buster for the wife and I went with Lavender Mint.

Green and Mint teas are my favourite and I tell you right now this one is delicious and definitely worth your time. It’s lavender forward more than mint but it’s very… decadent.

Stress Buster^ 

Lavender Mint^

18 minutes ago, neurotix said:

 

Are those loose-leaf or do they come in sachets? How do you make them, what do you use?

I haven't opened them yet but they should all be loose-leaf. We have a similar type of metal mesh baskets to the link below to infuse the tea leaves. We brew tea per cup and not in a larger tea pot (batch serving).

Typically I do one tablespoon per mug / basket. Depending on the tea, like green tea, I may temper the water or simply wait for it to cool down before brewing. 

https://www.amazon.ca/Basket-Leaves-Strainer-Teapot-Filter/dp/B016DT2KZY

Once it's brewed, take out the basket, and I usually add lemon and honey.

It's not popular here but if you go into any Germanic / Eastern-European (German / Polish) type grocery store, you can buy fruit syrups for tea or drinks. My wife introduced them to me years ago. I'm not a huge fan but if you like a sweet drink, you can add that too. https://polka-deli.com/652-herbapol-syrups

I specifically chose the "Earl Grey" loose leaf tea as I wanted to try and make a "London Fog"  https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/london-fog-tea-latte-london-fog-drink/

5 minutes ago, The Pook said:

 

"This guy thinks the 5070 is going to only be $600 " - Jensen Huang, probably

That's how much Jensen pays a month on paste for his leather jackets so I don't expect him to be grounded in reality. 

Use your discretion.

In my view, if there are larger impacts to the core group of EW (PC enthusiasts), I think it's fair for a separate thread to highlight that specific news. If there are other advancements in AI that don't directly relate to this audience, I think a larger AI Discussion thread makes sense to consolidate. Either way it doesn't bother me as a user to see more threads. 

That's my approach with Gaming. I have no qualms if there are separate threads for large announcements in the news section from others. Ultimately, I try to keep a general thread going for the wider, less in-depth discussions and provide updates that necessarily don't require an entire thread.

23 hours ago, neurotix said:

Would love to see your tea. Thanks for the post. I need to get all of my fine teas and set them out on the counter and take a picture of all of them. Maybe do the same thing with my junky sugar flavored coffee too, lol.

Tea arrived

https://tealish.com/products/english-breakfast-organic-black-tea

https://tealish.com/products/cold-fighter-green-tea-tin

https://tealish.com/products/stress-buster-herbal-tea

https://tealish.com/products/lavender-mint-green-tea

https://tealish.com/products/earl-grey-cream-black-tea

1 hour ago, Sir Beregond said:

Extremely similar to Turing Super refresh then. 2060 and 2060 Super stayed around in tandem while 2060 Super was single digital percentage slower than the original 2070. Meanwhile the 2070 Super was single digit percentages slower than the 2080 and the original 2070 was EOL'd. And then the 2080  also got EOL'd for the 2080 Super which was marginally faster as the fully unlocked TU104 chip.

 

Almost like this should have been your original lineup Nvidia 

 

Will be interesting to see where AIB card prices end up landing on average for this.

If history is repeating itself, Blackwell should be the new Ampere and I'll wait for the "$500" "$600" 4090 called the 5070 with 15.5GB VRAM and DLSS 4 in early 2025. Thanks XD. 

https://videocardz.com/171379/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-super-graphics-cards-review-roundup

Hello,

This is just a reminder that I am working on a sheet. It will be up soon, hopefully by next week. It will be a live-ongoing thing so don't expect all games for 2024 to be there. It's just not possible. I've missed a few updates already this year but I wanted to flag that on Jan 18* there is an Xbox showcase (Developer Direct) and Indiana Jones is expected to be shown alongside other games. See quote below.

Edit: It's also worth noting in 2022, Hi-Fi Rush was announced during developer direct and was a "shadow drop". AKA a game that was released with little to no heads up. It's possible we see another "shadow drop" or alternatively, and what's rumoured, is more updates for Hi-Fi Rush (either being released on platforms or DLC). 

Xbox to Present Developer_Direct, Returning on January 18 - Xbox Wire

NEWS.XBOX.COM

---

You’re about to get an exciting look at some of the incredible games ahead with Xbox, as we present a new edition of Developer_Direct on Thursday, January 18.

Quote

Fans should tune in on Xbox channels at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm UK, January 18 to see all the latest on: 

• Indiana Jones game: MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, will reveal their upcoming Indiana Jones game, an action-adventure that puts players in the leather jacket of the legendary archaeologist. Developer_Direct will showcase more than 10 minutes of game and developer insights, including details about the game’s setting and story, how fans will actually play as Indy, additional details from his next globe-trotting adventure, and the premiere of the first gameplay trailer.

• Avowed: The team at Obsidian will share the first deep dive into the gameplay experience fans can expect in Avowed, their upcoming fantasy action RPG, set in the fantastical, vibrant Living Lands. Learn more about how Obsidian’s expertise in building worlds with deep themes, dynamic gameplay, and thoughtful reactivity come to life in Avowed where players will have agency to make choices to shape every step of their adventure.

• Ara: History Untold: Hear from the leads at Oxide Games – a studio founded by veterans of the strategy genre and the creators behind classic strategy titles including Civilization V – as they unveil exclusive new gameplay and share more details about the inspiration, key features, and road ahead for their upcoming historical grand strategy game.

• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II: Ninja Theory take us behind the scenes at their studio in Cambridge to give us some insight on how they are crafting Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. The team will speak to the ambition and meticulous care involved in creating Senua’s journey of survival.

Grabbed a new bag of beans today. Ran into a rep from the roasting company and he walked me through a recommendation for my machine.

We also placed an order on Tealish for a variety of black and green teas. I’ll follow up with a photo when it comes in

On 14/01/2024 at 06:25, ENTERPRISE said:

Thanks for the feedback guys, taking into account peoples comments + my preference I will now be looking to alter the design to the below examples 

 

 

Does the date represent the start date or the last / latest post? I am assume the latter  Also, I like where this was going. I think OP will work well because most people here or on this type of forum understand it means "Original Post" or "Original Poster". 

Glad you're getting rid of the duplication of "started". 

I love this kind of stuff and I hope it becomes more widespread where AI can accelerate research and development. 

Imagine with the appropriate application of intelligent AI how quickly we can accelerate the discovery of new solutions to mitigate or avoid the symptoms from diseases like Cancer or Alzheimer's.

Even if AI could simply help people accelerate the diagnoses of these diseases in the early stages where treatment available today is viable, or significantly reduces the chances of developing fatal or significantly detrimental symptoms, would go a long way. At least, one can hope  Those small, meaningful steps could have huge impacts, not only to individuals but also the entire healthcare system. 

What about if you don’t show the start date but rather when the thread was created expressed in time past.

E.g., 2 days ago instead of January 8th 2024.

That might help reduce text whilst still keeping the date referenced so people understand that thread is recent / relevant?

Just trying to find a middle ground that helps meet your goals.

Quick mockup: 

Off topic to Blackwell rumours, remember that Intel is poised to release Battlemage this year as well.

Which should make the mid range much more competitive against both AMD and Nvidia. 

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-reaffirms-xe2-battlemage-is-coming-hardware-team-already-working-on-celestial

Howdy all. 

The time has come I will officially transition my efforts and support of "the sheet" to the new 2024 thread. 

This thread can of course, remain alive and well but I will not be posting updates about new games being released in 2024 in this thread. This thread can continue to be useful to discuss 2023 games but I have no problem if people discuss 2023 games in the 2024 thread and vice versa. I just wont make those large updates here anymore. 

Some fun facts about 2023:

• 14,532 games were released on Steam in 2023, making it a record for new number of games on Steam in a single year
• At least 25 games have hit 90+ Metacritic scores for at least one platform at any given time during 2023. 
• The worst critically reviewed game of the year is Lord of the Rings: Gollum (38% PC, 34% PS5 Metacritic) 
• We have a tie for the best critically reviewed game, Baldur's Gate III and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (96% Metacritic).
• Cyberpunk 2077 completed it's redemption arc with the release of Phantom Liberty (89% Metacritic score PC)
• Quake II (Remastered) received arguably one of the best updates at a ultra low price of 10$ or free if you already owned Quake II. 
• Do you like RPGs? Well we got Baldur's Gate III, Starfield, Sea of Stars, Final Fantasy 16 all within one season (summer).
• Do you like Horror? Well we got Dead Space Remake, RE4 Remake, and Alan Wake 2.
• Do you like fighters? Well we got Street Fighter VI and Mortal Kombat 1.
• Oh yea, a remake of System Shock also came out. Seriously, what!?
• Shinji Mikami's studio, behind The Evil Within Series and former director of Resident Evil 4 (2005) shadow dropped Hi-Fi Rush. A music based action adventure game sitting with an 89% Metacritic score.
• Oh yea, From Software, the makers of Dark Souls, Elden Ring (GotY from 2022), released Armored Core 6 in between Baldur's Gate III and Starfield.
• Valve released CS:2, a free, substantial update to CS:GO.
• Starfield was the most hyped and also fasted dropped (daily active players) Bethesda game of all time.
• *The trailer for GTA VI dropped and became one of the most watch video game trailers of all time.
• and the most important fact, a game from 2023 will always be in someones backlog. Seriously, who has time to play all these games.

So, with the year wrapped up... what we're your highlights? Any games surprised you? Any games you regret playing (besides Starfield XD)?

I don't think I've purchased more new games in any given year before in my life. 

My personal top 5 from what I played and either completed or almost completed:

1. Resident Evil 4 Remake
2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
3. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
4. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
5. Metroid Prime: Remastered

Games that are on my  backlog from 2023 in order of priority:

1. Alan Wake II
2. Sea of Stars
3. Hi-Fi Rush
4. Dead Space (2023)
5. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
6. Remnant II
7. System Shock (2023)
8. Baldur's Gate III
9. Dredge
10. Final Fantasy XVI (when it comes to PC)
11. Aliens: Dark Descent
12. Cities: Skylines II

Honorable mentions (games that released in 2023 and I enjoyed but didn't make top 5)

1. Cocoon (easily one of the most unique games I've ever played)
2. Hogwarts Legacy (Hogwarts was excellently realized and made my wife want to play and watch games, which never happens).
3. Pikmin 4 (because it has a dog)
4. Assassins Creed: Mirage (first AC game I beat since AC2)
5. Starfield (Yes, I still enjoyed Starfield... just didn't live up to my expectations)

Best games I completed from my backlog (pre-2023):

1. God of War (2018). I managed to 100% it too...
2. Vanquish (2010)

Anyway, that's me. I mentioned it before and I'll mention it again, you need to play RE4 remake. Capcom took everything they learned from RE2 remake and tweaked and changed RE4 to somehow make a near perfect game, even better. It's my game of the year and if you like horror, good 3rd person gun play, and cheesy dialog, you won't be disappointed. 

1 hour ago, pioneerisloud said:

same

PM sent

Not to be the Deby-downer but this seems like the 4060 Ti moment again. 128-Bit bus, extra 8gb of VRAM, except it's "only" $80 more expensive vs. $100 that Nvidia charged for the 16GB 4060 Ti. The performance gains are oddly skewed towards AMD sponsored games and compared against a RTX 2060 (non super).

I'd be super skeptical of this card...

1 hour ago, The Pook said:

traitor

*Cries in Microsoft Sam* 

On topic but not really, I had no idea there was a decent emulator for Xbox 360! Thanks for sharing that vid

Well, nice to see Nvidia offer a better 4080 at a lower price.

$1,000 doesn’t make me want to sell my 7900 XTX and swap but… if an RTX 4080 was this price in 2022, I’m fairly certain I would of made that choice over AMD. Similarly with the oddly named 4070 Ti Super. $799 pits square against the 7900 XT. 

At least they adjusted their pricing stack, even if we all agree it’s still too expensive. Small steps are better than no steps.

AMD will most certainly respond with price cuts. 

Blackwell (high end) will likely release at the end of the year but if you need a card now and you have a decent budget, the supers look pretty decent.

2 hours ago, The Pook said:

10/10 draw distance 

 

I thought at first that was concept art.

I’d argue that RDR2 is one of the most beautiful games out there on PC and I’ve barely played it. I recall the first mission very well, trekking through the dense snow and seeing all the events unfold.

I have other priorities on my backlog (shorter games) but I need to start a new save in RDR2 and play it all the way through… 

I booted up RDR (1) on Xbox Series X a couple weeks ago. Still looks fantastic, even if it feels stiff compared to modern games. It scales up to 4K and has autoHDR. Still 30 fps but whatever, it’s fun and John Marston is one of my all time favourite characters with the way he interacts in this wacky but believable world.

My favourite moments were the hunting. Going out there and hunting and skinning prey with a bowie knife. Love it. There is also that completely absurd side quest where you meet a sasquatch and it guilt trips the crap out of you, making you feel like the monster. I felt terrible knowing I made his kind extinct. I don’t ever recall a game making me feel that way about a fictional creature.

Gosh, I love that game and I can play it over and over again. Sorry for derail, just RDR brings back so many good memories.

1 hour ago, Mr. Fox said:

If it plays like Crysis then I definitely need to get it when it falls into my game purchase range. The Crysis franchise is my favorite and the GOAT. I do not care for open world gameplay though. I lose interest swiftly. Linear FPS titles are the only ones I find captivating and play to the end, sometimes more than once.

You may not enjoy this then, especially on the explorer mode. I feel if you do the default mode, you would end up hating it, like I would with another typical Ubisoft game with map markers and a million side quests.

I enjoy narrative linear shooters like Metro Last Light and Metro 2033. Exodus didnt work for me but it really comes down to the specific game and world. This one just clicks with me. I am also a fan of Avatar and I love the tribal / hunter vibes so that’s probably why. The story is super generic and really nothing special. 
 

Honestly, the best moments for me have been running through the jungle and coming across the wild life. Watching a herbivore defend itself from some smaller prey… jumping in to hunt and then you hear a Thanator (cougar type beast) growl in the distance. On hard it kills you in one or two hits. Gets the blood flowing.

Nice! I dropped RDR 2, I need to restart and do a full playthrough at some point. RDR (1) is one of my all time favourite games. 

45 minutes ago, Mr. Fox said:

That actually looks like pretty good game. I will have to grab it when the price drop to around $20-$25. It looks like one I would enjoy (FPS fanboy here).

It's my guilty pleasure of 2023. Plays more like Crysis than Fry Cry but it's definitely in that lane. I don't typically like to use the guns (bow and spear is more satisfying for me) but the weapons all feel and sound very good. I'm about 40 hrs in now and 67% complete. I feel you could beat it faster if you put it on normal and only did the main quests. Maybe 15-20hrs? TBD. Super fun to just explore and get lost in the nature. With the graphics, audio, playing on Hard with Explorer mode (hides HUD, waypoints etc.) it's really amps up the entire package for me. For example, in that first vid, I had a fun time just scoping out the base and taking my time.

Playing around with Youtube / recording. I made two more videos with a higher bitrate. 1st one is 1440p (native), SDR. 2nd one is 4K (Quality upscaling) HDR. It's a shame I couldn't get it to record in HDR (not sure how) but I hope these videos give a better insight how the visuals look in motion in different regions.

12 hours ago, Snakecharmed said:

 

Well, I just learned something new about Canadian mortgages.

 

You have a variety of options with mortgages in the US, but the most popular ones are 30-year fixed rate, 15-year fixed, 5/1 adjustable rate (ARM), and 5/5 adjustable, which appears to be similar to the 5-year fixed rate in Canada but it auto-adjusts the rate every five years so you're not doing any shopping around after the five years are up. Smart money treats ARMs as the option for people who move often rather than a lower upfront interest rate option. You can always refinance your mortgage to get a more favorable current market rate as long as the math works out for you. After 2021 though, the math won't work for a vast majority of people for a very long time.

Thanks for sharing the additional context about the US market  I’ll stop derailing this thread

2 hours ago, UltraMega said:

 

KInda a side note that your comment made me think about, what do you guys usually do with your old GPU when you upgrade? For a long time now I have been in the habit of selling my old GPU right after I get a new one, so the price to upgrade is only ever as high as the difference between what I can sell my old one for and what the new one costs. 

 

Because of Covid/mining, when I sold my 1080Ti and upgraded to an RX6800, I actually made a little bit of money (like $10). After that I sold my RX6800 for $400 and bought the 7900XT for $800. 

 

Do you guys do this sort of thing? 

I always flip. I try to sell before the next gen comes out if possible. 

If you’re in the upper tiers, besides the initial investment, it’s more cost effective to stay in the game. To recover as much value from the current GPU before jumping into the next gen.

So I may go to Blackwell and sell my 7900XTX for approximately 750 USD or so when the time is right.