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Loren Crain

@bluehexagons.com

230 followers 970 following 230 posts

End of Blackjack is coming soon. Generalist developer: low-level, web, games, graphics, servers. Available for freelance work. https://linktr.ee/bluehexagons Antistatic dev | Photographer | SSBM Yoshi (Terral)

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Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 10d

The world is over, but this machine lets humanity play a forgotten game for the last time.

There is still plenty to do before launch, but getting End of Blackjack's Steam page up is a big milestone.

store.steampowered.com/app/3884650/...

End of Blackjack by bluehexagons. Wishlist on Steam. Also coming to itch.io

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Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 2d

My main gripe with the game is the lack of Steam Cloud support, since I have lost my save data on some unknown device. It's a bit rough to play, with emulator-style controls, but I convinced myself that's part of the fun.

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 2d

I think about Disc Creatures, a game randomly recommended to me by Steam that I adored a few years ago, every time a new Pokemon game comes out. Just noticed that it's getting a successor.

store.steampowered.com/app/3440740/...

Disc Creatures WORLD on Steam

Embark on a grand adventure through a world full of mysteries, uncovering ‘Discs’ to collect your own party of creatures! Engage in strategic battles, enjoy an assortment of collectables, and meet uni...

store.steampowered.com

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 2d

A goal with EoB was to only use FOSS tools, but after a few starts using various open-source video editors I went with DaVinci Resolve's free version. It was a pleasant experience, aside from the bombardment of on-screen information and unique nouns that replace common terms.

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 2d

End of Blackjack's reveal trailer was my first serious attempt to edit a video. I think it came out OK despite rushing it, but I'm hoping to do a better job next time.

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · Feb 21

I think it pretended to be dead for a little bit, but it wasn't a very convincing act.

Another macro photo of the yellow fly, this time laying on its back.

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Des Walsh @deswalsh.bsky.social · 9d

I’m watching videos like this because I’m learning woodworking but environmental and prop artists you can learn from this as well. Understanding why them shapes are part of wood construction is not just about style but learn the history and engineering behind it as well. #reference

The amazing invisible detail.

YouTube video by Rex Krueger

youtu.be

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · Jun 27

Here's an example of its more typical curvature during transit

A top-down macro photo of a millipede crawling across sand, focused on its head. It's leaning slightly to its left.

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Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 10d

Today I have to share links to a thing I've spent hundreds of hours making and pretend I'm actually totally chill about it

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 10d

End of Blackjack has been a huge learning experience for me, with the goal of making a game that ends up polished when I'm done with it. I can tell the differences between the models and materials I made earlier in development, but they're all a big step up from Antistatic.

Reposted by Loren Crain

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 10d

End of Blackjack's reveal trailer on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQEs...

End of Blackjack - Reveal Trailer

YouTube video by Loren

www.youtube.com

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 10d

End of Blackjack's reveal trailer on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQEs...

End of Blackjack - Reveal Trailer

YouTube video by Loren

www.youtube.com

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 10d

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Cαrínα ᓚᘏᗢ @carina.delachancla.com · 14d

I am so mad at my brain right now

A trans colored flag in a Sylvania bulb with a castle in the background with a dark blue hue

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Charles Richter, in my Crypt Keeper SCAREa! @richterscale.bsky.social · 14d

watch this and tell me it wouldn't feel amazing to have dedicated sets of limbs to clean your head, thorax, and abdomen

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Gray @grays.art · 16d

Greenhouse Millipede
(Oxidus gracilis)

Last week at Naples Botanical Garden
for the art challenge/prompt: #vertical

#eastcoastkin #GreenSat #bugSky #macro #photography #macrophotography #insects #bugs #legs #nature #spooktober #halloween

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Elizabeth Beston @elizabethbeston.bsky.social · 21d

It’s #worldalgaeday and my most favourite of algae is the diatoms! Single-celled and microscopic, these algae are so important, storing carbon, making oxygen, cycling nutrients, providing food, and even helping innovations in science and medicine! #marineplankton 🦑

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Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 23d

Making games can feel like a bigger adventure than playing them

Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 24d

I didn't intend for the file to be this large, but I almost got to avoid encoding it again.

A screenshot showing a 501MB file selected next to Discord's max 500 MB file size error message.

Reposted by Loren Crain

Elizabeth Beston @elizabethbeston.bsky.social · 24d

Hello little tardigrade! Found in last week’s plankton sample. If anyone can help me with ID, let me know!
#marineplankton 🦑

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Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · 24d

Mantidflies are also very cool. This one randomly landed on me while I was indoors and waited around for its photo to be taken.

Phone photo of a mantidfly. It is not closely related to a praying mantis, despite the resemblance. I think of it like carcinization, but for the mantis form.

Reposted by Loren Crain

Gray @grays.art · 27d

Leaf cutter bee on purple sage
(Megachile)

Summer morning in a neighbor’s garden
in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood

#macro #photography #native #bees #plants #flowers #nature #art #gardens #gardening #bloomscrolling #pollinators #macroPhotography #eastcoastkin #animalarttues #chicago

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Cαrínα ᓚᘏᗢ @carina.delachancla.com · Oct 4

me: haha funny egg game on sale for $5 why not

me, 5 minutes later: ...omggomsaaksdjfhalksdhfiuwehjakfclivbkasdf

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Loren Crain @bluehexagons.com · Oct 2

The character design I'm happiest with in Antistatic has to be Xenon, my ideal double-jump cancel nightmare amalgamation. Lots of DJC momentum tricks, a slow directable projectile, a non-recovery up-special, a move-swapping charge mechanic, and references to several of my favorite Smash moves.

Reposted by Loren Crain

Erik Robson @erikrobson.net · Sep 30

Oof

A $20 billion hole to fill
One of the biggest differences between a publicly owned EA and a privately owned version is that the latter will be saddled with roughly $20 billion of fresh debt provided by JP MorganChase, which is being used to help finance the leveraged buyout. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter estimates the firm will be on the hook for roughly $1 billion a year in service payments on that debt after the deal closes.

That's definitely manageable for a company that brought in $5.92 billion in gross profit in the 2025 fiscal year. However, repaying that debt—and maximizing profits for its new owners—could force changes throughout the company.

"The reality is that in order to service debt of this magnitude, resources need to be freed up elsewhere," F-Squared analyst Michael Futter told Ars. "That likely means layoffs, studio closures, and [selling] of IP."

DFC Intelligence's David Cole added that the new debt could lead to an even more risk-averse version of EA that has "a bigger focus on live services, more focus on annual sports franchises, [and] microtransactions. They are profitable and, most importantly, steady."

Analysts who spoke to Ars agreed that studios that weren't involved in EA's most consistently profitable franchises (generally sports games, Battlefield, and The Sims) were at the most risk of facing layoffs or sell-offs under this new private version of EA. That could spell trouble for EA studios like BioWare (Mass Effect, Dragon Age), Codemasters (F1, Dirt), and even Respawn (Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi).

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Reposted by Loren Crain

Hobith @hobith.bsky.social · Nov 30

A drawing of a strange, blue, octopus-like creature with mystical golden writing.

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