Jason Maltzen
@jason.maltzen.org
Working in game dev professionally since the 1990s, largely on MMO servers. Video games, cat pictures, hockey. Too many previous games to list. Started making games professionally with Ultima IX. Game dev merc for hire.
he/him
he/him
Supplies ordered for this coming weekend's blood sacrifice* event.
December 14, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Supplies ordered for this coming weekend's blood sacrifice* event.
Well, going with a shittier health insurance plan at only 5x the premium, 2x the deductible, 4x the out of pocket max instead of keeping my existing plan at (literally) 20x the premium after subsidy changes. Thanks for being such complete fucking dickheads, Republicans.
December 13, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Well, going with a shittier health insurance plan at only 5x the premium, 2x the deductible, 4x the out of pocket max instead of keeping my existing plan at (literally) 20x the premium after subsidy changes. Thanks for being such complete fucking dickheads, Republicans.
U.S. Navy has revealed their new official flag to be flown on all vessels.
December 13, 2025 at 2:07 AM
U.S. Navy has revealed their new official flag to be flown on all vessels.
My question of the night: how long until the first game adds an emote for taking off your headset and falling over?
December 11, 2025 at 5:40 AM
My question of the night: how long until the first game adds an emote for taking off your headset and falling over?
A thought that has been in my head for a while now: if you use / promote gen AI products, you must hate your customers. Aside from the slop quality produced, you are:
* increasing the cost of video cards
* increasing the const of RAM
Both of these effectively make your game/content more expensive.
* increasing the cost of video cards
* increasing the const of RAM
Both of these effectively make your game/content more expensive.
December 10, 2025 at 12:29 AM
A thought that has been in my head for a while now: if you use / promote gen AI products, you must hate your customers. Aside from the slop quality produced, you are:
* increasing the cost of video cards
* increasing the const of RAM
Both of these effectively make your game/content more expensive.
* increasing the cost of video cards
* increasing the const of RAM
Both of these effectively make your game/content more expensive.
"You canceled your account. How about we spam you daily about all our AI updates to our service?" - every tech company now.
December 9, 2025 at 9:02 PM
"You canceled your account. How about we spam you daily about all our AI updates to our service?" - every tech company now.
I can tell it's going to be a bad election year next year and I am going to hate every single candidate and party. I'm on something like my 23rd political campaign fundraising text of the day and we're not even in the election year yet.
December 9, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I can tell it's going to be a bad election year next year and I am going to hate every single candidate and party. I'm on something like my 23rd political campaign fundraising text of the day and we're not even in the election year yet.
Reposted by Jason Maltzen
But it's very important to see the trick the tech industry is trying to play on us. If AI is in every product, and the states cannot regulate AI, then the states cannot regulate technology at all. This applies to basic consumer and anti-discrimination protections. These people are our enemies.
December 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
But it's very important to see the trick the tech industry is trying to play on us. If AI is in every product, and the states cannot regulate AI, then the states cannot regulate technology at all. This applies to basic consumer and anti-discrimination protections. These people are our enemies.
Despite being fully playable on Steam Deck since basically the release of the Steam Deck, my games are *still* apparently not eligible to even request that Steam review them to mark them as compatible.
December 4, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Despite being fully playable on Steam Deck since basically the release of the Steam Deck, my games are *still* apparently not eligible to even request that Steam review them to mark them as compatible.
I swear every time Windows decides to auto-update overnight it causes the loss of an entire day from having to reestablish working environment and context.
December 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I swear every time Windows decides to auto-update overnight it causes the loss of an entire day from having to reestablish working environment and context.
How much fucking time has been wasted in everyone having to hunt down and shut off automatically-enabled "AI" every time an app/OS updates?
December 4, 2025 at 5:55 PM
How much fucking time has been wasted in everyone having to hunt down and shut off automatically-enabled "AI" every time an app/OS updates?
Reposted by Jason Maltzen
All of the companies that make the software I use are increasing their prices, to account for an "investment" in AI.
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
December 4, 2025 at 8:41 AM
All of the companies that make the software I use are increasing their prices, to account for an "investment" in AI.
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
Sometimes games get too real. In my current Dwarf Fortress, I have more bedrooms than dwarves. Some dwarves do not have a room of their own. Others have claimed more than one.
December 4, 2025 at 5:42 AM
Sometimes games get too real. In my current Dwarf Fortress, I have more bedrooms than dwarves. Some dwarves do not have a room of their own. Others have claimed more than one.
This does not instill confidence in this update.
December 3, 2025 at 8:58 PM
This does not instill confidence in this update.
Is is private equity?
"In October 2019 Monotype changed ownership to HGGC, a private equity firm."
Of course it's private equity.
"In October 2019 Monotype changed ownership to HGGC, a private equity firm."
Of course it's private equity.
Monotype accused of overcharging Japanese devs for Japanese language fonts
Monotype accused of overcharging Japanese devs for Japanese language fonts
Fontworks' new US-owned parent company Monotype is charging $20,500 per year, up from $380.
www.gamedeveloper.com
December 2, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Is is private equity?
"In October 2019 Monotype changed ownership to HGGC, a private equity firm."
Of course it's private equity.
"In October 2019 Monotype changed ownership to HGGC, a private equity firm."
Of course it's private equity.
Tis the season when all methods of communication become even more useless than usual thanks to the increased daily flood of spam. Black Friday. End of month campaign reporting. Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday. No wait, now it's cyber *week*.
December 2, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Tis the season when all methods of communication become even more useless than usual thanks to the increased daily flood of spam. Black Friday. End of month campaign reporting. Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday. No wait, now it's cyber *week*.
Apparently Disney+ is so desperate for subscribers now that they're now offering discounts with orders of cat litter.
I'm not even joking. Got prompted for the discount on checkout.
"Hey, we want you to associate our brand with ... cat shit."
I'm not even joking. Got prompted for the discount on checkout.
"Hey, we want you to associate our brand with ... cat shit."
December 1, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Apparently Disney+ is so desperate for subscribers now that they're now offering discounts with orders of cat litter.
I'm not even joking. Got prompted for the discount on checkout.
"Hey, we want you to associate our brand with ... cat shit."
I'm not even joking. Got prompted for the discount on checkout.
"Hey, we want you to associate our brand with ... cat shit."
Reposted by Jason Maltzen
Instead of doing a consumerism on "Black" Friday, consider supporting small businesses, dropping a few coins in someone's ko-fi or go fund me, sign up for their patreon instead.
Life is expensive, things are hard. Drop coins to humans, not AI, or big corporations today.
QRP with your links!
Life is expensive, things are hard. Drop coins to humans, not AI, or big corporations today.
QRP with your links!
November 28, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Instead of doing a consumerism on "Black" Friday, consider supporting small businesses, dropping a few coins in someone's ko-fi or go fund me, sign up for their patreon instead.
Life is expensive, things are hard. Drop coins to humans, not AI, or big corporations today.
QRP with your links!
Life is expensive, things are hard. Drop coins to humans, not AI, or big corporations today.
QRP with your links!
Reposted by Jason Maltzen
Let's get an indie ttrpg HYPE TRAIN going and recommend some cool games for people to buy/gift.
If you're a small #ttrpg creator (or there's an indie game you really love) drop a quick pitch and a link below.
🚅🎲🎲🎲🌟🌟
If you're a small #ttrpg creator (or there's an indie game you really love) drop a quick pitch and a link below.
🚅🎲🎲🎲🌟🌟
November 28, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Let's get an indie ttrpg HYPE TRAIN going and recommend some cool games for people to buy/gift.
If you're a small #ttrpg creator (or there's an indie game you really love) drop a quick pitch and a link below.
🚅🎲🎲🎲🌟🌟
If you're a small #ttrpg creator (or there's an indie game you really love) drop a quick pitch and a link below.
🚅🎲🎲🎲🌟🌟
Why I no longer want to play your game on my PC:
"This game needs a controller"
Plug in game controller.
"Your game controller needs a firmware update."
Install firmware update software.
"The firmware update software needs an update."
Task manager -> kill process. Start a different game.
"This game needs a controller"
Plug in game controller.
"Your game controller needs a firmware update."
Install firmware update software.
"The firmware update software needs an update."
Task manager -> kill process. Start a different game.
November 27, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Why I no longer want to play your game on my PC:
"This game needs a controller"
Plug in game controller.
"Your game controller needs a firmware update."
Install firmware update software.
"The firmware update software needs an update."
Task manager -> kill process. Start a different game.
"This game needs a controller"
Plug in game controller.
"Your game controller needs a firmware update."
Install firmware update software.
"The firmware update software needs an update."
Task manager -> kill process. Start a different game.
Reposted by Jason Maltzen
As the year winds down we want to take a moment.
2025 marks our twentieth year in business. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to our little company with their time, money, or talent. Thank you!
To celebrate, we've put our whole catalog on sale.
evilhat.com/roleplaying-...
2025 marks our twentieth year in business. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to our little company with their time, money, or talent. Thank you!
To celebrate, we've put our whole catalog on sale.
evilhat.com/roleplaying-...
November 26, 2025 at 7:44 PM
As the year winds down we want to take a moment.
2025 marks our twentieth year in business. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to our little company with their time, money, or talent. Thank you!
To celebrate, we've put our whole catalog on sale.
evilhat.com/roleplaying-...
2025 marks our twentieth year in business. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to our little company with their time, money, or talent. Thank you!
To celebrate, we've put our whole catalog on sale.
evilhat.com/roleplaying-...
The number of big tech companies going all-in on AI coding and then completely fucking up is fascinating. I assume a lawsuit vs Google is coming for this one.
"A system issue caused incorrect price changes to paid apps and one-time product prices between Tue, 28 Oct 2025, and Sat, 15 Nov 2025."
"A system issue caused incorrect price changes to paid apps and one-time product prices between Tue, 28 Oct 2025, and Sat, 15 Nov 2025."
November 22, 2025 at 8:42 AM
The number of big tech companies going all-in on AI coding and then completely fucking up is fascinating. I assume a lawsuit vs Google is coming for this one.
"A system issue caused incorrect price changes to paid apps and one-time product prices between Tue, 28 Oct 2025, and Sat, 15 Nov 2025."
"A system issue caused incorrect price changes to paid apps and one-time product prices between Tue, 28 Oct 2025, and Sat, 15 Nov 2025."
Some days you just have to give up on Confluence popping up its stupid AI suggestion box over and over while typing documentation and make a "README.md" instead.
November 21, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Some days you just have to give up on Confluence popping up its stupid AI suggestion box over and over while typing documentation and make a "README.md" instead.
Sometimes you're trying to maintain someone else's old code and it just gives you a headache. Today's example:
topology = GetTopography()
topology = GetTopography()
November 21, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Sometimes you're trying to maintain someone else's old code and it just gives you a headache. Today's example:
topology = GetTopography()
topology = GetTopography()
In the two days since I woke up our Pixel Tablet to test Google Play builds again, it has downloaded 300GB of data, which is more than 2x the combined total over a week of all desktop PCs over used for game dev and with Steam libraries that are on the same network. What the *fuck* is Google doing?
November 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
In the two days since I woke up our Pixel Tablet to test Google Play builds again, it has downloaded 300GB of data, which is more than 2x the combined total over a week of all desktop PCs over used for game dev and with Steam libraries that are on the same network. What the *fuck* is Google doing?