Nicholas Karpuk
@thekarpuk.bsky.social
Father, Database Developer, Frustrated Novelist
I think what really annoyed me about Far Harbor is it demonstrated that Bethesda still had people who could make thoughtful, decision-driven RPG content, they just clearly weren't given the power or priority to in the main game or any game since.
December 24, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I think what really annoyed me about Far Harbor is it demonstrated that Bethesda still had people who could make thoughtful, decision-driven RPG content, they just clearly weren't given the power or priority to in the main game or any game since.
I love public transit, and the American stigma about it infuriates me. Most of its problems go away if you actually support it properly.
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
December 23, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I love public transit, and the American stigma about it infuriates me. Most of its problems go away if you actually support it properly.
Rich idiots used to really know how to inspire envy in me.
All I want for Christmas is a $32K spaceship recliner pod from Neiman Marcus, 1982.
December 22, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Rich idiots used to really know how to inspire envy in me.
Fortnite and Roblox both remind me that most user generated content is absolute derivative garbage. I think anyone with skill who learns on those tools will eventually abandon it.
December 20, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Fortnite and Roblox both remind me that most user generated content is absolute derivative garbage. I think anyone with skill who learns on those tools will eventually abandon it.
I think a concept artist who uses gen AI should be fired on general principle. They just outsourced their own job.
December 20, 2025 at 3:46 AM
I think a concept artist who uses gen AI should be fired on general principle. They just outsourced their own job.
One thing that bugs me about the last wave of Marvel movies is they really didn't lean on their most charismatic stars. There should have been way more Simu Liu, and I would have watched a dozen movies of Florence Pugh and Hailee Steinfeld riffing off each other.
December 19, 2025 at 4:43 PM
One thing that bugs me about the last wave of Marvel movies is they really didn't lean on their most charismatic stars. There should have been way more Simu Liu, and I would have watched a dozen movies of Florence Pugh and Hailee Steinfeld riffing off each other.
Just once it'd be nice if an OS update made it run faster or use fewer resources.
December 18, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Just once it'd be nice if an OS update made it run faster or use fewer resources.
People are having a hard time reconciling that It: Welcome to Derry is both entertaining and very stupid. I would encourage those people to embrace the stupid within. Play a Yakuza game, or throw on a Vin Diesel movie, and just let it wash over you.
December 18, 2025 at 8:18 PM
People are having a hard time reconciling that It: Welcome to Derry is both entertaining and very stupid. I would encourage those people to embrace the stupid within. Play a Yakuza game, or throw on a Vin Diesel movie, and just let it wash over you.
I played some of To a T on Game Pass back when it came out, and its wacky premise was basically, "Wouldn't it be weird to live with a disability?!" And it made me scared to look up what it's like for a disabled person in Japan.
December 16, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I played some of To a T on Game Pass back when it came out, and its wacky premise was basically, "Wouldn't it be weird to live with a disability?!" And it made me scared to look up what it's like for a disabled person in Japan.
Lately I’ve been getting followed by accounts with a few hundred followers but they’re following 10,000+ people. It feels like confirmation that spam-following on BlueSky doesn’t work very well.
December 15, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Lately I’ve been getting followed by accounts with a few hundred followers but they’re following 10,000+ people. It feels like confirmation that spam-following on BlueSky doesn’t work very well.
Mark Cuban is my continual reminder that rich people aren’t all that smart, they’re just privileged, confident, and incredibly pushy.
December 15, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Mark Cuban is my continual reminder that rich people aren’t all that smart, they’re just privileged, confident, and incredibly pushy.
Cameron is effectively using the same dumb argument the Insane Clown Posse uses.
James Cameron responds to criticism of 3D and high frame rate in the Avatar movies: "I think $2.3 billion says you might be wrong on that"
"I happen to like it, and it's my movie"
www.gamesradar.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Cameron is effectively using the same dumb argument the Insane Clown Posse uses.
I hope the inciting incident of Resident Evil 9 is someone telling Leon he's too old to roundhouse kick a zombie.
December 14, 2025 at 6:21 PM
I hope the inciting incident of Resident Evil 9 is someone telling Leon he's too old to roundhouse kick a zombie.
My attitude on gen AI art continues to be: Why should I put more money or effort into this than you did?
Here's "the world's first fully playable game created 100% through AI"
New Vampire Survivors-a-like Codex Mortis is perhaps one of the first games to proudly declare that everything, from it…
www.eurogamer.net
December 14, 2025 at 6:18 PM
My attitude on gen AI art continues to be: Why should I put more money or effort into this than you did?
Hey game devs, I didn't need to know that you were specifically loading shaders. You could have just said you were loading stuff and I would have taken your word for it.
December 12, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Hey game devs, I didn't need to know that you were specifically loading shaders. You could have just said you were loading stuff and I would have taken your word for it.
I think one of the most frustrating things about modern American conservatism is that they just decided that any issue they don't want to deal with will just be treated like it doesn't actually exist.
Trump calls affordability crisis a 'hoax.' The data tells a different story
As Democrats campaigning on affordability pick up wins, Trump's messaging about a strong economy is at odds with widespread voter sentiment that he's not doing enough to tackle rising costs.
www.npr.org
December 11, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I think one of the most frustrating things about modern American conservatism is that they just decided that any issue they don't want to deal with will just be treated like it doesn't actually exist.
One of the reasons corporations love big comic book franchises like Marvel and DC is they never ever have to pay a creator for using their characters.
December 11, 2025 at 1:28 AM
One of the reasons corporations love big comic book franchises like Marvel and DC is they never ever have to pay a creator for using their characters.
I reviewed Outer Worlds 2, a game I felt some kinda way about.
TheKarpuk's review of The Outer Worlds 2 | Backloggd
The overall experience of Outer Worlds 2 is a lot like eating a family size bag of Sour Patch Kids. Did I enjoy it moment to moment? Sure. Did I fail great by the end of it? No. Was it satisfying? No,...
backloggd.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:50 AM
I reviewed Outer Worlds 2, a game I felt some kinda way about.
I loved so much of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, but I am still mad about the stealth mission where they expected you to sneak a whole-ass pirate ship through a level with instant fail conditions.
December 10, 2025 at 12:23 AM
I loved so much of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, but I am still mad about the stealth mission where they expected you to sneak a whole-ass pirate ship through a level with instant fail conditions.
I'm sort of shocked when people like Spotify, because for me it was so infuriating how often they would remove features I used and would alter how music was organized in ways that didn't make sense. They were bad at the simple act of storing and playing music.
Ditching Spotify Has Been A Bleak Experience To Say The Least
It's bad out there
aftermath.site
December 8, 2025 at 11:25 PM
I'm sort of shocked when people like Spotify, because for me it was so infuriating how often they would remove features I used and would alter how music was organized in ways that didn't make sense. They were bad at the simple act of storing and playing music.
I'm not tolerating any fan theory about a TV show that could be addressed by simply waiting for the end of the season.
December 8, 2025 at 4:13 PM
I'm not tolerating any fan theory about a TV show that could be addressed by simply waiting for the end of the season.
What's funny is that Back 4 Blood and Evolve have shown that all you really need to do to make a successor to Left 4 Dead is not be insanely greedy, and the creators have yet to clear that bar.
New Four-Player Co-Op Shooter From Left 4 Dead Creator Coming To PS5 And PC
Sony announces a deal with JJ Abrams' gaming company.
www.gamespot.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:05 PM
What's funny is that Back 4 Blood and Evolve have shown that all you really need to do to make a successor to Left 4 Dead is not be insanely greedy, and the creators have yet to clear that bar.
Wondering how many of these storefronts still have Hatred for sale. Capitalism really does just devolve into feudalism, with a small handful of people making decisions mostly off vibes.
Humble's now banned it too, post-launch:
www.ign.com/articles/hor...
www.ign.com/articles/hor...
Horses, the Upsetting Horror Game Previously Banned on Steam, Gets Last Minute Ban From Epic Games Store Too - IGN
Last week, we reported that disturbing horror game Horses had been banned from Steam. Now, at the last possible minute before the game was set to release widely across other PC store fronts, Epic Game...
www.ign.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Wondering how many of these storefronts still have Hatred for sale. Capitalism really does just devolve into feudalism, with a small handful of people making decisions mostly off vibes.
I don't think I've ever found the writing in a Don't Nod game to be good, but I always feel compelled to see if they've gotten any better, so I'm giving this a try.
December 2, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I don't think I've ever found the writing in a Don't Nod game to be good, but I always feel compelled to see if they've gotten any better, so I'm giving this a try.
It's weird when people ask if Hegseth should be tried for war crimes, because no United States federal politician has ever been convicted of war crimes. Which is impressive considering how many war crimes this country has committed.
December 1, 2025 at 6:45 PM
It's weird when people ask if Hegseth should be tried for war crimes, because no United States federal politician has ever been convicted of war crimes. Which is impressive considering how many war crimes this country has committed.