DarkMatters - Member Family Friends Picture Thread

[Hooyaah 3,110]

I thought that all Steam games must be played online using their client and a viable internet connection. Nevertheless, if I could obtain a legal copy of a recent Formula 1 racing game that I could actually own, I might consider investing in a virtual gaming system for it. Because, you are correct, a game controller is grossly unsuited to playing a good racing game. I do, however, believe that you underestimate your competence as a driver. I always wanted to drive for Formula 1, ever since I saw the movie below as a child.

 

 

[Sethi22 274]

Yeah great old movie that one! I'm quite a fanatic too, I watch every practice session, every qualifying, every race...

Well you're right about the internet connection part, but at least in some of them there is an "offline" mode even though you have to launch steam first. If you disable the steam overlay ingame, you can't even enter the "real" online mode, so you just race on your own, and don't see the times others put up (luckily, it's bad for my health! They must have better wheels! ) And you're right, you certainly don't own them, they can kick you out, ban you even for posting something on their forum they don't like... It sucks. So now I keep quiet. If they mess something up with one of their stupid patches, I don't post anything. I stay in offline mode and this way I can hopefully continue racing.

 

Edited November 13, 2024 by Sethi22

[chattius 2,700]

For me it wasn't Formula1, it ws hill climbing. The race hill was just 30minutes drive away and Monaco is SOOOOO expensive. The first car I bought from my own money was a third hand NSU Prinz TTS. A light weight 3,8metre small car with a 83hp engine in the rear. I tuned my engine to 110hp. Allmost all my car mechanic knowledge is from this time. I sold it to buy a bike. Luckily I found it decades later in the garage of the widow of the former buyer. Bought the my first Prinz back.

The small shape and weight made it very agile. Much more agile than the Mustang of a friend. On straights no chance, but my Prinz was way better to catch up speed again in curves. Add that the curve speed of my Prinz was also higher. Guess you can't do this with a sportscar of same time period. Even modern aomputer aided ones do hard.

 

 

[Sethi22 274]

Looks, sounds, and drives great! We could race some time. You with this beast, and me on my 50 Scooter! I fine-tuned it to remain exactly like it was! This way, now I can even reach 75 km/h downhill, with freshly pumped tyres. Good? Would I be competitive?

Edited November 14, 2024 by Sethi22

[pevil 83]

I hate to break it to you but you never own any games technically, it aint just a Steam thing. You always just buy a licence to run the game. Of course in the good old days there's no way anyone was gonna come round to your house and confiscate your physical copy, but theoretically they could've. Steam has just been forced to make this more visible now. GoG is the same, but as they're awesome they provide the offline installers for most (all?) games so as long as you remember to grab those, you're good.

Racing games are fun, but I'm never gonna even think of competing with you guys I grew up on Nigel Mansell on the Amiga. With all the stubbornness of a kid, I refused to use brakes and could get round every track and win without ever slowing down. In my adult life I have dabbled in Forza but it's mainly Mario Kart and Burnout that scratch that itch. What can I say, I like destruction and wacky weapons! I have zero interest in real life racing though.

Um... does it stay on topic if I mention I played Nigel Mansell with my dad, taking turns?

[chattius 2,700]

20 hours ago, Sethi22 said:

Looks, sounds, and drives great! We could race some time. You on this beast, and me on my 50 Scooter! I fine-tuned it to remain exactly like it was! I can even reach 75 km/h downhill, with freshly pumped tyres. Good? Would I be competitive?

it is a uphill racing

And NO, NEVER!!! My wife wouldn't allow me to drive. She would drive herself. She was born 3km from the race track, her grandpa was state champion in bike racing, she was the monkey at sidecar racing as a teen, her dad owned a bike repair and sale shop and theres were we met. ANd then we noticed that we studied same university, she medicine and me philosophy (mathematics was part of philosophy faculty), so miles away.

Perhaps you could beat  my Royal Enfield with its sidecar and having a Diesel engine with just 1.2l iitre fuel consumption per 100km. Used it for years to drive to work, bring kids to school on the way. Now with kids and ME being older it is replaced in autumn by a Yamaha Niken. Saver on forests roads with wet autumn leaves says my wife.

aeh rather this with all terrain wheels and blue. Blue is a colour you wön't see in autumn in a forest. So easier to being seen.

 

[Sethi22 274]

 At the moment I'm hopelessly lost though. I hope @alfchaval posts something in Sacred UW soon, and leads me back home...

(How are your experiments, Alf? Any funky secret place you found? Some interesting, previously unknown behaviour perhaps? Man, if you found a new patch of grass, I would like to hear about it!)

[alfchaval 139]

1 hour ago, Sethi22 said:

Well you can certainly try. I don't think you'll succeed, but who knows? At the moment I'm hopelessly lost though. I hope @alfchaval posts something in Sacred UW soon, and leads me back home...

(How are your experiments, Alf? Any funky secret place you found? Some interesting, previously unknown behaviour perhaps? Man, if you found a new patch of grass, I would like to hear about it!)

I'm currently taking a break from the game.
One thing I'm planning to do is research which areas of the game Shadow Guard can carry shields and which ones they can't, because I've never seen Shadow Guards with shields in Valley of Tears, but they spam with shields sometimes, these oversized shields can be disarm and any character can equip them.

[gogoblender 3,420]

Woooo thanks for keeping the pic thread going guys.. im baaaaaaaaaaaack from vacaaaaaaaaaaaay... heres a few pix from Ammamma going a full 100!! The party was over the last couple of days, her bday was actually on 17th but we celebrated the main party in her residence on the 16th.  I had two caterers to most of the food and my family wanted to bring their own contributions... food my Ammamma loves and loved to make.  We had fam in from England, Calgary, Washington, Ontario, and most of them are flying back out today.. got to meet Aunts and Uncles hadnt seen in years, and partied with my cousins at my moms hotel room here in mtl after the main event... yah last few days were headache days... the things we do for the Ammamma

 

[pevil 83]

Aww these are beautiful pictures! Happy 100th Ammamma! Looks like a fab time was had by all And that hotel looks super fancy!

I'm curious now, is 100 recognised by other countries in any way? For example my great grandma celebrated her 100th here in England back in the 90s and you get a telegram from the reigning monarch here.

[gogoblender 3,420]

On 11/19/2024 at 6:57 AM, pevil said:

Aww these are beautiful pictures! Happy 100th Ammamma! Looks like a fab time was had by all And that hotel looks super fancy!

I'm curious now, is 100 recognised by other countries in any way? For example my great grandma celebrated her 100th here in England back in the 90s and you get a telegram from the reigning monarch here.

ahhhhh haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... lol it was a combo of some places! not all fancy... were not kings and queens   But... when the fams here we wanted to indulge, and 100th birthday is the time to break the piggy bank when we have to   

Ammamma is a unique individual, shes 100 years old and is in a wheel chair mostly when shes out of bed (lazy! )  so the main place where you see all the balloons is actually the downstairs of her building..its a huuuuuuge space, lots of windows, to the pix came out so sharp   all we had to do was get her dressed up ( my mom and aunts did that ) and bring her downstairs in the elevator... we wanted to have her there watching us decorate, but everything happened so fast! A fair bit of food was made by my family, who wanted to show respect to my Ammamma (oooh, shes the god father now  ) and i got two extra caters to supply the rest... BEST Banh Mi's ever plus assorted rice and curryes...maybe ill do a break down of this party "build" showing food to each Auntie  ... After the party finished, we went to Hotel 10 which is just down the street from Ammamma's residence, people were able to walk right down the street where my mom and I were staying for the week... this was worth everything  and we stayed in our room and opened a bottle of XO... NEVER had that before, but this is once in a life time right?

We'll probably never sip so fine again, but boy was it ever smooth... my uncle from England who came down with my cousin for the party said he just wanted to smell the bottle before he left... silly me I should have given him the bottle...that tells you what I know about alcohol  

The fancy hotel shots is actually where my brother took me and Mom for brunch the next day.. Chez Georges... waaaaaay up scale, lol... more my brothers thing...but if someone's taking care of us, then thats the spirit!

 

 

[gogoblender 3,420]

Ammamma wasnt in the best mood after a week that I couldnt get to see her... after the big party week for her 100th Black Friday shot in on us so quickly and it was day after day, with a BF schedule that had me working on the weekend...but it finally came to an end, and last night after work at 1700 out I went to Ammamma and did we ever have a swooner of a time... lots of pinching, pointing and ... getting her to that great moment where she starts calling me names ...ahhh, life is good then...

And this utterance popped out of my mouth that I'd never really thought of before...I'd only really started "knowing" my Ammamma since her 90's when me and Mom took of the POA... what an odd thing right?

 

[gogoblender 3,420]

okay sooooo... yah its REALLY snowing today... but not enuff to keep me out of a 630 am sortie... For Ancariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

 

[gogoblender 3,420]

We got the slush EVERYWHERE...but the weather's rather inclement and for determined family, nothing thats insurmountable.  Ammmama's 100th birthday slowly travels, and more and more of my family shows up for their visits.  My Auntie Selvini was one of my favorite aunts when I was little. Always easy to laugh with and have fun with, always kind and always able to see that even if wasn't the quietest I was always the best  (hahhaha, I'm sure we all have aunts like this, and we all think we're the greatest nephews right  ). My mom had sent her an invite, but she said she wanted to get some time to herself and visit Ammamma on her own... after many years of not connecting its great when you do finally meet and the universe has met another one of its innumerable plans... and boy does Auntie look great with my favorite Centurion

 

 

gogo

[gogoblender 3,420]

Soooo... Ammamma LOVES  coffee... you can tell her when her eyes are all glazed up

gogo

[gogoblender 3,420]

This is ammammas BEST face... i call it ... #PoutyAmmammaFace

 

one hundred percent lips and nose... best thing is.. we have lots of it on our face too

 

 

[gogoblender 3,420]

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee have a great day! xoxo

[gogoblender 3,420]

-15 degrees,,,ammammas always ready!

[gogoblender 3,420]

Didnt wanna go last night, REALLY didnt wanna go... we were so tired after three days with the fam and the goats   ...but i slowly started missing her as the day went by and last night ventured out in the dark (yah only six pm but soooo dark outside!  ), out into the metro, up that long, tortuous hill (st urbain) and then stumbled into her room... NOT THERE!   this always gets my heart tripping at first .. I mean empty bed right  ...but then I meander down the hall, and there is my adorable little grandmother having dinner with her friends in the dining room...she never usually ventures out, and dont often let others take her, but  I guess she had had her bath that morning,, and this softens her up for the roles she must play as member of the public   instead of rolling her wheelchair back to her room I decided to bring her to the windowroom which has two walls of glass, its the corner room of her building which is five floors up where she is... and i predicated the evening with "ammamma would it be okay if I showed you Montreal's night lights?" 

She always suspects me of mischief but this time she was soft , she nodded and we got to sit looking out at Montreal's downtown christmas lights and the roadway with cars headlights slowly making their way to their families for the holidays 

two pix here .. one of the rooms windows behind me and the other with me and my 100 year old Ammamma just breathing the good life with me and chatting with Mom down in Bethesda about our holidays.

find your family and never stop hugging them  

 

 

[gogoblender 3,420]

Spent the evening watching TV and Annoying my 100 year old Ammamma.... im good at annoying 

 

gogo

[gogoblender 3,420]

In the middle of the deep-winter here, and in-the-dark after work visits for dinner with Ammamma are hard but... SO good for building discipline, especially if we slip a few times on the way up the mountain ...  ... oh the joyz of family