I would just like them to finally release the Boimler and Mariner statues that have been on pre-order since October 2023 and for which the release date keeeeeeeeeeps slipping. Q2 2024 was the last we heard, but that’s definitely some time ago. Again.

Not impressed with Exo-6. They have my money (granted, a 25 USD pre-order) and have delivered NOTHING for almost a year now. Original planned release was Q4 2023 back when I ordered.

This worked perfectly - thank you!!

For anyone else looking here later, the final shader code (confirmed working Godot 4.2) is:

shader_type canvas_item;

uniform sampler2D screen_texture : hint_screen_texture;
uniform vec4 water_color : source_color;
uniform sampler2D wave_noise : repeat_enable;

void fragment() {
	vec2 water_wave = (texture(wave_noise, UV * TIME * 0.02).rg - 0.5) * 0.02;
	vec2 uv = vec2(SCREEN_UV.x , SCREEN_UV.y - UV.y) + water_wave;
	vec4 color = texture(screen_texture, uv);
	float mix_value = 1.0 - UV.y;

	float avg_color = (color.r + color.g + color.b) / 3.0;
	avg_color = pow(avg_color, 1.4);
	mix_value += avg_color;

	mix_value = clamp(mix_value, 0.0, 0.7);
	COLOR = vec4(mix(water_color, color, mix_value).rgb, texture(TEXTURE, UV).a);
}

Credits to Single-mindedRyan for creating this shader in the first place.

I’d done that a few days ago, but you’re right, not specifically to these suggestions. I tried the export VKD3D_DISABLE_EXTENSIONS=VK_EXT_mesh_shader VKD3D_FEATURE_LEVEL=12_0 VKD3D_SHADER_MODEL=6_5 %command% and variations of it. It reduced performance significantly, so would not suggest people on more recent Mesa versions try this anymore. When I looked into it, it seemed to mainly be in place for Mesa 22.x which was still lacking mesh shader support.

Thought I’d post an update. Performance is better now, playing in 1440p with FSR2 on Balanced, graphic settings on Medium. I’m getting around 45FPS.

I’m not quite sure what the fix was in the end, but I’ve installed proton-ge-custom-bin from the AUR, so I’ve got Proton GE installed onto my system (not just within Heroic). Both the AUR and Heroic are on Proton-GE 9.7. I then added the AlanWake2.exe file to Steam, and forced compatibility to use Proton GE. So whatever extra was happening with Heroic was taken away.

I tried changing my Mesa drivers, but it appears Manjaro is even with the nonfree repo at this point, so I’m still on Mesa 24.1.1, only on the Manjaro-approved version, not the mainline Arch version.

It appears that somewhere within that combination of (1) running the game directly from Steam, (2) using the system-installed Proton-GE package, and (3) reverting to the Manjaro Mesa package the framerate got bumped from lower 20-s to mid-40s. CPU and GPU usage still hover around the 40%, so I feel there would be more improvement to be had perhaps?

I tested the game on my second PC, which is running ChimeraOS, has a 5800X3D chip, 32Gb RAM and a 7600 XT card, where it’s easily hitting these framerates and better (but with higher GPU usage, hardly any CPU usage, that 5800X3D is a beast). So I wonder if my 10700K might be a bit of a bottleneck? ChimeraOS’ version of Mesa is on 23.2 so maybe there are just some kinks to be worked out in the 24.1 branch?

Anyway… long story short: I’m happy with the overall performance at this point. Happy to dive into the Overlap and deal with Nightingale!

Hi, I’ve checked but the Manjaro nonfree branch is the main one, just more up to date with the Arch main branch. Or are you suggesting a particular version?

These all sounds like good ideas to play with, thanks! I’ll have a go later tonight and will update here. It would be bonkers if the mesh shaders were at fault, since I got my 7800XT specifically for that feature…

Hi, sorry, the non-free is a very Manjaro-specific thing.

TLDR: They removed a lot of proprietary video codecs from Mesa, which means that Manjaro’s Mesa tends to lag behind the Arch repo. By using nonfree, the Mesa installation is pulled and compiled straight from Arch.

So yes, I’m using RADV through Mesa 24.1.1 instead of version 23.x (which is where Manjaro is still at). I wanted to be on a newer version since 24.x packed in a lot of 7000XT improvements.

Out of curiosity, have you tried AW2 with your 7800XT? How does it run for you?

I think Burnham was referencing Book, not Tyler, when she said she knows what it’s like to lose someone but got him back. Book died during the final events of 10C, but they magically zapped him back into existence, if I recall correctly.

Hah, yes! Or O’Brien, the most important Starfleet officer in history!

As a show with so much promise, I often felt Disco reached for big concepts but never quite managed to get there. It would get bogged down with pathos and dragged out plot lines. Unfortunately, season 5 felt no different. This episode dragged on and on for me. Mol and L’ak had mostly become irrelevant and were completely unnecessary in this episode.

I get the series got axed and additional scenes were shot to round things out. But that random “we’re all hugging” scene? It was weird. And didn’t the actress who played Detmer say their absence was planned and revealing anything would be a big spoiler or something? Well. No, it really wasn’t.

Kovitsch was Daniels? I think at that point of the story, he could’ve been anyone and it wouldn’t have landed. He could’ve been Sloane (not dead after all!) and it would’ve made as much sense and be just as meaningful to the story.

The progenitor plot? With a tick list of “clues” and “challenges” to lead the way, but ultimately we decide your worthiness to reshape the universe as we know it with a geometry puzzle? I can’t even.

Discovery had potential, back in the day, but disappointed year on year. I had hoped this final season would offer redemption, but alas. Decent bunch of actors, but with subpar writing that usually went nowhere coherent. I won’t miss it. Glad it’s done. I hope Paramount learnt some valuable lessons from this and moves things on.

Something about the former Primarch really reminds me of Sarris from Galaxy Quest.

Thanks for posting this here, just purchased it. Keen to dive into the 2D course and the Shaders course!

Did anyone else notice that the alien statues in 5x02 looked remarkably similar to the Batarians from Mass Effect?

This is true! I’ve only dabbled with the tilemap features, but the changes made are impressive. And for more advanced users in 3D, it seems really quite phenomenal.

So much cool stuff to play with! Great summary by GDQuest. Integer scaling for pixel art - finally! Very chuffed with this.

I was wondering if the “Previously” bit at the start was maybe Eugene Roddenberry, channeling his mum?

Loved the episode. Did I understand correctly that the Betazoids were travelling from planet to planet to find a cure for this rampant emotional telepathic event?

Does that mean T’Lyns powers extended that far?

Or were they secretly hunting for the alien ship? I got a little bit lost with the fast dialog.

On a random note, funny how in ten forward the two guys making out kept inserting themselves in almost every scene.

Also - just wondering how popular the show is. Looking at the drop off in comments week-on-week, I wonder if people have dropped out.

Yeah, all your criticisms sound fair to me. My issues with live-version baby-Hera haven’t changed over the past 5 episodes. I said it before, but I would’ve loved to see Vanessa Marshall try out for the role. Her voice is Hera to me. And Caretaker in the Marvel’s Midnight Suns game, but that’s a different story.

I truly enjoyed episode 5, but can’t escape the fact that I feel sour about episodes 1-4. If episode 5 had been episode 2 (and we condensed 1-4 into 1) that would’ve been much, much better. Just take me to the action, show me ass-kicking Ahsoka, that’s what I’m here for. Not the Ahsoka who apparently went through a difficult time and doesn’t have conviction. What? When?? I know she was shaken up about discovering Anakin’s true identity, but if that caused a deep soul-searching moment, show me that. The series as a whole has suffered quite a lot from “tell, don’t show” where even the “telling” is stilted and flat.

But again, I felt episode 5 gave me hope for the remaining few episodes left.

Weird theory, but where do Force Ghosts go when they’re not “ghosting around” the place? Maybe they go to the World Between Worlds. That would make some kind of story-sense, since Anakin became one.

How did he become one? Let’s gloss over that one, since apparently it’s a long-lost Jedi skill that Qui-Gon rediscovered, passed on to Yoda, who passed it on to Obi-Wan, after Padmé died. So not sure when Anakin was eavesdropping in on that thing, but oh well. That’s a prequel/CW issue, not an Ahsoka issue.

I think Andor’s something special. It’s such a unique show that adds a layer of depth to this universe that we’ve not seen before. Tricky one to use as a comparison for all the other stuff. For me, this series sits quite comfortably next to the latest Mandalorian season. Lots of lore, some CW/Rebels characters and a too-slow, but (hopefully) ultimately entertaining season arc.

That is weird! Once my project is in a shareable state, I’ll post the link here. Maybe it’s because (so far) it’s not awfully complex…