We were wrong about pathfinding

After spending years fixated on the optimisation of pathfinding in fortresses in vain and misplaced attempts to desperately claw the frame count back up in a long-running fortress to escape the dreaded

FPS DEATH

Putnam has revealed that checking the relationships(9%) of people watching performances to the performer takes up far more processing time than pathfinding(1%) by profiling the game(with the exception of a cat getting stuck behind a tightly shut door) as part of working towards making it run more smoothly.

Thanks Putnam

Putnam

Battey Street, Putnam, Connecticut.

Role-Playing Mastery, Gary Gygax’s 1987 book explaining how to be a better player or game master, one of a number of books he wrote soon after being forced out of TSR. His overall theme is his methods of achieving “Mastery” and “Grand Mastery” and how these traits are to be recognized. (Putnam/Perigee books; Cover artist uncertain, credits say “cover design (c) by Richard Rossiter,” “cover painting (c) by Estados Unidos”)

Only Murders in the Building

Naomi Putnam in season 5

5x02, Ballet

coloring: thanks to @ Graphic Coast

Burn the Negative by Josh Winning

"'Everybody knows Hollywood creates monsters. You stick around Hollywood long enough, you see monsters everywhere. Seems to me, this is just one of 'em.' 'You're saying the movie made a real monster.' 'I hear the way it sounds, sugar, don't you worry. But here's some advice for free: never underestimate the power of a movie.'"

Year Read: 2022

Rating: 4/5

About: Laura was the child star of a horror film called The Guesthouse, her last film before its popularity sent her and her family into hiding. A series of deaths on set and throughout the following years plagued the cast and crew, and the film grew into Hollywood horror legend. Now a professional journalist who’s cut all ties to her past, Laura is shocked and dismayed to discover that the film she's been sent to cover is a remake of The Guesthouse-- and someone wants to bring the Needle Man back to life off-screen as well. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Penguin Group Putnam. Trigger warnings: character death (on-page), parent death, suicide (on-page), child abuse, some gore/blood, severe injury, fire, kidnapping, stalking, gaslighting, violence, trauma, guilt, grief.

Thoughts: I'm fond of Winning's writing style and found it easy to slip into this universe. His adult fiction is always a fun mashup of pop culture and new twists on familiar concepts. While this differs quite a bit from The Shadow Glass, which is more fantasy than horror, it's also a love letter to horror and slasher films much the way TSG was for children's fantasy films. I found it fascinating to be immersed in Hollywood film culture and the urban legends that sprung up around The Guesthouse in the wake of so many real deaths. There's also a strong critique of the treatment of child stars in particular.

Laura is a bit of a wreck for most of the book, and while I wouldn't say she's one of my favorite leading ladies, I was mostly able to see her perspective. Since she's isolated for a lot of the events, I don't think there's much opportunity to get attached to the rest of the characters, except perhaps for Beverly, the maybe/maybe not psychic. I liked her gruff standoffishness and the uncertainty over whether she was trying to help or hurt Laura's investigation. Laura's complex relationships with her mother and sister provide some depth to her character as well, even if the former is rarely on the page. So much of her character arc is wrangling her feelings about an abusive mother and dealing with the trauma of being a child star. The Needle Man is appropriately frightening and a fun, spooky addition to the canon of horror villains.

I enjoyed the ambiguity over whether or not something supernatural was happening or Laura was just having a slow mental breakdown. This is a difficult balance, and I've seen a lot of novels completely fail at it, either where it's just so obvious that it's one or the other or the plot is so nonsensical that neither option is more likely than the other. In this case, I think it's perfectly executed. I just wasn't sure for so much of the book, and I like the direction Winning ultimately takes with it, holding on to the mystery just long enough for maximum impact but not so long that the ending is unsupported. Without venturing into spoiler territory, I think the link between mental illness and horror in this novel is well-developed. The end didn't go where I expected, but in a good way. It's definitely one I'd like to read again in the future to see if I can pick up more clues throughout.

MotherFucker

Falon Ballard | Right On Cue

The Book:  Right On Cue by Falon BallardPublished: February 27, 2024 by G.P. Putnam’s SonsDate read: February 20, 2024 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5. The Characters:  Emmy and Grayson Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this site. The Plot (from Goodreads): Hollywood darling Emmy…

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Pierre on Putnam, Brooklyn

Putnam made an update to the wiki today. Turns out in civ ethics [KILL_NEUTRAL:REQUIRED] increases the chances of a civ starting a war in worldgen.

The Only Tarot Class You’ll Ever Need.

#Tarot #tarotreading #youtube #tiktok #tarotcards #psychicmedium #lgbtq #intuitive #psychic #idaho4 #alexmurdaugh #spiritual #truecrime #recoveryposse #recovery #corruption #idaho #truecrimecommunity #youtuber #grief #happyholidays #fyp #lightlanguage #dolorescannon #paladians #lumerians #kryon #soulcontract #humanity

Master of the Game, Gary Gygax’s 1989 sequel to Role-Playing Mastery, this one more specifically focused on game master skills (Bryn Barnard cover art, Putnam/Perigee Books)

American Auto Trail-Tennessee Central Railroad (Crossville to Monterey TN)

American Auto Trail-Tennessee Central Railroad (Crossville to Monterey TN) https://youtu.be/sjuYLoBkHtU This American auto trail explores the route of U.S. 70N, following the former tracks of the Tennessee Central Railroad from Crossville to Monterey.

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Burgess Falls State Park - Putnam County, Tennessee.