I'm trying to capture gameplay from my PlayStation 5 into OpenCV. Using PS Remote Play, I'm able to view the live feed on my PC as a window. I then tried to read frames from this window in OpenCV, but the frame is black: Screenshot
I am using code sourced from here: just using the files main.py and windowcapture.py with the window name 'PS Remote Play'. The window does not need to be actually visible on screen, although it does need to be non-minimised.
I tried viewing other windows and had mixed results: Remote Play and Microsoft To Do show black screens, Microsoft Whiteboard shows a white screen (and it's not the board), while Spotify does actually work. So it seems the code is just a bit unreliable. I've copied the actual code I'm using here.
main.py
``` import cv2 as cv import numpy as np import os from time import time from window_capture import WindowCapture

initialize the WindowCapture class

wincap = WindowCapture('PS Remote Play')
loop_time = time() while(True):

# get an updated image of the game screenshot = wincap.get_screenshot() cv.imshow('Computer Vision', screenshot) # press 'q' with the output window focused to exit. # waits 1 ms every loop to process key presses if cv.waitKey(1) == ord('q'): cv.destroyAllWindows() break 

print('Done.') ```
window_capture.py
``` import numpy as np import win32gui, win32ui, win32con
class WindowCapture:

# properties w = 0 h = 0 hwnd = None cropped_x = 0 cropped_y = 0 offset_x = 0 offset_y = 0 # constructor def __init__(self, window_name=None): # find the handle for the window we want to capture. # if no window name is given, capture the entire screen if window_name is None: self.hwnd = win32gui.GetDesktopWindow() else: self.hwnd = win32gui.FindWindow(None, window_name) if not self.hwnd: raise Exception(f'Window not found: {window_name}') # get the window size window_rect = win32gui.GetWindowRect(self.hwnd) self.w = window_rect[2] - window_rect[0] self.h = window_rect[3] - window_rect[1] print(self.w, self.h) # account for the window border and titlebar and cut them off border_pixels = 8 titlebar_pixels = 30 self.w = self.w - (border_pixels * 2) self.h = self.h - titlebar_pixels - border_pixels self.cropped_x = border_pixels self.cropped_y = titlebar_pixels # set the cropped coordinates offset so we can translate screenshot # images into actual screen positions self.offset_x = window_rect[0] + self.cropped_x self.offset_y = window_rect[1] + self.cropped_y def get_screenshot(self): # get the window image data wDC = win32gui.GetWindowDC(self.hwnd) # get device context dcObj = win32ui.CreateDCFromHandle(wDC) cDC = dcObj.CreateCompatibleDC() dataBitMap = win32ui.CreateBitmap() dataBitMap.CreateCompatibleBitmap(dcObj, self.w, self.h) cDC.SelectObject(dataBitMap) cDC.BitBlt((0, 0), (self.w, self.h), dcObj, (self.cropped_x, self.cropped_y), win32con.SRCCOPY) # convert the raw data into a format opencv can read dataBitMap.SaveBitmapFile(cDC, 'debug.bmp') signedIntsArray = dataBitMap.GetBitmapBits(True) img = np.fromstring(signedIntsArray, dtype='uint8') img.shape = (self.h, self.w, 4) # free resources dcObj.DeleteDC() cDC.DeleteDC() win32gui.ReleaseDC(self.hwnd, wDC) win32gui.DeleteObject(dataBitMap.GetHandle()) # drop the alpha channel img = img[...,:3] # make image C_CONTIGUOUS img = np.ascontiguousarray(img) return img # find the name of the window you're interested in. # once you have it, update window_capture() # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/55547940/how-to-get-a-list-of-the-name-of-every-open-window @staticmethod def list_window_names(): def winEnumHandler(hwnd, ctx): if win32gui.IsWindowVisible(hwnd): print(hex(hwnd), win32gui.GetWindowText(hwnd)) win32gui.EnumWindows(winEnumHandler, None) # translate a pixel position on a screenshot image to a pixel position on the screen. # pos = (x, y) # WARNING: if you move the window being captured after execution is started, this will # return incorrect coordinates, because the window position is only calculated in # the __init__ constructor. def get_screen_position(self, pos): return (pos[0] + self.offset_x, pos[1] + self.offset_y) 

```
I realise this will be pretty tough to reproduce, but any advice will be much appreciated.

Bye Beta

In Guava 32.0 the `@Beta` annotation is removed from almost every class and member. This makes them officially API-frozen (and we do not break compatibility for API-frozen libraries anymore^1).
These APIs have been effectively frozen a very long time. As they say, the best time to plant this tree was years ago, the second best time is today. You might say we're closing the tree door after the tree already ran away (?), but well, here we are.
This annotation meant well. We wanted you to get to use features while there was still time for your feedback to matter. And we would have been too afraid to put things out there without it. These were sort of like JDK preview features... that is, if Brian and team forgot to ever actually de-preview them. sigh
This news might not change much for anyone, but it seemed at least worth mentioning.
^1 yes, this means "aside from the most extreme circumstances", just as it does for JDK
~~~~~

Guava in 2023?

A lot of Guava's most popular libraries graduated to the JDK. Also Caffeine is the evolution of our c.g.common.cache library. So you need Guava less than you used to. Hooray!
(Note: as discussed above, those stale parts are not getting removed.)
But amongst that stuff are plenty of libraries whose value never declined. I'll call out a couple here. It's for you to decide if any are worth the dependency for you.

• You can now approximate a multimap using Map.computeIfAbsent before you put. I do it sometimes. But outside of small self-contained usages, it's less than awesome. Each usage has to watch out for the null-vs-empty distinction on its own. For example, if put is used twice, one might seed it with a HashSet and the other an ArrayList, and some very puzzling behavior can result. Multimap view collections can also simplify your code. (See also Multiset, Table.)
• The immutable collections have several advantages over List.of() and friends, such as deterministic iteration and a much more complete set of construction paths. But the most important part: they are types, not implementations. To us, mutability is so important a behavior that having an immutable list as just a List is... arguably a sad form of type erasure! The javadoc explains.
• I think most of our stream helpers aren't in the JDK (yet?).
• common.hash covers the breadth of hashing use cases (checksums, fingerprints, cryptographic hashes, Bloom filters...). You should always think of Object.hashCode as low-quality: sure, it's good enough to mostly-balance some hash buckets in memory. But that's practically the most forgiving hashing use case there is! For everything else there's MasterCard common.hash.
• Some base-encoding use cases are handled by the JDK, more now than before, but why not have one class that does it (almost) all?
• There is a whole graphs library (i.e., nodes and edges). Cobbling together a nontrivial graph structure out of hash maps is busy-work at best.
• common.math has a broad set of statistical calculations and other things.
• If measuring elapsed time, using Stopwatch or something like it prevents exposing meaningless nanoTime values to your code.

This list is far from exhaustive. But again, if you require persuasion to use or keep using Guava, I'm not even trying to turn you around. That's fine! It's here for the people who want it.
We'll check here periodically for questions!

I'm trying to capture gameplay from my PlayStation 5 into OpenCV. Using PS Remote Play, I'm able to view the live feed on my PC as a window. I then tried to read frames from this window in OpenCV, but the frame is black: Screenshot
I am using code sourced from here: just using the files main.py and windowcapture.py with the window name 'PS Remote Play'. The window does not need to be actually visible on screen, although it does need to be non-minimised.
I tried viewing other windows and had mixed results: Remote Play and Microsoft To Do show black screens, Microsoft Whiteboard shows a white screen (and it's not the board), while Spotify does actually work. So it seems the code is just a bit unreliable. I've copied the actual code I'm using here.
main.py
``` import cv2 as cv import numpy as np import os from time import time from window_capture import WindowCapture

initialize the WindowCapture class

wincap = WindowCapture('PS Remote Play')
loop_time = time() while(True):

# get an updated image of the game screenshot = wincap.get_screenshot() cv.imshow('Computer Vision', screenshot) # press 'q' with the output window focused to exit. # waits 1 ms every loop to process key presses if cv.waitKey(1) == ord('q'): cv.destroyAllWindows() break 

print('Done.') ```
window_capture.py
``` import numpy as np import win32gui, win32ui, win32con
class WindowCapture:

# properties w = 0 h = 0 hwnd = None cropped_x = 0 cropped_y = 0 offset_x = 0 offset_y = 0 # constructor def __init__(self, window_name=None): # find the handle for the window we want to capture. # if no window name is given, capture the entire screen if window_name is None: self.hwnd = win32gui.GetDesktopWindow() else: self.hwnd = win32gui.FindWindow(None, window_name) if not self.hwnd: raise Exception(f'Window not found: {window_name}') # get the window size window_rect = win32gui.GetWindowRect(self.hwnd) self.w = window_rect[2] - window_rect[0] self.h = window_rect[3] - window_rect[1] print(self.w, self.h) # account for the window border and titlebar and cut them off border_pixels = 8 titlebar_pixels = 30 self.w = self.w - (border_pixels * 2) self.h = self.h - titlebar_pixels - border_pixels self.cropped_x = border_pixels self.cropped_y = titlebar_pixels # set the cropped coordinates offset so we can translate screenshot # images into actual screen positions self.offset_x = window_rect[0] + self.cropped_x self.offset_y = window_rect[1] + self.cropped_y def get_screenshot(self): # get the window image data wDC = win32gui.GetWindowDC(self.hwnd) # get device context dcObj = win32ui.CreateDCFromHandle(wDC) cDC = dcObj.CreateCompatibleDC() dataBitMap = win32ui.CreateBitmap() dataBitMap.CreateCompatibleBitmap(dcObj, self.w, self.h) cDC.SelectObject(dataBitMap) cDC.BitBlt((0, 0), (self.w, self.h), dcObj, (self.cropped_x, self.cropped_y), win32con.SRCCOPY) # convert the raw data into a format opencv can read dataBitMap.SaveBitmapFile(cDC, 'debug.bmp') signedIntsArray = dataBitMap.GetBitmapBits(True) img = np.fromstring(signedIntsArray, dtype='uint8') img.shape = (self.h, self.w, 4) # free resources dcObj.DeleteDC() cDC.DeleteDC() win32gui.ReleaseDC(self.hwnd, wDC) win32gui.DeleteObject(dataBitMap.GetHandle()) # drop the alpha channel img = img[...,:3] # make image C_CONTIGUOUS img = np.ascontiguousarray(img) return img # find the name of the window you're interested in. # once you have it, update window_capture() # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/55547940/how-to-get-a-list-of-the-name-of-every-open-window @staticmethod def list_window_names(): def winEnumHandler(hwnd, ctx): if win32gui.IsWindowVisible(hwnd): print(hex(hwnd), win32gui.GetWindowText(hwnd)) win32gui.EnumWindows(winEnumHandler, None) # translate a pixel position on a screenshot image to a pixel position on the screen. # pos = (x, y) # WARNING: if you move the window being captured after execution is started, this will # return incorrect coordinates, because the window position is only calculated in # the __init__ constructor. def get_screen_position(self, pos): return (pos[0] + self.offset_x, pos[1] + self.offset_y) 

```
I realise this will be pretty tough to reproduce, but any advice will be much appreciated.

Before I begin my story I must maintain that my sentence to death was a wrong and vile thing to do. I maintain that I am not a killer. I did not kill the schoolchildren the authorities decided to hang me for.
My sentence to death, I must maintain, is a huge misunderstanding. There must be forces out there against me, who conspired to put me in prison for this very experiment, this accursed expedition.
I am not deranged. I am not insane.
The man in the odd multicolored sweater paid me a visit a week before my scheduled execution date. “You are the former schoolteacher Chet Adami?” he asked, polite, offering me a plastic cup of coffee.
I nodded, taking a sip. “I didn’t kill those kids,” I reiterated, for about the thousandth time. “Are you the uh, priest guy? That comes before-”
He shook his head and waved away the guards. “My name is Canopy Hydrangea,” he introduced, extending a hand. I shook it. “I understand you may not be guilty, despite what the state believes.”
I nodded. “Finally, someone who-”
He cut me off. “I’m not interested in your story. Whether you die or not is of no consequence to the people I represent,” he continued. “But I am here to offer you a deal. There’s a place the people I represent need exploring, and I need volunteers.”
He produced a sheet of paper and a pen. “This agreement,” he clasped it into my hands, “has you join a team of expendable, uh, volunteers such as yourself on this expedition. You get in, get the things we need, and get out- and you’re free for life.”
This was better than dying in prison.
I asked him what place this was that I’d be sent to. He told me I had to sign the form first. “I’ll do it, then,” I cheered, signing the document.
He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. “We’ll even give you a whole new identity,” he offered. And with that, he seized the document away from me and left the building.
Within hours I was blindfolded, sedated, and transported. When I awoke I was strapped to a bed in a helicopter, with four others beside me, all beginning to wake up.
The man who’d offered me the deal was there too, sucking on a lollipop while rearranging documents and photographs.
These images, I assumed, was the place they wanted us to explore. They were mostly all aerial photos, a sea of endless green and the occasional bird. And yet, there was more- images of impossible landscapes, dreamlike beings.
“Ah, you guys are awake!” he clapped once, and walked over.
The next few moments were a flash as he re-injected us with some sort of blue, wriggling substance. It was cold, and I swear it pulsed inside my arm.
Then we had landed, and the group was quickly taken inside a compound. We were freed and sat down in some sort of meeting room. More people were inside.
A blue haired lady joined the man.
“Welcome, volunteers,” he announced, pointing to a projector. “You are all, save for one, prisoners on death row,” he reminded. “This offer today is simple- you enter the forest, travel to an outpost we have recently lost contact with,” he turned on the projector, displayed a bright red cylinder labeled ‘SYSTEM RECORDER-A32’, “and recover this data module.”
The woman spoke next. “Easy, right?” she counted us. “We’ll provide maps,” she gestured to tablets. “But this forest is different.”
They proceeded to explain the reason they need ‘volunteers’ for the assignment then.
We were on an island somewhere in the Java Sea. The island had a massive forest in the center, one that at first glance seemed as normal as ever. This changed when an international mining company sent in a team of geologists to determine if there was anything of note beyond the forest.
This team never returned.
Nor did a second team, armed with weapons. Or an environmentalist group that ventured in to document new species. So then the organization our recruiters had come from entered the forest.
We were on the outskirts of the forest, at a place they were calling Ake Base.
Over the past month, they had begun to map the forest and determine why so many hadn’t returned. The reason was illogical- the forest was bigger than the island itself.
Drones that ventured in should have come out the other side- yet remained inside the forest, encountering bizarre phenomena and creatures undocumented.
Every so often, the forest would slope downwards, revealing a new layer with new and distinct ecosystems.
“Recently though,” Canopy concluded, “we’ve lost contact with several outposts in the third layer to eighth layers.” He changed the slide to one of the lost outposts, standing alone amidst a vibrant, alien forest. “You enter the forest, get to your team’s assigned outpost, get back out with the data and you’ll be set for life.”
“Does anyone choose to rescind their agreement?” the woman asked. “It’s either death, or this, and frankly, your chances here aren’t that better.”
There were some who raised their hands. “Hell no!” a man shouted. “I’m goin’ back to life!” The woman had them taken away. We heard gunfire outdoors. No life row for him.
Whoever they were- they were serious about this.
They started to call out names and assign teams.
My team, was small, four of us. There was a mercenary named Leo who kept talking about the food the organization had brought us. He seemed pleasant, charismatic, and I almost forgot he was a criminal.
There was a scientist called Anya who, as she joked, was ‘serving infinite life sentences’ for crimes against humanity. She was given the codes and a booklet of things to watch out for in what they called the ‘Sea of Green’.
Then there was Gail. She was quieter than the three of us, and had an almost eerie vibe to her. She didn’t tell us what she’d done to get here, but she was there nonetheless.
Thankfully, we were given the closest- and safest outpost. A little place in Layer Three, marked by the map as only a few hours walk away.
We set off the next day.
The forest, in the beginning, seemed to almost invite us in. The birds chirped and danced, unafraid of mankind. We even fed them the nuts we’d been given as breakfast rations, which they seemed to enjoy.
About an hour in, things changed. The light from the sun barely pierced the canopy, and at times, we had to utilize our flashlights to see what was in front of us. Leo took the lead, hacking away at the branch and vine in front of us.
The forest was starting to look like a jungle- and yet, as we traversed it never seemed to choose which one it wanted to be.
“Wait!” Anya hissed, as we crossed a stream that seemed oddly familiar. She read from the booklet, then to the map on tablets we’d been given. “We’ve made a circle.”
Leo shook his head. “That’s impossible,” he insisted. “I don’t remember turning.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, catching up from behind.
Anya shared the booklet. “It’s one first phenomena researchers encounter,” she explained. “This place plays tricks on us- we need to follow the stream.”
“But then,” Gail pointed out, “we’d be going in the wrong direction.”
“Trust the book,” Anya concluded. We followed the stream then, and the path started to grow denser, as if the forest hated us for traveling further. But the path was right, and the forest changed as we journeyed.
An hour later the forest had changed. It had sloped downwards a bit, inviting us to the second layer of the maze. The trees seemed higher, and the light was now gone completely.
This was when we started to hear it. Click-click.
“What was that?” I asked, turning. Click-click.
Anya rushed through the book. “It’s not documented.”
Click-click. And then we saw lights in the distance, lights that as we continued walking, were revealed to us as bulbous fruit on the trees that glowed an eerie electric blue.
Click-click. “You sure it’s not in that book?” Leo questioned, switching his machete out for a gun. Click-click.
The clicks were getting louder, each one sending a jolt of uneasy fear down my spine. We moved closer together now, fearing the unknown that were in these- A bush in front of us rustled. Leo aimed his weapon.
A deer- no, something like a deer popped out, gently squawking. It was… wrong in every sense, but it seemed more occupied in chewing a flower than us.
The small creature had the antlers of a deer, yes, but it also had the face of an old man. Not to mention six fists full of thumbs at the end of its legs. It inspected a glowing fruit with it’s odd thumbs.
“Ew,” Gail commented, disgusted. “What the hell is that?”
Anya didn’t have time to look for answers before a black, insectine limp shot out of one of the bulbous fruits and impaled the deer-thing. It screamed an all too human scream and struggled.
We backed away- and by then, the noise was overwhelming. Click-clickClick-clickClick-clickClickclickClickclickClick-clickClick-click. They erupted from every single one of the bulbous fruits, and things began to pour out of them.
The limbs, see, were attached to a head. The a simple sphere that opened into buzzsaws of teeth that grotesquely clicked as they opened. The face-deer only screamed as the clicking creatures devoured it.
“Run!” Leo reminded, shooting as some started to near us. “Run!”
That shook us out, and we ran, terror in our very veins. They seemed more interested in the fallen deer than us- but we still ran until we could no longer.
Actually, it was until I fell off and entered the third layer.
A weight appeared on my chest and I fought it off, thinking I was about to die- but the soft, furry creature atop me jumped off. It wasn’t one of the clicking monsters.
And then I realized the third layer was bright. The trees themselves were glowing now, not the insect fruits of before. And there were a whole host of new, bizarre creatures.
The thing I’d pushed off was some sort of rabbit, covered in glowing blue stripes. If layer two had been a forest of darkness this was it’s very opposite.
In the skies there were ribbons of glowing creatures- thin kites on an unseen wind. The trees were alive with all sorts of furried friends, darting here and there and eating odd colored berries that didn’t seem real.
Anya pointed and spoke, “Look!” It was the outpost, in ruins.
“But what attacked it?” Gail murmured, as we walked over.
We entered through a hole in the wall. The place was oddly peaceful, calming, now home to bioluminescent little ants that dotted the place. Occasionally, one or two of the face-deer would appear, licking the dots up with twin tongues that emerged from it’s too-human face.
“Cute,” Leo joked, picking one up and stroking it. It screamed back at him, chilling and he dropped it. “Never doing that again.”
The place was… too peaceful. And- “what happened to their bodies?” I posited. “If they were attacked- where’s their blood? Their corpses?”
Anya shrugged. “It is odd- perhaps they got devoured.” She gestured to the many oddities around us. “But you’re right, there should be bones, at least.”
This was when we heard the screaming. And all of a sudden every single creature retreated away, disappearing from view, save for the tiny ants inside with us. The screaming was a cacophony of voices, realer than the ones we’d heard from the face-deer.
“I think we need to go,” Leo whispered, holding out the red ‘data module’ in his hands. “Now.”
The screaming got ever closer, and the trees in front of the outpost, beyond a window, started to shake. “I concur.”
We were backing away when we heard the squelching of something loud and heavy. Turning around, we saw the screaming creature we’d heard. It was massive, fleshy, and filled with tiny gaping holes, some filled with eyes, all rising, breathing as one.
I nearly threw up. But that was for a different reason.
The holes were one thing. But the screaming, severed bodies of dozens of people attached the the eye-full monster was another. They screamed and screamed, their bodies unneatly joined and sown into the creature.
It sniffed the air and walked over to the glass, looking in as we hid. “What is it?” I squealed. “What the hell is that?”
The face of a victim in military clothes appeared at the window, screaming, face slowly popping, skin repairing and being digested all at once. Anya flipped through the pages. “They called it a Fleshweave. It absorbs bodies and eats them that way.”
That would explain the lack of bodies we’d seen.
The window shattered- and the thing began to force itself on it, flesh turning to churned cylinders through the window. The bodies, crushed further, screamed some more.
So we ran as the beasts fell into the room with a plop. And despite it’s heavy, gluttonous form it charged forwards, faster than it looked.
Out the outpost we went. I felt a meaty hand hit me and then I fell. It stalked towards me, but a gunshot from Leo burst it’s pus-ridden hand, covered my in grotesque, viscous liquid.
I picked myself up and ran from the screaming thing, up the steep slope and climbing onto the second layer.
I fell again, but Anya caught me, helping me up.
Leo did the same for Gail- but she slipped and fell back into the third layer. The thing approached her, all of it’s pulsing eyes upon her. “Help me!” she bellowed. “Don’t leave me-”
Leo prepared to jump down- but it was too late. The Fleshweave simply picked her up and it opened it’s skin, forging her into her body- er, her top half,- it severed the rest.
“Go!” I snapped, dragging the mercenary to action. The creature behind us lifted itself onto the dark forest and continued to follow.
Gail, merged with the other unfortunate bodies, screamed. I almost stopped in terror from the sound, but flight-or-fight forced me to continue.
Click-click. We found ourselves back in the center of the abode with the insect fruit. And the insects were clearly attracted to the stench of decay the monster emanated. Limbs emerged, and the face-beetles jumped up and swarmed the creatures.
I don't know if the creature was killed by it. I only remember Gail’s face as the insects started to pick her body- and so many others like her- apart.
The way out seemed harder than going in, but we made it. We survived. We reached the outpost and handed our data module to the man who’d offered us the deal. “Impressive,” he congratulated. “You’re the first team back.”
“I want out now,” I panted. “Back to real life.”
He patted me on the shoulder and gave me a sad smile. “According to the world you’ve already died by suicide in your cell,” he informed. “See, there’s a way the people I work for have operated so cleanly for the past few centuries.” He paused and took a step back. “We can’t afford loose ends, see, and you’ve shown us you have the guts to survive Bandai La- er, the Sea of Green.”
I took a step back, panicking. “What do you mean?”
He sighed. “We can’t give you a new life and risk exposing our operation here,” he explained. “And we still need ah, expendable people to lead us to whatever’s in the center of the island.” He handed me a can of soda. “Welcome to your new life. The Company really values your dedication as a treasured employee.”
​
​
But I don’t want this. I was promised freedom. And they can’t keep me from exposing them- I’ve typed this up and Anya did something to the tablet so I can receive and post things online.
I’m not sure if this’ll work. But if it is: I’m on an island somewhere in the Java Sea. There’s a forest that goes on forever and I’m being held as some sort of explorer by some Company.
Find me. Before I die.

Maybe that title is a bit too cheesy, but I really do like exploring the night sky. Helps especially since my hometown was a great place to do so. That all aside, hello! I am Pydras, fat cat collector, lessor avatar of chaos, and most boring of all, corporate accountant. I am to find people to potentially connect with and see what develops. Whether that leads to friendship or something more will remain to be seen, but life is short so have to get out there and try!
A little more about me! As stated earlier, I am a corporate accountant, currently working in BC, starting to save up to buy a place where I am at. I am quite fond of cooking, and decent enough at it as well! I would say at least 67% of it would be tolerable to most people. Since my job is basically just sitting around all day, I try and workout at least three or four times a week to stay active and in shape. That being said I do have a sweet tooth that I am quite good at managing, except for my weakness of homemade baked goods. Art wise, I really have no skills in most of those areas except for writing (use to do some RP back in the day). Well, I do make quite the horrible MS Paint masterpiece if the inspiration hits, so that might count. Politically I am quite on the left side, and religion wise I tend to fall more into agnosticism and atheism.
For subject interests, my top three would probably have to be history, geography, and geology. One of my favourite things to do when bored is open Google maps and go to a random area and see what I can learn of those three for it. However, my absolute biggest interest and the one I hold closest to me is music. While I can't really play an instrument (have been trying to relearn piano), I usually have some sort of playlist on if I am not too busy or in a loud environment. I can literally go into paragraphs upon paragraphs about some of my favourite songs. Just about what I like about them, how they make me feel, etc. I am always up for sharing or creating playlists with someone, I truly feel like music is one of the better ways to get to know someone. My usual genres end up to alternative, indie, and math rock, but I will really just listen to anything that I like the sound of.
Hobby wise, it sort of depends on what time of the year it is. If the weather is nice in the spring or summer, I love to go for long walks and hiking. Just being out in nature beings a sense of relaxation and peace you can't get anywhere else. Plus, the views, just all the amazing views and secrets you can come upon. When the weather is not as pleasant or it is winter (so quite a few months here), I am usually found being a homebody. Probably no surprise, but gaming is a major filler of my time when I have nothing else to do. My main game right now is FFXIV, realized today that I have been playing it for over half a decade at this point, how time flies. I do enjoy the Paradox Interactive games as well, especially with all the amazing mods some of them have. Like music, I could spend hours talking about some of my favourite games. Would also love more people to play with, generally not picky about what, as long as you don't mind me potentially sucking. Gaming with people is always such a joy and fun time. I can be quite the reader if a particular book or series catches my attention. Once burned through a trilogy in a week since it captivated me so much. One of the dangers I found with me reading is I'll always go for one more chapter, then suddenly it is 3 am. Don't really have any specific genres in particular, though I am quite the sucker for some good worldbuilding.
I could probably keep rambling about myself, but why take away all the fun? As said before, I am looking for someone to see what kind of connection we can build. Location wise, for something more than friendship, you would likely have to be in Canada or have plans to move here. While I do enjoy all my friends in the US, I have no desire to move there unfortunately. Either way, if I intrigued your interests feel free to send me a DM and we can connect from there!

So far, we’ve observed Nat indicate that all of the symbol trees mapped out make one big symbol on her map… and we know that Javi’s cave was below a symbol tree. Could it be possible that all of the symbol trees are connected by underground caves/tunnels? (This was alluded to on the Prestige TV podcast as well, no evidence yet)
Going further, the cabin also had a symbol carved into the floor… possibly an entrance below the cabin floor that the girls will discover after the fire? Again, no evidence… just a guess.
I still think the symbol itself is related to the old Heliotrope instruments used a century ago for land surveying… they employed mirrors to reflect the sun’s rays, and by triangulation, could determine location and distance (triangulation is a part of trigonometry, which we’ve had multiple references to in s1). When have we seen the sun’s rays reflected to great affect? Why, that’s what led the girls to the cabin in the first place… coincidence, or harbinger?
What if the location of the cabin is the Heliotrope itself, and when the sun is at a certain point… say, just at the peak of the largest mountain above the lake, like the circle atop the triangle in the symbol and Javi’s drawings… the other points of the symbol indicate something useful?
Where else have we heard the term Heliotrope? Lottie’s cult, which uses the purple flower petals to dye their clothing. Also, Heliotropes always face the sun, and the symbol is all over the cult, from necklaces to the overhead view of the property.
Could the girls survive in an underground tunnel system, and eventually use a Heliotrope-like device to find help?

I can't be the only one to discover something so simple after so long?

Hello everyone. I recently platinummed the PSVITA version of Sly Cooper 4: Thieves in Time as my 28th platinum. It only took me 10 years, 4 weeks, 22 hours to do it. Did you know this game hides its true ending behind the platinum?
Anyway, I'd like to talk about the experience.
Sly 4 was a bit confusing and inconsistent to platinum. I get the feeling the game wants you to platinum it given how on every loading screen it shows you how much you've completed the trophies and collectibles for the game. And that there no missable trophies. But there are some decisions that don't help with that.
So I'd say there are around 3 groups of Trophies in this game.
The first group are the mandatory story trophies. Not much to say about these. There's nothing missable here and the names are quite cool. I do like looking at the percent completion to see how many players completed the PS VITA version of the game. Did you know that around 73% of players booted this game up and completed the prologue? And only around 25% of players even beat the game. The biggest drop happened around the start of Episode 2 since the completion dropped from around 60%to 48% for some reason.
The second group are the trophies for the collectibles and arcades. I'll talk about these later.
The third and final group of trophies are for miscellaneous challenges. I'll start with these first and highlight some of the notable ones that I missed on my first playthrough.
"Crazed Climber - Scale the dragon lair in under 90 seconds". This was one I missed during my original playthrough of the game. This requires you to climb a giant tower filled with traps in the mission "Mechanical Menace". And this one was really fun even though it took me like 3 attempts. Sly 4's movement and platforming is quite fun so having a mini speedrun challenge using Sir Galleth's moveset was a treat. The one criticism I have here is that the game drops a checkpoint as soon as you get to the top. If you haven't gotten the trophy by then and need to retry, you need to quit to the main menu/hideout and reselect the mission, skip through all the cutscenes and get back there which gets annoying. At least the tower is near the start of the mission.
"Ancient Warfare 3 - Crackshot 10 enemies within 65 seconds. Sly's ancestor, Tennessee "Kid" Cooper" has an ability similar to "Dead Eye" from Red Dead Redemption where he can slow down time, mark enemies and objects and then instantly shoot them dead called "Crackshot". I never got this trophy when I first played the game because there wasn't much opportunity to. There aren't large groups of enemies wandering around that you can casually get 10+ of them line up for you to shoot them. Plus, I was already good at shooting them normally. I tried running around in the open world trying to lure enemies but found it wasn't working. There's a mission in the game called "Blind Date" that throws lots of rabbit enemies that chuck TNT at you that worked better for me.
"Hubba Hubba - Don't miss a beat in the Carmelita dance game." This trophy is, without a doubt, the main reason to platinum this game on VITA instead of the PS3. So nobody can see you play this dumb minigame and call you a Furry. This trophy requires you to complete the minigame where Carmilita needs to disguise herself as a belly dancer and dance to distract guards while the Cooper gang try and open a door. You just need to hit the button prompts perfectly. So you can ignore the times the minigame asks you to shake the VITA from side to side like a champagne bottle to make Carmilita shake her ass (seriously, why does this game sexualize Carmilita so much? None of the past Sly games did it).
"Get To the Chopper - Don't take any damage during Up In Smoke." This one was actually fun. In the mission "Up in Smoke", you have to control an RC Helicopter and drop bombs on turrents while drones and mines chase you down. It was fun dodging and weaving through them. There are 3 phases to this mission and you have a checkpoint in between every phase. So if you mess up, you can just restart the checkpoint to the last phase. You don't need to avoid taking damage the whole way through which is nice.
"Unexpected Package - Place 60 bombs in enemy pockets with Bentley." When I first saw this trophy, I groaned. This would be a massive grind. And I had actually made it harder on myself. You see, normally, when you sneak up behind an enemy as Bentley and hold triangle, Bentley will try to put a bomb in the enemy's pocket. Larger enemies won't notice this but smaller enemies will. But the main issue is that I had previously unlocked the Heat Seeking upgrade for Bentley. Meaning sometimes, the bombs would "miss" and stick to an enemy guard's arms or legs instead. So it was annoying going around the hub world and planting bombs on guards.....until I remembered that I had purchased the upgrade for sleep bombs. My plan now was just to find a lone guard on a rooftop, try and place one sleep bomb into his back pocket and detonate it. He'd then fall asleep. Then I'd go to his sleeping body and try placing 5 sleeping bombs in his pocket and back away (the max you can place at any one time). When he wakes him, I'd detonate all 5 which set him to sleep and then repeat. Even if I'd "miss" a few bombs that would stick to their legs instead, I generally 3 or 4 bombs work perfectly. So it didn't take long to get all 60.
"Apollo Wins - Have the perfect workout during the Training Montage." During the mission "Getting Stronger", you have to do a training montage with Bob where you alternate through 6 minigames as you complete them with the minigames getting harder as you complete them. The trophy requires you to complete 10 randomly selected minigames without making a single mistake. If you mess up, you can restart the checkpoint to the beginning of the montage and have to play through a new set of 10 randomly selected minigames. The Minigames are "Slippery Slope" where you balance an egg on a beam using motion controls while penguins jump around on the floating iceberg you are standing on. "Penguin Popper" where Penguins are diving in front of you and you have to play baseball using them. "Sumo Slap" where you have to perform QTEs to push a giant penguin out of a Sumo Ring. "Duck and Cover" where penguins get launched at you from 4 different directions and you have to move the left stick to dodge them. "Super Sling" which requires you to use a catapult to launch a penguin at a flying pterodactyl. And "Whack a chump" which is Whack a Mole but with penguins. Some of which are fake and you should avoid.
Penguin Popper was easy. Once you get the timing down it's easy to get into a rhythm and hit the penguins since they don't vary when they dive. Whenever this popped into the rotation, I considered it a freebie. Sumo Slap was extremly easy. The button mashing was extremely generous. This was another freebie. Duck and Cover requires a bit more focus because of the timing and inconsistent patterns. It's not too challenging. Interestingly, I noticed that the VITA's speakers would reflect if the penguin was coming from the right or left but not above or below you. I guess headphones would make this easier but I had no need for it. I was generally glad when this popped up in the rotation. Whack a Chump was a bit harder than Penguin Popper because there is no set pattern and the additional challenge of not hitting the fake penguins. But it wasn't too bad. I was glad when this popped up in the rotation.
Super Sling and Slippery Slope were the 2 I dreaded and the ones I messed up the most on. Super Sling doesn't give you much indication of where your sling will go. The Pterodactyls have varied speeds so you can't rely on pattern recolonization and reactions. And there's time pressure as taking too long counts as a miss. And it kept popping up in the rotations for some reason!
Slippery Slope was stressful because of the motion controls and how wild later versions of it were.
"The Cooper Open - Have a 20 hit rally with Bentley in each hideout." There are 6 hideouts in the game. In each hideout there is a table tennis table where you as Sly can play a round of table tennis with Bentley. I question the inclusion of it but I suppose it can be a nice distraction. This trophy requires you get a sequences where both you and Bentley hit the ball back and forth 10 times each (or 20 times overall) without missing. And repeat for each of the 6 tables. I found Bentley kept messing up so I had to intentionally hold back and avoid making good shots and try and hit the ball towards him. The main issue is the fact you have to repeat it 6 times. I feel it would be better off just once and as nothing is really added by doing it 6 times. If anything, it's more annoying given the long load times to switch hideouts and Bentley's random AI.
"Hassan Would Be Proud - Pickpocket a full collection of every item in the game." Each of the 6 or so locations have around 3-4 items that can be pickpocketted from guards. The main issue with this trophy is that it doesn't keep track of which items you have already pickpocketed in any way. The game already tracks how many treasures and masks you've found per general area but not pickpocketted items.
I only got this trophy by planning on systematically going through every location in the game and pickpocketting every enemy item and noting down which ones I found.....only to get it in the first level when I used Murray's shake move on some rat enemies. Enemies that you never encounter or have a reason or opportunity to naturally pickpocket. I guess 2013 me had already gotten 99% of these items previously.
"Navigate Like Drake - Take a look at every map in every episode". I found this trophy really annoying. The way it works is that every location in the game, including linear interiors that are exclusive to missions and even the hideouts, have a map you can look at by pressing SELECT. The game doesn't keep track of which locations you've seen the map of. So I had to systamatically play the game from the first mission and press SELECT whenever I entered a new interior. Then quit out and play the next mission and repeat. It popped for me in Episode 4 so somehow, 2013 me had looked at all the maps in Episode 5 without realizing it.
I don't like this trophy. It doesn't really add anything. The player would already be looking at the maps in the hub worlds where they would be at their most useful since those are open world sections. They have no real reason to use the map in linear interiors. And even less useful in hideouts as these aren't even explorable. They are basically just menus that happen to have a 3D background. I'd be more forgiving of this trophy if the map showed collectibles at least. That way, players have more of a reason to use this feature.
Shout out to the Lazy Trunk Spa & Lounge. A secret area in the game that contains a mask collectible and counts for the trophy with a unique map. No mission ever goes here. So even if you were to play diligently and open the map for every area you encounter, you'd still miss this. I only knew this existed because the trophy guide I looked at told me about it so I decided to tag this area while doing the "Get to the Chopper" trophy.
"Hero Tech - Battle with a secret weapon" Once you collect 50 Sly masks. You unlock Ratchet's wrench from Ratchet and Clank. This weapon even turns the coins you collect into bolts. Collecting 60 Masks unlocks Cole's Amp from inFAMOUS. This can electrocute the enemies you hit. I chose to use Cole's Amp to get the trophy as a tribute to inFAMOUS. Killed by Ghost of Tsumia 😭. May it rest in peace. Gone too soon.
That covers all the miscellaneous trophies. Now for the collectibles and arcades.
Sly 4 has a bunch of different collectibles scattered in each of its 6 episodes.
Bottles: Each hub world contains 30 bottles. Collecting all of them gives you access to unlock a safe hidden somewhere in the hub world. Unlocking that safe rewards you a special treasure. Bottles make a "clinking" sound when you're near them so if you're having a hard time finding them, try going into the game's settings and turning down the music and voice sounds. If you find the safe in Episode 3, the special treasure it gives you will highlight bottles and safes in every other episode on your map which is quite nice. I wish the game did this more often. If it hides collectibles from the player, at least give the player an endgame ability to highlight them. It makes it more feasible and fun to complete these tasks instead of combing every last inch (or looking up a guide).
Treasures: Each hub world has around 11 treasures scattered all around. The gimmick here is that in order to collect them, you first need to find where they are in the hub world. Then once you pick them, you need to race back to your hideout under a certain time limit and without taking any damage. If you mess up, you need to repeat the process. The treasures generally require you to have all of Sly's costumes. And a couple require you to be playing as Sir Galleth because England has increased gravity for some reason. Some of these treasures are really well hidden. Requiring you to go to these holes in the middle of nowhere which then require you to switch between some of Sly's costumes. Like, if you open the map when picking some of these up, you'll find Sly is located beyond the borders of the area.
I found it way more fun to race back to the hideout than actually finding them. It was tedious to find many of them because of how well hidden they are. There is no tool or item in the game that can help mark them on your map. Well, I say that. Supposedly, if you have both the PS3 and VITA versions of the game and play them at the same time, you can use the VITA like a scannebinoculars to locate these treasures. And then use the Cross Save feature to nab them in both versions. I only have the VITA version so no luck for me. Again, I'd argue it would be better if there was an endgame upgrade or tool you could get that would mark the treasures like how the game does it for bottles. There isn't even a "clinking sound" or any help for these.
Anyway, collecting all the treasures for an episode unlocks the arcade machine minigame for that episode.
Also sidenote, but this game has the worst map screen that still somehow can be useful. The map gives a top down view of the area but with a blue filter. This makes it harder and more annoying to navigate and use landmarks for reference. Especially on the VITA with its smaller screen. There are also no icons on the map (aside from bottles, safes and objectives) or the ability to make your own markers. The VITA version makes it worse as you can't even use the buttons to navigate the map. You have to use the touchscreen even though that's not how it is in the PS3 version. But you can still use it to know where you are and where collectibles can be from guides. It's technically readable and useful but just barely. I've never seen a map in a game so perfectly walk the line between useful and annoying.
The next collectible are Sly Masks. There are 60 total and around 11 per Episode. Collecting them unlocks skins and some goodies. But the catch with them is that they can be anywhere. There can be a couple in the hub world. But also couple during select missions and even some in the arcade minigames. There's no way to know where any of them are. They generally tend to be really well hidden even if you are trying to scour every area.
Again, I wish there was a way to highlight them. The game's long load times make it a chore to switch episodes or missions so it's tedious to try searching for them manually.
Now it's time to talk about the arcades. Sly 4 has 3 arcade minigames that are used in both the main missions and have a harder version in the arcades in hideouts. The arcade versions of these minigames are harder, go on for much longer and can have secret paths that lead to portals that reward you with points and some of them even have Sly masks. You need to beat the high scores to get the trophies
The first minigame is "Alter Ego". This has you play this 2D auto scrolling twin stick shooter minigame where you must avoid enemies and collect these "ionic bits". Collecting 5 yellow bits levels you up so your weapons get more powerful. At level 10 you have shoot crazy fast, can launch missiles and have floating drones that can damage enemies around you. But whenever you take damage, you drop an entire level. And you get left behind as the level autoscrolls, you respawn at level 0. You can also collect blue bits which can give you a grenade explosion around you.
Personally, I don't really like this minigame. It's fine when playing casually as a change of pace but grinding the high score isn't great. Since it is an autoscroller it is entirely possible you don't have enough points to match the high score and you won't know until its too late, wasting your time. I also found the hitboxes a bit too small. Making items more annoying to pickup.
The key to success is finding the right balance between collecting yellow bits as they give points and level you up (and how high your level is acts as a multiplier for your score) and killing enemies since they give more points. As well as avoiding taking damage and maintaining level 10 as much as possible and knowing where the secret paths are so you can get more points as well as level up if you have messed up.
The second minigame is "System Cracker". Here, you guide a little space ship looking thing through 2D levels in top down twin stick shooting sections. This isn't an autoscroller. You need to explore levels looking for keys and shooting enemies. There are 3 ships you can switch between by going onto specific coloured pads and each ship has its pros and cons. The green ship you start with does decent damage and has decent health and can carry keys. So it's a jack of all trades master of none kinda ship. The pink ship literally resembles a tank. It fires slower and at a shorter range but does more damage and has more health. It's also necessary for destroying pink crystals to progress. The blue ship has floatier handling and faster speeds. Its shots also bounce off walls and it can draw a line which can activate switches and damage enemies. It is weaker than the green ship though.
I actually really enjoyed this minigame and was happy whenever it comes up. It even feels the most fleshed out of the 3. Like, I feel it could even be released as a small standalone game with some tweaking and expansion. I'd probably play a mobile version of this in my free time.
I like how varied the levels can be. You can have a lot of different threats and mini-puzzles and even scenarios where you have to keep switching between ships on the fly to damage enemies. Like, there's this one enemy that's made up of orange, blue and pink hexagons that require you to switch between all 3 ships and use their abilities to damage it. It's quite fun. Damage one ship takes is "saved" on that ship. So if you take 50% damage with the green ship and switch to the pink one, the pink one will have 100% health. But whenever you switch back to the green one, you will be back at 50% health. So mistakes have consequences requiring you to make decisions accounting for them without being too overbearing.
Beating the high scores for the associated arcades is very easy. For one, there is no time limit or pressure so you’re free to take your time and play carefully. On top of that, the mode is very generous with points. Whereas Alter Ego only gives you points for killing enemies and picking up bits (and you need to get and maintain a multiplier for decent times), System Cracker gives you points even for shooting obstacles and barricades in your way. In Alter Ego, I was scraping for points until the very end. In System Cracker, I had more than enough points by the halfway mark.
I suppose the game could have balanced this by increasing the points threshold and rewarding extra points for taking less time to complete sections but I’m not complaining.
The third and worst minigame is “Spark Chaser”. Here you must guide a little electric ball across these maze like areas with gaps that end your attempt if you fall down them and these pinball like bounce pads that bounce you really far. There’s also a time pressure. You have around 20 seconds to get as far as possible with more time added as you pick up these purple clock icons.
The biggest issue is that it’s entirely controlled by motion controls. And this makes me experience worse on VITA. Seriously, I very nearly quit playing. This post was almost titled “I gave up trying to Platinum Sly 4”.
With the PS3 version, at least titling the remote doesn’t also affect your view of the screen. You can look at the game and play it the same as you normally would. But in the VITA version, the “neutral” position where no input is registered by the system is placing the VITA flat with its screen facing up. The standard “screen facing you” position registers as down.
The end result is a frustrating experience. This minigame requires really fine precision given how easy it is to fall off and the time pressure requires you both be fast and more precise to collect time pickups. On top of that, your view is constantly being messed with due to how much you need to tilt the system from odd angles. Especially how tilting “up” really makes it hard to see. Oh, and the dialogue from Bentley as you bounce gets really annoying and repetitive.
It’s barely tolerable in regular missions since those don’t require as much precision or speed. And even then, the usage there in 2013 was suspect to begin with. I only completed this because there’s a cheese where if you can get enough time early on, you can then keep bouncing on certain pads which give around 20 points per bounce. When I played “normally”, I’d get around 300 points with the high score being 1000 points. Using the cheese, I averaged around 990 points and managed to get lucky to win with 1010 points.
Tangent Time:
I’ve said it before. Motion controls work best when they complement existing controls in an optional way or in more restrained ways. I love it when games have gyro aiming since that can help compensate when aiming with sticks with small fine corrections. It works here because the sticks do most of the work and the gyro sensors work where they are best suited.
Or in many mobile racing games, steering is often done by tilting your phone. I enjoy this because there is only one axis you need to tilt your phone, the screen often rotates in conjunction so your view is preserved and it’s more intuitive to feel the “range” of rotation and how it corresponds to steering.
Hell, even ignoring these approaches, motion can still be used in worthwhile ways. Such as by mapping an extra action that is infrequent if all other buttons are occupied. The Mario games on Wii map a “spin” when you jump and shake the remotes giving Mario a bit of grace allowing him to make slightly further jumps or correct a bad jump. Call of Duty MW1 on Wii allowed you to assign certain commands to custom motions of the controller and nunchuck. So you could map stuff like jumping, moving and shooting to buttons but map reloading to smacking the nunchuck to the Wii Mote or plunge the Wii Mote forward to do a melee attack or tilting the Wii Mote to bring out a grenade or alt fire.
Even Resistance 1: Fall of Man had a neat idea. You could quickly tilt the controller left to bring up the Scoreboard screen without needing to take your thumbs off the sticks or stop moving. The Soulsbourne games allow you to quickly do emotes without needing a menu by holding the interact button and quickly tilting the controller in certain directions.
I bring all this up to highlight how Sly 4’s use of motion controls are a failure on every level. They’re mostly used in place of minigames as the sole method of control. So all the issues of motion controls (such as the lack of broad control and feedback) are front and centre. The only place where the motion controls are understandable is when firing arrows as you can then control the arrow after it’s fired using both the sticks and gyro aiming. But even then, the lack of any ability to tune the gyro sensitivity or even invert the controls hampers any use it could have had.
I don’t mind the idea of Sly 4 having decent motion controls. There are places where I can see it being beneficial. In addition to shooting and guiding arrows, I can see it being useful when you have to use the binoculars. Especially as Bentley as you need to shoot darts precisely.
Or, here’s a gimmicky one: you can bind certain costumes or tools to also be selected by quickly tilting the system. Even though using the D-pad for a quick select would be faster, it would still be a better use of motion controls for Sly 4 than most of what’s currently there.
End Tangent.
Back to getting all the trophies, the final arcade machine, unlocked only when you’ve gotten all the treasures in every other episode, is very easy. It has “3 rooms”, one featuring every minigame thus far. But the high score requirements are really low and rooms aren’t as tough as prior versions. You can easily get the high score in the first area which is the Alter Ego one. Even if you miss it there, the second area is Spark Runner but you can keep reloading the checkpoint to preserve your score. So you can get some time clocks, reload a checkpoint when you’re close to running out of time or about to fall off and repeat until you get the high score.
You do need to get past the Spark Runner section to the 3rd and final section that uses System Cracker's gameplay in order to get a hidden Sly Mask, but it's far easier than the dedicated Spark Runner arcade minigame as the section is shorter, is more generous with Time Pickups, has easier level design and lets you reload a checkpoint if you're about to fail which doesn't end the run.
So yeah, Sly 4 Thieves in Time was....inconsistent game to platinum. I enjoyed the base gameplay, System Cracker, the various challenge trophies and the mini speedruns for collecting treasures. I didn't enjoy finding the collectibles and doing some of the other minigames. I hated Spark Runner.
If the game had more ways of tracking collectibles, fewer minigames and better load times, I'd gladly recommend it as a fun game to platinum.
As for the base game itself, I am mixed on it. The gameplay is arguably the best in the series. Sly's movement and costumes are so fun to play around with. Murray, Bentely and Sly's ancestors are also fun changes of pace during missions.
The story is lacking. My main issue is that it doesn't feel like it realizes its following up Sly 3. The story so casually undoes the ending of Sly 3 to get Sly 4's story going. I get it, that's what a sequel has to do. But the way it does it really undermines Sly 3. It's also much more lighthearted and doesn't have as much of a theme or focal point as its predecessors. Sly 1-3 explored the theme of legacy and the consequences of adhering to it so tightly. A major aspect of Sly 3 was Sly realizing the Cooper Vault wasn't worth dying for. It's what prompts him to fake his amnesia and retire with Carmilita in the end. So for Sly 4 to then have Sly have an itch to steal just for the fun of it, it's sending mixed messages here.
In addition, Sly is really casual about the fact Carmilita now knows about his betrayal and has broken up with him. Seems like that should have been a bigger deal. In fact, that kind of "casual-ness" persists throughout the story. Sly doesn't really have much of an arc or any real heartfelt moments with his ancestors. Nor do they seem to really care their decedent from the future is here with them.
If I could have tweaked the story to address these points, here's what I would have done:
I'd have the story open with Sly, Bentley and Murray enjoying their "retirement" and have no plans of thieving. I'd go so far as to have Sly even scoff at the idea of him ever wanting to be a thief. Then when the pages of the Thievus Racconus are dissapearing, Sly, Bentley and Murray have to reluctantly unretire to try stopping them. There would be dialogue during the opening mission of Sly being worried if they get caught as it would undo their happy ending. And then when Carmilita catches Sly, Sly at first is flustered and tries to explain the situation to Carmilita who isn't having any of Sly's BS. Sly is forcibly extracted by the gang and then they time travel. As they are time travelling. Sly is upset that, in order to go literally defend the Cooper Legacy, he has to give up his happy relationship and can't be repaired now. That even if they fix the problem, they'll be on the run forever now. Murray had to give up his professional career as well.
Already, I feel this introduction has a few things going for it. It respects the ending of Sly 3 and keeps the characters in more character, as well as putting more heat on Le Paradox. Sly 4 had to rip away the happy ending that was Sly 3. The characters know that and aren't happy about it. There is immediate consequences. And that heat can be directed at Le Paradox when he comes later.
I'd also like if all of the ancestors Sly met had different reactions to both him and the Cooper legacy and how it affects Sly's arc.
For example, lets say when he meets Riochi Cooper, Ricohi is initially disappointed in Sly as the future Cooper decendent as Sly doesn't act honourably or respect the legacy or something like this. Something that makes Sly start to question if it's even worth defending the Cooper Legacy. Bentely is the voice of reason here and mediator that gets the gang to work as well as they can.
Then when Sly meets Tennessee Cooper, Sly is initially expecting another traditionalist ancestor that cares a lot about the Cooper Legacy. But Tennessee is kinda the opposite of Riochi in that Tennasee doesn't care about the legacy in the same way. He adds his own spin and contributions but also uses the knowledge from it to do his own thing. Perhaps Tennessee is this Robin-Hood esque figure who uses his heisting skills to steal from the corrupt ruling class and give to the lower class. The point being that through Tennessee, Sly considers another aspect of the Cooper Legacy on how he's not that beholden to it and can potentially make it his own.
Then when Sly meets Bob, part of Bob's training is also from Sly as Sly teaches him some of the Cooper moves he knows. Since Bob is the first Cooper ancestor, he has no bias towards the legacy or any knowledge. So he's far more grateful and begins to use his new skills in helpful ways. Causing Sly to wonder if he could use the Cooper Legacy in more ways.
It's a similar situation for Sir Galleth. And for Selim, perhaps by that point, Sly has a newfound outlook and appreciation for the Cooper Legacy and ways on how he can improve it or make it his own that he encourages Selim not to retire or to retire in such a way where he could help people or something like that.
So yeah, there's this theme now of "Don't let the past define you now. You can make it your own and grow past its flaws". Which I feel would give Sly 4 more of a punch. I am basically copying Metal Gear Solid 4 and Assassin's Creed though.
I also feel it would be better if Penelope wasn't the villain of episode 4. It seems to contradict her character from past games and the explanation given for her heel turn doesn't really hold water. I feel the story would be better if Penelope had the role Dmitri has where she's their help in the present and the Knight was a new character. But if you need to have Penelope as the antagonist, have her be under mind control or something. That way the team has the conflict of how will they stop the plan without hurting their friend. But if you really insist on Penelope being a full on antagonist now by her own choice, perhaps flesh out her motivations more? Maybe something like "she sees how Bentley will never reach his full potential as the Bill Gates of the world because of his criminal past that requires him to lay low and not take public credit for his inventions. So she's trying to erase the Coopers so Bentley will have never met Sly". That would at least be more than "I want money".
Everything else, I feel works more or less.
I will note that the cliffhanger ending was a weird choice given that this game wasn't projected to sell well and kinda pigenholes any story Sly 5 would be going for. Plus, it being locked behind the platinum trophy means only a small portion of the few players that played Sly 4 would even know about it.
So yeah, that's my take on platinumming Sly 4: Thieves in Time. What do y'all think?
Next up for me is platinumming every Spider-Man game on PS VITA. See you then.

More than anything else, my wife uses the ifit google maps create route feature. She'll make a route somewhere around the globe, then run it, seeing the street view pics, elevation and stats on the screen as she runs. That said:
I ran through the unchained process this weekend so we can watch streaming videos while running (more for me) and found that in the ifit standalone app, the Google Maps create route functions fails with a lock icon and message "unavailable on this machine" when trying to save the route.
I'm assuming the issue is because this is the standalone ifit rather than a bespoke version specific to our x22i. I noticed when installing the standalone app that it asked for permissions to a generic HID. Maybe there's a x22i-specific HID that can be injected somewhere (if there's such a thing)?
Regardless.... any help on sorting through this would be appreciated, as I have been informed this functionality is considered a (much) higher priority than Netflix streaming. So if it can't be sorted, there will be yet another reset is in my future. :-/ Thx.
Update: minor grammar edits

The Vancouver Free Fridge Project is looking for more volunteers to help maintain and transport food donations to our 3 fridge and pantry locations across Clark County!
Chances are there's one near you! Volunteering can be as simple as visiting a fridge location weekly to check temperatures, wipe down surfaces, and snap a current inventory picture. There's now a Hazel Dell, Grand Blvd, and an Orchards location, all of which are open 24/7 to provide free, fresh, nutritous food to anyone in need! You can find a map to each of them via the link above, as well as a link to the Slack app group where volunteers meet and communicate.
If you'd like to help distribute flyers to raise awareness and support for this awesome community project, you can download one here. The FVRL libraries give all library card holders $3 in free printing every week (30 b&w pages or 6 color pages), so it's easy to print out flyers for free!

I love traveling and exploring the world more than anything in life.
I enjoy looking at scenic views, pictures, and videos.
I have many artistic talents (drawing, singing, acting, decorating, video editing, photography). However, I don’t use them much.
I’m an outgoing person and enjoy being with people, but I spend a lot of my free time by myself, so that I have the freedom to do whatever I want without having to make compromises with other people.
I hate routines, and I hate being bound by a rigid schedule (I struggled a lot in school because of this).
While I consider myself to be smart, I struggled greatly in school because it was very boring to me. I also struggled to pay attention in class and focus on my work. I also frequently didn’t do my homework.
Home is the last place I would want do my homework, my favorite places to study were hotel lobbies.
I hate it when people try to control me. I hold the “steering wheel of my life” very tightly and never let go.
I do not like commitment, I always leave my options open.
I am extremely sensitive to criticism (especially when it’s harsh/strict). The best way to upset me is to criticize me harshly.
I have almost no self-discipline.
I don’t resist temptations easily (if at all).
I refuse to work any office job, and would hate my life if I had to.
I hate the catchphrase “suck it up, buttercup!”
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a full-time world traveler when I grew up.
I get very envious of travel bloggers/vloggers, because they’re living my dream life.
I hate it when people yell at me angrily.
I hate being at home.
I hate reading books.
I hate being in bed (unless I’m sick or tired).
I’m only talkative when the conversation is about topics I enjoy. If the topic is boring to me, I am quiet.
I have a strong sense of humor and love to pull pranks and tell jokes. I am by no means a serious person.
Boredom is my absolute worst enemy. I do everything I can to avoid boredom.
I would die if I had no free time (as I require a huge amount of it).
I have a very vivid imagination.
People tell me I am way too spontaneous and unpredictable.
People also tell me that I am a “kid-at-heart,” because I have a childlike personality.
I struggle with long-term planning.
I live in the moment and do not enjoy thinking about the future.
I really love animals.
I have a love/hate relationship with adulthood. I love having the freedom to make my own choices in life, but I really hate all the responsibilities that are required for survival (work, bills, chores, etc.).
Traveling is pretty much my only hobby. When I’m stuck at home, I spend my time watching travel videos on YouTube (usually walking or driving tours of a city), playing around with Google Maps, or playing games that involve traveling and exploring an area.
I do not like (and am not good at) doing yoga, meditation, or any relaxation activities.
Some of the things on my bucket list: Going skydiving, going on a cruise, dressing in drag, visiting Switzerland, seeing the Northern Lights, going to Africa, going to Miami, and seeing Niagara Falls.

##Team or individual contributor name Bovain, Its_Shalev, georgeushh
##Map title Trident Dome
##Map description
A pvp game based about tridents! There are 4 teams, the game ends when there's only 1 team left or when 3 minutes passed! There are 8 different maps and 4 modes (Tridents, Bows, Swords and Effects).
##What do you love the most about your submission?
The thing I love the most about the submission is that we made a game that is made mostly for tridents as people don't use them that much.
##Link to album of screenshots, video trailer, or walkthrough for complex/long maps https://imgur.com/gallery/wdJcg2S
##Map download link URL here (Avoid using url shorteners or ad-supported links)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-cDW2lzMl9WQFt1ZzYdy9Rh_D6uBexXX/view?usp=sharing

Howdy! XMC is a dedicated community of players who love the vanilla Minecraft experience. Our server aims to provide a fun and immersive gameplay environment while maintaining full compatibility with vanilla mechanics.
XMC will officially open on June 7th. Though, we currently have a testing server up for people to try out some builds!

Features:

• Local Voice Chat: Communication is key in any multiplayer game, and we've implemented a voice chat mod that enables you to chat with other players in your vicinity.
• DynMap: Explore the world of XMC using our DynMap. Get a bird's eye view of the server, see the builds and structures, and plan your next adventure with ease. The map is constantly updated, ensuring you always have the latest information at your fingertips.
• Various Vanilla+ Additions: We’re still working out exactly what we’re going to enable/disable, but in the past we’ve enabled things like movable tile entities. Join now to influence the features for when we start!
• Daily backups: We understand the importance of preserving your hard work. That's why we take daily backups to ensure that your progress is safe and secure.

Server Specs and Performance:

• Processor: Ryzen 9 5950x
• RAM: 10 Gigabytes
• Location: New Jersey

Server Rules:

• Be Mature: One of, if not the most important rule, we expect our players to be mature. Immature behavior will not be tolerated, as we aim to create a community of people who can relax and enjoy the game.
• Respect other server members: Treat your fellow players with respect. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of disrespect towards others.
• No stealing or griefing: We have a strict policy against stealing or griefing. Our dedicated staff members have access to detailed logs and will take appropriate action if any unauthorized actions are detected.
• No NSFW, racism/xenophobia: Offensive or inappropriate content has no place on our server. We promote a welcoming and inclusive environment, free from any form of discrimination or offensive behavior.
• No mods that give an unfair advantage: Using mods or hacks that provide unfair advantages over other players is strictly prohibited. However, mini-maps and other utilities are exempt from this rule. If it feels like cheating, it likely is. If there’s any doubt, don’t hesitate to ask an admin.
• Inactivity: If you plan to be away from the server for an extended time period, please notify an admin in advance. Failure to do so may result in your account being marked as inactive.

How to Apply:

• Join our discord, linked below.
• Run the command "/apply" in any channel to receive the application form.
• Fill out the form and provide the required information.
• Submit your application.
• An admin will review your application and get back to you shortly.

Discord: https://discord.gg/Dw2Ue45

We look forward to welcoming you to our community. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to our staff or other players on our Discord server.

Basically the title. Looked at old street views of Google Maps in an area of town I grew up in. It's wild to me how much has changed and how the same community I once lived in is most likely not there anymore
Anyone else feel something like this when you just look back at your old or even current neighborhood?