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Interesting in dealing with COVID? (Game Link at bottom of post) ------------- What is COVID SIMULATOR? *Movie Trailer voice* Since early 2020, Covid-19 has caused mayhem the world over. Spreading rapidly, it causes illness, long term disability, and death. The Covid-19 pandemic has been met with much political turmoil - causing misinformation, violence, and unnecessary risk. Many charts and diagrams exists highlighting the dangers of Covid-19 in the workplace. COVID SIMULATOR hopes to visualize how quickly Covid-19 spreads, becoming outright disaster. In Covid-19 Simulator you can: -Create a procedural generated work place - Create your OWN workplace with the level editor - Adjust the number of employees, infected, masked, and vaccinated - Adjust layouts to match what you'd like - Manually add/remove masks and vaccinations - Hire/Fire Employees - Encourage Pro/Anti Vaccine behavior - Give 'alternative medicine' treatments - Speed up or slow down time to view the results  ------------- Where did this come from? I started Covid Simulator On September 1st (2021) as a way to visualize covid spreading from person to person. I noticed a huge lack of "common person" visualizations - just lots of crazy illegible charts.  I have based the statistics the game uses off of stats I find on the CDC webpage. I was posting this in the D&D Covid thread, as well as the C-Spam covid thread, and a lot of goons seemed to like it so I kept going. To be honest its been without a development plan or end goal. It has definitely evolved beyond a crude group of colored circles! I am super receptive to feedback and suggestions, so feel free to chime in with our opinions and ideas. Why are you making COVID SIMULATOR? Originally it was just to give an easier to parse visualization of Covid spread / effects. Now my effort it get at least one person vaccinated and to improve their safety measures to combat Covid. Under all the silly memes is an effort to educate people on the dangers they are facing every day, a game of Covid russian roulette. What if I don't agree with the game's outcomes? Its ok! I'm not a virologist or statistician. I'm just a game developer. The stats which determines EVERYTHING (character stats, covid outcomes, spread rate, etc...) are generated from information I found on the CDC webpage as US Census. I put this into an editable text file so you can view it, or just change it if yo don't like it. If you ARE a virologist I will definitely take your feedback and use it to improve. I am also adding more stats to it all the time. Why did you include ethnicity? The game bases the infections/transmissions/conditions/results of Covid-19 on the US CDC statistics based on age/gender/health/ethnicity. I am not insinuating any ethnic disposition towards Covid-19, however as a Latino it was personally important to me to demonstrate the dangers that minorities are currently experiencing with the pandemic. As we all know age, health, area, income, healthcare access, etc... are the main causes of disparity with Covid. What is this made in? I'm making this in UNITY. I am using a framework called FUTILE which allows me to skip the editor and make it in code only format. Does this work on OSX/Linux? Currently, no. It would probably be trivial to export builds for those devices but I lack a Mac or a Linux computer to test it on, so I can't support it at this time. What does it cost? At this moment it's Free. Will you put this on Steam? At the moment, no. Steam is incredibly unfriendly to small games. On top of that, I have no idea how to properly monetize the game nor am I fully prepared to wade through the morality of monetizing a game about Covid. I have set aside the cash for a steam page - but maybe when it's further along I'll throw it up there. Can you add X feature? Probably. This is a side project that I'm putting together here and there each week. Some things are outside the scope of what I can do, while others get added to a huge "To Do" list. Twitch? Yeah pretty early on I got asked if I'd put twitch support in, and I was curious on how hard it was to do (not very hard at all). So now people in chat show up in your game, and you can see them talk (this can be disabled). Simply put in some info in an editable text file and you're off.  twitch ----GIFS-----       ------------- OK, ENOUGH JIBBER JABBER. WHERE DO I GET THIS GAME The game is available on steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1871620/Covid_Simulator/ and also on itch.io at https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator You can also follow me on twitter at https://twitter.com/ColdRice_Dev 
Coldrice fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Jan 27, 2022 |
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Oct 17, 2021 00:35
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In the interest of establishing precedence, here's what I'm working on right now I'm currently adding the ability to see the stats in an easy to view chart  I figure if someone wanted to get a good overview, or even USE the simulator to illustrate a point it'd be great to give some simple visuals These are saved as PNG's in your game folder under CHARTS. I'd also like to add that (so far) I've been posting a public build on my itch.io page every Sunday. The chart feature should be available tomorrow night!
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Oct 17, 2021 00:37
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First, thank you for this tool, I had snagged an older version of it and was able to use it to convince a younger relative to take masking more seriously. Is there anyway to work in geographical pre-sets? By which I mean, having the rates workers do or do not get vaccinated or take other actions based on if I set my factory in New York or Texas. I don't know how readily or available that data is, but it would be neat to have.
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Oct 17, 2021 02:13
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Captain Stalin posted:First, thank you for this tool, I had snagged an older version of it and was able to use it to convince a younger relative to take masking more seriously. I would love to have more regional centric stats. Some places are much more risk than the national average. One of my loftier “would be cool” goals is to tie in some kind of live online stat database so you can emulate location - but at the moment that’s well beyond me. Maybe some way to select a stat sheet? I’ll have to think about it.
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Oct 17, 2021 02:16
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Covid Simulator VARIANT 7 is live! Get it free at https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator Lots of effort in this weeks build. Lots of under the hood improvements and bug fixes- along with those CHARTS! You can SAVE the charts. They are stored in Assets/Resources/Charts of the game folder. WHATS NEW -Added saveable infection chart / stats -Added game options (just volume settings for now) -Totally overhauled the appearance of buttons -cafeteria marked rooms now cause employees to take off their masks -animated the "UTUBE" videos more -Fixed a bug where the space to make levels was WAYYY too big -fixed several small small off screen / under the hood bugs
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Oct 17, 2021 21:56
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you should definitely show this to a school/university. show it to an educational board or something. i bet you could get some grants or a contract.
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Oct 18, 2021 04:23
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crepeface posted:you should definitely show this to a school/university. show it to an educational board or something. i bet you could get some grants or a contract. You know some people in C-spam mentioned the same thing. I think I’d need a bit less of a silly take and a bit more research / knowledge than I have  would be nice to get that sweet grant cash tho
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Oct 18, 2021 04:45
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to be honest, i think you need to make the charts export into a csv/similar before it will take off in academic circles, implicitly so data can be ported into r. call it the rush week edition
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Oct 18, 2021 04:51
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Coldrice posted:You know some people in C-spam mentioned the same thing. I think I’d need a bit less of a silly take and a bit more research / knowledge than I have the silliness gives it appeal to kids (and let's be honest, adults too). just pitch it to someone and they'll probably assign a data liaison to get you any help you'd need.
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Oct 18, 2021 05:02
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I'm seriously interested in seeing where this goes. Also the more accurate the simulation, the more accurate the data that comes out of it.
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Oct 18, 2021 05:06
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fosborb posted:to be honest, i think you need to make the charts export into a csv/similar before it will take off in academic circles, implicitly so data can be ported into r. call it the rush week edition I’ll see what I can do 
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Oct 18, 2021 06:02
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Coldrice posted:You know some people in C-spam mentioned the same thing. I think I’d need a bit less of a silly take and a bit more research / knowledge than I have I am just a web mechanic but I did some work at an NPO attached to an incubator at my college, which was a revenue positive thing with ~100 employees. My guess is if you can get the right person to put their eyes on this they might see possibilities we might not know exist. Some people's job is seeing commercial / industrial / educational applicability of things. I've followed this since your first cspam posts; I think this project is great and if it could be made to run headlessly and be controlled through configuration blobs getting fed to it through an api of some kind, it would be a lot more useful to me personally  (The snicker, because I realize that implementing what I just asked for is some stupid amount of work. It would be cool, though! Then you could bring up clusters of simulators with somewhat different inputs, or run the same simulation a bunch of times over a range of parameters -- optionally dump screenshots / gifv of game state at any point... I guess I am asking for a completely functional implementation of everything in your UI as a config API . While we're at it, the variables that control the model of disease spread itself should be part of the API... )
Cabbages and Kings fucked around with this message at 08:10 on Oct 18, 2021 |
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Oct 18, 2021 08:03
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crepeface posted:the silliness gives it appeal to kids (and let's be honest, adults too). just pitch it to someone and they'll probably assign a data liaison to get you any help you'd need. Yeah I played my share of goofy, irreverent educational games as a kid. This is the type of stuff I could see kids really getting into during a computer lab session or something.
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Oct 18, 2021 18:39
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This is a game I would have played in school as part of a class when I was a kid in the late 90s early 2000s. I would say go for it see what you can get, see if you can spread virally to the education system
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Oct 21, 2021 14:27
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definitely scam as much money out of a uni as you can because otherwise the money will go to the head coach of the football program or the next jorp and nobody wants either of those
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Oct 21, 2021 14:32
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Eh I am probably just less bold than some goons I'm scared to even put it on steam ha ha. COVID SIMULATOR UPDATE Variant 8 is now live! Mostly bug fixes and more editable stats... BUT two new mechanics: Bathrooms now spawn in generated rooms  I still need to add all the stations to the level editor, but a new feature in the lever editor is a "Minor Room" mark. This marks a room where people would only be there for a short time, maybe once or twice a day max. Useful for things like this bathroom, or store rooms, or whatever you could imagine. And I added the ability to close down for a day  If you're playing to try to eliminate covid its super useful when it starts to get out of control You can get covid simulator FREE at https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator (patch notes at https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator/devlog/307219/variant-8-is-up-and-running)
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Oct 24, 2021 20:38
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Happy Halloween covid peeps - I hope you're all wearing your masks! I've spent the weekend doing spooky activities for the kiddos in my house, but now its time for the scariest thing of all: the ineptitude of the world governments in handling covid! Anyways, COVID SIMULATOR UPDATE Version 9 is live, adding SPREADSHEET exporting for charts, more editable stats on the stat sheet, and lots of bug fixes!  Covid Simulator is FREE at https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator Update log here https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator/devlog/309941/happy-halloween-variant-9-is-up
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Nov 1, 2021 03:27
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Covid Simulator Variant 10 is live! This week I added some visual indicators of the immediate danger zone with covid carriers. This circle represents the "6ft" that CDC warns about. You can still catch covid, but the odds get lower the further from that circle you are until its zero. I'll likely need to work on air flow mechanics soon if I want to make this even more realistic.  I also had a lot of thoughts on how covid spreads depending on your schedule (not working weekends, only working in shifts, etc...) SO I added a scheduling system  You can adjust the length of the work day. You can now toggle 5 day work weeks, and work in shifts. On shorter days, the day gets divided into 2 shifts. On longer days it gets divided into 3 shifts. UPDATE LOG: https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator/devlog/312318/variant-10-is-ready-for-transmission
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Nov 7, 2021 21:02
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Again I just want to say that I love this simulator and I appreciate you for making it.
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Nov 8, 2021 02:59
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this sim/tool/whatever is incredible so thank you for making it
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Nov 8, 2021 06:36
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This is really impressive.
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Nov 8, 2021 07:39
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Excited to get home and give this a spin!
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Nov 8, 2021 20:15
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Thanks everyone for giving it a whirl! I'm really having a lot of fun with the project! COVID SIMULATOR variant 11 is now live to download! Building a better worker schedule system got me thinking about different things the player can do to prevent covid (if thats the player's goal). There are some (relatively) easy things I could do to improve the system  I added the ability to have 2 week quarantines when a worker shows symptoms. I have also allowed you to EDIT he schedule live was the game happens, in case you want to change it for some reason. I've also added both mask and vaccine mandates - which might cause protests on one side or the other of the in game factions. I think I want to spend the next few weeks tidying up the simulator and finishing off what i had as my "base vision" for this little project. It's already evolved FAR beyond the scope of what I had first written out: workers walking around and getting infected at realistic rates. I'd like to make the game into a nice tight package in its current form, maybe consider putting on steam for free or cheap. From THERE I'll move into the more advanced features we've talked about in this thread IF it gets any interest - otherwise I'd like to make sure the simulator is as solid as possible in current form if thats as far as this ride goes. UPDATE LOG: https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator/devlog/314637/variant-11-coming-at-ya
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Nov 14, 2021 22:27
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Hey, Covid Simulator variant 12 is up! next few weeks promise to be more accessibility oriented than anything, you got -The options screen is now way more organized ,and clearer - Added two stat bars instead of one - current, and cumulative stats. They can be hidden as well! -Made the clock/day aspect of the UI nicer. -added a more positive "click" effect when you click buttons Update log: https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator/devlog/317002/variant-12-is-live-get-at-it
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Nov 22, 2021 01:51
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Is it possible to get an adjustable quarantine period, or attempted contact tracing? Thinking of situations where places just decide 3-5 days is enough and send people back, or only have you quarantine if you're symptomatic vs close contact, etc.
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Nov 22, 2021 17:18
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Skyl3lazer posted:Is it possible to get an adjustable quarantine period, or attempted contact tracing? Thinking of situations where places just decide 3-5 days is enough and send people back, or only have you quarantine if you're symptomatic vs close contact, etc. Definitely an interesting idea, and I definitely have the ability to do this. Maybe the same with the "5 day work week" to make it variable. I'll think on it!
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Nov 22, 2021 19:30
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VARIANT 13 IS LIVE! With the potential threat of the Omicron variant hitting the news, I wanted to get a bit ahead of it if I can. I'm doing a TRIAL run of adding a slider which swaps variants. This will probably take a few weeks to calibrate properly. It may or may not stay in the game and eventually be removed. ALSO, I had to put a disclaimer that we don't know much about Omicron so whats presented is totally theoretical.  I've added more stations to the level editor, the ability to offset the sprites of the stations, and decorative doors  I also put a toggle that allows you to "disable social commentary." Pro/anti vax stuff is removed, profit/loss, and some other silly things are removed. in some ways its worse for the little guys this way, since they won't go off and get vaccinated or stay away in protest for better safety precautions.  Update log is here: https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator/devlog/319208/lucky-number-version-13
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Nov 29, 2021 00:13
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Can you simulate two different variants at the same time?
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Nov 29, 2021 01:47
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Ice Phisherman posted:Can you simulate two different variants at the same time? At the moment no, but I probably could implement that easily enough. Gods help us if that’s what happens with omicron
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Nov 29, 2021 06:55
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COVID SIMULATOR VARIANT 15 IS LIVE This marks the end of my original 'to do" list for the game (and then some). I have "completed" what I originally set out to do. Now its time to figure out whats next - do I call it done? Or do I try to launch it on steam so I can get some funds to continue? Not sure. This update is mostly UI tweaks, transmission tweaks, and some fixes to the level generator, so nothing super exciting. I did add some more visual indicators of covid spread though just because I can ha ha . How it started:  how its going for those curious on how its done the past 15 weeks or so  itch.io stats Update log: https://coldrice.itch.io/covid-simulator/devlog/324177/variant-15-original-plan-is-complete Coldrice fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Dec 13, 2021 |
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Dec 13, 2021 01:13
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Just a small update today, finally made a better trailer for the game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne1_LNfR9L4 If the video is too long for you, this is the best part anyways  
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Dec 29, 2021 22:36
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Hey, there is a now a steam page for COVID SIMULATOR https://store.steampowered.com/app/1871620/Covid_Simulator/ I am legit frightened a bit by gamer backlash so lets hope it goes well!
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Jan 11, 2022 16:20
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Coldrice posted:Hey, there is a now a steam page for COVID SIMULATOR Popped it on my wishlist, I'm really glad you decided to take this further. Having played/used as demonstration the previous versions, you should really consider another project more focused on those little comedy moments. Some of them really, really slap and are effective at driving home your point.
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Jan 11, 2022 16:30
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I have to say - I love your aesthetic/animation as well. And the color scheme. Did you reference older retro system palettes or did you come to this organically?
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Jan 11, 2022 16:34
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Captain Stalin posted:Popped it on my wishlist, I'm really glad you decided to take this further. Thanks! I think a lot of the "comedy" kinda writes itself and doesn't come from me too much - its just noticing the things people are doing right now irl and putting it in the game Good Soldier Svejk posted:I have to say - I love your aesthetic/animation as well. And the color scheme. Did you reference older retro system palettes or did you come to this organically? I like doing my work in limited pallets (4,8, or 16 color). I do a lot of my own palettes for games, but this one I was approaching more like a "game jam" and didn't have a plan - so I used the dawnbringer16 palette for simplicity. Turns out its always an amazing palette!
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Jan 12, 2022 03:33
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Coldrice posted:Where did this come from? Really impressive how far it's come in a few months, and as everyone's said the aesthetic is really neat
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Jan 12, 2022 19:08
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an actual frog posted:Straight onto the wishlist Thanks so much! I’m really kind of amazed how quickly it came together myself
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Jan 12, 2022 23:29
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Hey all, going to live stream some Covid Simulator testing at 1:30 pst (like 40 mins from now) https://twitch.tv/coldrice_dev
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Jan 16, 2022 21:50
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Updated to Version 18! I've added achievements, more dialogue, and a bunch of bug fixes. I'll have to admit, adding achievements is the first time it felt a bit morbid. Most of the humor is directed at the attitudes people have towards covid vs. covid itself, so felt strange to make goals related to catching covid. Got a few bits and bobs to finish before the launch NEXT WEEK, and considering I have no marketing plan my current plan is just to cold e-mail some streamers and news outlets.
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Jan 18, 2022 05:19
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I appreciate the Steve Yun selfie reference
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Jan 18, 2022 05:29
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