In DA2's defence, the game went from concept to release in 16 months. With a development cycle that fast, it's a miracle it was even playable; I wouldn't call its rampant copy-pasting "lazy". I'd call it many bad things, because that game had tons of problems, but that's what happens when the beancounters have an unexpected success and want to capitalize on it yesterday.

instead of just playing the game as intended.

I feel like you just unwittingly hit on the problem many series veterans have been having.

People are approaching bosses in Elden Ring like they're Dark Souls bosses, and in my thousands of hours across the series, the only bosses I summon help for is Sister Friede and the Demon Twins. Everyone else I was eventually able to defeat on my own, because that's how they were balanced.

But in Elden Ring, you have the open world to grind in and Spirit Ashes and crazy weapon arts that are far beyond any that were in Dark Souls 3, and the bosses are balanced around these things. It's harder to make a good guess at how powerful a player is at any given time in Elden Ring, so in order to counter the player's bullshit, the bosses need bullshit of their own.

This, naturally, throws a wrench into the plans of veterans who are used to bosses that are tough but fair and approaching them in that manner. They then promptly get their shit pushed in because they aren't using the things the encounters are balanced around having simply because they didn't used to need them.

It makes the bosses binary. Either you get your ass kicked, or you summon help, use a Mimic Tear, and run a train on them. They're either frustrating or boring, and fights that are frustrating or boring just aren't fun. I'm not having fun getting comboed to death or just pelting the boss with spells while my goons beat them up.

The magic is gone. Bosses used to be the highlight of Souls games, and now I just want them to be over.

Mages are really nerfed despite the story saying they're super powerful and dangerous.

This is kinda selling mages in the setting short.

Magic in this setting is basically the same as it is in Warhammer 40k: mages get their power from an alternate dream dimension that is also where demons reside, they can spontaneously explode and/or summon demons if they're not careful, and they're heavily regulated/repressed. Rogue mages are hunted down and killed by Templars, and everyone else is mostly confined to wizard towers that double as prison camps.

It never comes across in gameplay, but mages and how they're treated are major plot points in all three games.

More rope to hang himself with...I hope.

We'll find out in a little over two weeks.

The only time it was challenging was back when AI factions had a hate boner for the player and ONLY the player. Like how they would leave their settlements undefended to march halfway across the map, through territory belonging to a faction they were at war with just to sack the player's settlements.

I just hope and pray that when Gabe Newell decides to retire, he hands the reins for Valve off to someone like-minded.

A huge part of the reason PC gamers have it so good is because GabeN refuses to sell Valve (and by extension, Steam) and also wants to deliver the best product possible. He's content with merely making lots of money, instead of trying to squeeze every last cent out of Steam at the storefronts expense.

God, I love this image.

Matthew 7:15-20

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

In my experience, people who make a big deal out of their philanthropy are typically doing it to compensate for some other moral deficiency.

What really started to bother me was when he started to make a game out of his giveaways, like "Last person to stop touching the Lamborghini gets to keep it!" and things like that. It just feels wrong, and I can't quite explain why.

I hope I'm wrong, and so far there is no evidence he's a secret dickhead, but something about him seems off.

old.reddit is probably going to be on the chopping block, too. I only go for niche communities these days, but I'm gone for good once old.reddit is gone.

There's compelling arguments either way. On one hand, this is a pretty naked attempt to hit at China and control the flow of the US government's desired information.

On the other hand, the legislation isn't technically a ban, but a forced divestment of a corporate asset. The power of the government to force the breakup, dissolution, or divestment of corporate entities is the basis of US antitrust law, and is well established.

It's an interesting case.

If I'm Judge Merchan, I'd cite Trump's naked attempts to intimidate the jury, witnesses, and the judge (as well as multiple violations of his gag order) as an excuse to throw the book at him.

I'd point out that all Trump had to do to get a slap on the wrist was keep his mouth shut, because it's my understanding that most people convicted of falsifying business documents don't get jail time; they usually just get fined, get some community service, maybe probation if it's bad. Most first-time defendants characterize this crime as an innocent mistake and behave accordingly, but Trump and his ego had to run his mouth.

I do really like Robert Evans, but this is something I wholeheartedly disagree with. Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo could definitely happen, but I think it's far more likely that we'll see an American version of The Troubles. I don't think there are enough people who would truly be willing to fight and die over this; but there's plenty of people willing to commit terrorist bombings or acts of sabotage if they think they can get away with it.

People in the know understand how shitty Facebook is, but at the very least, they're a private company. ByteDance is Chinese, and there's very little separation between Chinese companies and the Chinese government.

So, for all intents and purposes, it comes down to a company spying on you vs. a foreign government spying on you. They're both invading your privacy, but for different nefarious reasons.

Honestly, this is just across the board in hospitality. I could totally see this happening at at any of the three hotels I worked at, and these were Mariott and Hilton properties.

Hospitality is such a toxic industry, the only people who can really survive and thrive in this environment are power-tripping psychos and workaholics.

My company doesn't pay out for unused PTO, so my boss will periodically (but more often towards the end of the year) tell us to use our vacation days if we still have some. He'll even call us and basically beg us to use them if we still have some in October.

I used to feel bad about calling out or taking PTO when I worked hospitality, because I knew that if I wasn't there, someone else had to fill in. Now I do warranty repairs for major PC manufacturers, so if I call out or take PTO, some clients might be annoyed, but I'm not inconveniencing any of my coworkers. It helps that my boss is awesome and encourages us to use it or call in if we don't feel well.

As an Arkansan, I can assure you that anything with Tom Cotton's name on it is 100% undiluted evil and should be acted against with extreme prejudice.

Honestly, it'll probably wind up becoming an American version of The Troubles. Republicans are cowards, and I doubt there are very many who are truly willing to fight and die for their cause. However, there are plenty of people willing to commit terrorist bombings and acts of sabotage if they think they can get away with it, and the US is huge. There are still plenty of places to hide if that's the case.

And if Trump wins reelection, I can't imagine many blue states putting up with it, and the same thing will happen from the opposite direction.

I just want a hug. More than anything else, I just want someone outside of my family to find me desirable and want to spend their time with me.

The sex can come later. I don't even really want the sex. It's that physical intimacy that I want. Someone who will just give me hugs without me worring about whether or not I'm making them uncomfortable.

I imagine this is only for consumer-grade printers. HP's business-class devices are usually purchased under a contract.

No, we're not fine with being unbelievably screwed, but the ruling class has decided that this will be normal, so we might as well make dark jokes about it while we scream into the void.

I'm one of those who doesn't get the praise.

It's probably just me, but I've always felt like if you're not going to hold the player's hand, then it's important to be intuitive. DOS2...is anything BUT intuitive; not only is the game open-ended, the way forward isn't always clear. Some early fights are difficult enough that you might assume it's a beef gate, when it's actually required to proceed and you just need to cheese it.

For me, it might be because the RPG mechanics aren't familiar to me. I picked up Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous and fuckin' loved both of those games, but Pathfinder is a game system I'm familiar with. Maybe since Baldur's Gate 3 uses a variant of 5th edition D&D, it'll click for me.

...Sherman didn't burn them enough.

I've been getting a lot of mileage from this.

Honestly, I don't know what Jack Dorsey is waiting for. The instant Bluesky leaves its closed beta, basically everyone on Twitter is gonna jump ship, and Twitter's transformation into Truth Social 2.0 will be complete.

The iron has been hot for a long while. What's he waiting for?

Let's not forget Goth IHOP.

As always, I have no issue with the Russian people, regardless of my (very poor) opinion of the Russian government.

We're all in this together. Innocent people were killed; everyone should mourn the murder of people who are just trying to live their lives.

yes let us blame trucks not the $7.50 minimum wage and the inflation and what have yous

¿Por qué no los dos?

_I amar prestar aen._

The world is changed.

_Han matho ne nen._

I feel it in the water.

_Han mathon ned cae._

I feel it in the earth.

_A han noston ned gwilith._

I smell it in the air.

Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.

Every day is "Shut the Fuck Up Friday."

shrug

I already assumed I'm being monitored on my work devices, and write my emails and chats like they're going to be used in a deposition.

If I'm shit-talking someone, it's in person or on my personal device.

Deprogramming them is going to be a decades-long process, and it can only begin when we break the far-right's media machine. Cable news and political talk radio is the cancer that is killing this country, and cutting it out is a tall order. But it must be done; it's going to take a long time to rehabilitate those who have been consuming the brain poison for 30+ years.

Do it.

See what happens.

Thing is, all the other major manufacturers are just as bad or worse.

As a PC technician, HP still somehow has the best service and support, which speaks volumes about how bad everyone else is. Dell's support tools are a generation behind HP's, and Lenovo's build quality is atrocious. Not to mention Lenovo's technician support is so badly fragmented and poorly run, they default to having the customer send the device in for repair and avoid sending an on-site technician just so they can avoid dealing with technician support. Speaking from personal experience, getting to the right person when I have a problem or need to order additional parts is like pulling teeth, and even if I manage to reach someone, they're usually equal parts incompetent and unhelpful.

And Apple doesn't even want to service their stuff.

These days, you have to pick your poison.

If you sit in a hotel lobby long enough, most properties will eventually kick you out. You can usually get away with it during the day, but you'll start to stick out more the later in the day it gets. At night, the night auditor probably won't even let you in the front door.

Pretend like you belong there if you do need to hang out in a lobby for a while, and don't make a mess.

Source: am former FDA/night auditor.

...He did exist, there are actual historical records. The question is whether or not Jesus was divine and performing miracles.

English literature: "I will die for honor!"

French literature: "I will die for love!"

American literature: "I will die for freedom!"

Russian literature: "I will die."