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Non spoiler WoT TLDR: Ep1 is decidedly meh. Ep2 is far, far better. And I haven't watched Ep3 yet. If there's one problem that looks like it's going to linger it's that the whole thing looks like Great Value LOTR trilogy I don't think there are any serious spoilers, but I'm not going to be too careful about obfuscation so... Ep1: Ep 2: And look at that, I managed to get through it without a single comparison to Game of Thrones. I should win a prize.

Wait, there are fans of Star Trek: Discovery?

Well yeah, but it wouldn't actually matter if the show population there was black, asian or indian so long as it was more or less consistent. The only thing they should have avoided for plot reasons was having the town look like a Bennetton advert, which of course they did because posturing > plotting. otoh (mild ep3 spoilers) (Ironically having the stereotypical 'woke' racial diversity quota in somewhere as isolated as the Two Rivers could only happen- in reality- if the races close to only bred within themselves. Not exactly what the typical adherent of wokeness would want to be implying And for anyone wondering why, apart from genetics the major factors are isolation and slow transportation speeds, and not having any disposable income. You'd get diversity in sea ports and major cities especially on major trade routes or rivers, small villages though would be little i inbred as anything and the vast majority of the population would live and die close to where they were born)

Is that your takeaway here, we can't expect Star Wars movies to be good because they're meant to be silly entertainment and we're not supposed to expect Star Trek to be intelligent because it's... wait, what? I'm sorry, I normally ignore you when you're pulling off a Hurlshot-defense of something, but:

A pulsing spell dealing Raw DMG is not rubbish in my opinion. It scales relatively nicely. Sure it's not the strongest spell but I've used it to great effect against Jadaferlas for example: Get surrounded by a barrier of magma oozes so Jada cannot reach you and just paces around like an angry lizard. Get your buffs and some healing going or BDD/Final Stand and cast Wall of Draining on the oozes to crit like crazy. Slowly kill Jada with Chillfog, Malignant Cloud, all the pulsing spells you want while chilling with the oozes and replenishing spells with Blood Sacrifice.

On that note, I will addend this with a quote from Hyman G. Rickover, which is displayed on a plaque in (funnily enough) Rickover Hall at Annapolis:

This is why I try to not care about adaptations, there is a very good chance they will be massive disappointments and massive disappointment is bad. Between majestic taking weekly psychic damage and you getting a disappointment 25 years in the making, apathy seems vindicated. But watch me come in here tomorrow to rage over Cowboy Bebop lmao. Maybe this is Hurlsnot hating something that is good? Thus proving his taste is an inversion of yours.

I gave up before the STD S3 finale, and you just feel so much better for it. I certainly can appreciate the, er, dedication that goes into continuing, and the fact that that post has more care and thought put into it than the writers and producers put into the actual product. Indeed, probably more than they put into the entire season of product if not the entire series. Gotta admit I outright loled at that bridge scene pic. Looks like a screen capture from a 2009 video game done in the style of the Wing Commander 2/ Privateer cinematics. Forum software must be paid by Paramount since it won't let me quote it and it won't even do a fresh embed (unless it's the wysiwyg going bonkers), and that's a terrible shame. https://imgur.com/OTEAXrh

... our response to senator kennedy and any republican (or anybody else for that matter) not condemning the politician from louisiana this day:

There is only one way out..... Unsubscribe from the service streaming Star Trek binge watch something so strange that it reveals to you that Stat Trek Discovery was an elaborate hoax by RLM to get viewers. It's what I did.

They are part of the original game. It's kind of an in-game achievement system. You can't have those points in your first playthrough though. You collect them while solving quests, exploring etc. for the first time. I was part of the team that made the Community Patch. It's kind of both. There are a lot of bug fixes, but also some minor tweaks of balance - including slight buffs and also nerfs to certain abilities. "How the devs intended" is a nice approach on paper, but the devs often didn't implement things how they intended them to work. Then the official patch cycle ended and devs couldn't work on the game anymore. So a small group of forum users here with significant playing time (I guess between 6 to 7K hours combined...) got together and discussed what changes would be reasonable and enchance the experience - without silly power creep. The patch also contains a rework of keywords (abilites get tagged with keywords so they work properly - for example fire spells get tagged with "fire" so they can be countered with spells that are tagged with "frost" and so on...) which were messed up a bit in the vanilla game. It also contains unique icons for every passive ability in the game. The vanilla game only had a few icons that were reused over an over for all passives - and it was quite confusing to see all the same icons for different passive abilities at level-up. Those new icons were my doing. The Patch is segmented into modules so you can decide which changes you would like and which not (for example only use basic bugfixes and the icons): https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/335 In addition to that it's very easy to deactivate every change manually since every change was done with a separate file. So deleting a mod file will remove that change you don't like. I personally think the game is better with the Community Patch and at the same time I also believe that the devs would agree. In addition to the Community Patch I would also recommend the mod Enhanced User Interface. It is a pure UI mod that only adds more auto-generated tooltips (hover over certains terms to show more info) that are unobtrusive but really helpful, especially for new players. It doesn't change the mechanics of the game.

Not really referring to things like +2 Fire PL on the unique battleaxe and such. More like: Kitchen Stove reload bonus also applies to your other hand (but only if you don't upgrade the reload speed enchantment) Blightheart phrase refund works with any sort of kill, not necessarily with the weapon Engolio de Espers on kill effect also triggers on any sort of kill Crossbow hit to crit bonus is universal Anything else I'm missing?

the easier to find target is a single destructible (barrel, sigil, the first encounter in kazuwari arena is the ideal place to get the inspirations back...) if your spell can be single target (e.g. chanter Her Revenge Swept Across the Land, but you need brilliant to have her revenge available out of combat, at least with a multiclass), if you have to use a bigger area spell (I am sure storm of holy fire works, I don't remember about great maelstrom) I guess just pay more attention to not harm alive things around.

Yeah, I'll get to trying it out...eventually. Once Sakura and Samurai Champloo is done, I think the one I want to get to next is actually Serial Experiments Lain, but there's also Future Boy Conan which just came out...ergh, there's just too much stuff.

You know, we should, uh, try something once you're done with Samurai Shampoo. We could kill reality together. I'll try Samurai Conditioner and you'll have your alter ego check out K-On!. That also reminds me that I still have Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop open.

I love the books, read them a couple of times. Although I can understand that it's not your cup of tea.

Having played Deadfire first, I found wizards unbearable in the first game. I hated having to actually aim my spells, e.g. leading the target. There's no CC called "shocking" by the way. Rolling Flame prones like Knock Down, and certain spells may stun or paralyze. Many spells interrupt on crit.

Only the dagger itself unfortunately, tested with a dualwield spellblade

Not that clever, I'm afraid. The full name is Hiroshi Jinkawa, a name pulled directly from the human characters in GODZILLA VS MEGALON. The character, played by Yutaka Hayashi, was the friend of Goro Ibuki, inventor of Jet Jaguar.

No doubt Venombloom is stronger. It lasts much longer, comes with 2 pulsing afflictions, each attack component targets different defenses and not just FORT. All its components benefit from Helm of the White Void. But Venombloom is also Tier 6 while Malignant Cloud is Tier 5. Quantity can trump quality in certain situations. A Blood Mage with some healing or cannot-die ability going can spam and stack Malignant Cloud all day, which as I wrote is enough with a bit of patience to kill Jadaferlas on upscaled PotD. Druid only has 2 Venombloom casts by default. Finally, both will interact very nicely with Combusting Wounds and other pulsing spells.

Komi Can't Communicate with Hououin Kyouma. It was better than last week. I think the show works as something light to watch that I'm not terribly invested in.

In turn based mode, every spell has a cast time that is noted in the spell writeup. That's how long that it takes to cast. So, if a wizard had an initiative of 9, as an example, and cast a spell with a cast time of 4, it resolves on 13. That is likely something you already know. Now, there is no upper cap for a round's times. The round ends when the slowest person finishes. So, if the wizard above goes at 9, and all the other party members have gone, and the last enemy goes at 11, the spell will resolve at 2 the next round. This is something the player can track on the initiative list that is provided. You will see exactly when the spell resolves. But, in many cases, the wizard in this example will get to act again in that same round. Here's why. In a typical D&D type game, initiative is rolled every round. In Pillars it is not. It is random on the first round, but after that it is based on three things: armor, the action taken, and the characters Dexterity adjustment. While Dexterity does not have the impact it does in RTwP, it still does play in. A lightly armored character with fast attacks - a dagger rogue for instance - will always be neat the top of the turn order. A low dex, high armored character tends to be low, which can be great for a priest since heal spells tend to be instant or fast cast, so an end of round heal lets you send it where you need it. With a melee character, the game resolves the attack, does the 'when does the person go next' calculation, and sets it up for the next round. For a caster, that is done when spell resolution happens, but, as the character does not have an action /in the current round/, if that 'when do I go next' comes up before the end point of the current round, they get an action in that round. As an example, I've had many times where Xoti has had a low round 1 init and gone last, cast a CT1 heal which goes off at 1 in round 2, and she gets another action at 3ish in round 2. The only time that you would miss a whole round is if the caster goes close to last and casts a long cast time spell when the party and the enemy are all very fast. It should not happen often. As for knockdown, it might look nice, but is much more effective in RTwP. In TB, it basically does nothing on it's own. It doesn't change init, it doesn't cost an action to get up. It doesn't take away an attack. Sometimes, if you knockback with knockdown, and then move away, it might take a guy his round to get back into melee range, and it can interrupt a cast of course. As far as spells being worth it? Yes. Spells are always powerful, it just takes some practice with them in TB to adjust to the way Pillars works in TB.

thats pretty nice of the game to warn me when and where i risk have my ass handed to me if max level is 20, wond doing dlcs 16 make me hit cap tooo soon? although with scaling shudent be a issue

Lover's Embrace: chance to apply Frenzy on Crit applies to all attacks and offensive abilities that can Crit.

It's very much the visual style that is derivative of the lotr movies. The plot and appearance of the Two Rivers is actually a lot less LOTResque than the source material. Anyway, WoT ep3- nested spoiler would be pretty big for a non book reader so be warned

Samurai Champloo, episode 16, possible major story spoilers:

Spencer is so good at making positive sounds that my worry becomes that he's in danger of being promoted outside the gaming division. The good PR may be all smoke and mirrors of course, but it kinda does show how it's really not that hard to look like a good guy compared to the industry standard. ...and it also shows how easily I could find myself being swayed by smooth words. I have to admit I sometimes have difficulty reconciling my position regarding the danger of growing monopolies in this space against outcomes that so far have been largely positive for me as a consumer.

All afflictions will give -5 to one stat (CON, DEX, PER, INT...) which will provide a -10 to the corresponding defense (FORT, REF, INT) and additional effects as you go up in affliction tiers.

As a herald there are many good helmets you can wear. My personal ranking is Champion's Helm > Horns of the Aurochs > Blackened Plate Helm > Heaven's Cacophony > Death's Maw. Usually the Horns should go to a damage dealer who can benefit more from it, while the Champion's Helm is more suitable for the main tank (your herald in your case).

Midnight Mass spoilers:

Probably because internet weirdos were harassing the developers at Hardsuit and they don't want to subject the new team to that. Also, we don't need to know that information. They can safely keep it secret until they have a release date to give us.

If you're saying it wasn't good, it must be apocalyptically bad, and for that reason, I am out. ...Isn't the innkeeper supposed to be skinny? Wait, maybe it depends on which innkeeper it is. Maybe the one I'm thinking of is much later, I remember Rand and...Perrin or Mat having a run-in with a not so great skinny innkeeper...never trust a skinny innkeeper, I recall.

For this very specific context, for this very specific phrase, I have fixed that for you, . I'm sorry, Hurlshot, but these constant "IT'S FOR THE KEEDS" defenses of stuff...there are things that are made for teens or even children older than 5 that we watch as adults for the first time and hold up well, or that we even unabashedly love. I'm pretty sure Discovery isn't even made for children or teens, it's just dog crap, that's all, and it's O.K. to call it like it is. Well, it's not okay for majestic who has OCD that forces him to continue looking at, smelling, and tasting the dog crap, but for the rest of us, it's O.K. Pour one out for @majestic, he's the real victim here.

Star Dreck: Venal Disease, Season 4, episode one. Opens with a very helpful reminder of how absolutely balls to the walls dumb the premise of last season was. 700 years in the future, the Federation was unable to find reliable alternatives to the warp drive that have been in use in various "25 years into the future" episodes throughout the entire run of the franchise, several alternatives to warp drives that were already pretty much reliable in the older shows, but hey, never mind. Been there, done that. IN AN INSTANT, THE BURN FLASHED ACROSS ALL KNOWN SPACE. Sure Michael. It's 700 years into the future. If you want the Federation to have fallen, then just do that. So many possibilities. Renewed tensions with the Klingons. A second war with the Dominion. A costly Borg invasion. Internal decay. Out of all the options in the galaxy to reach the point where they wanted to be, the writers sat in their writing room and came up with the dumbest excuse of a plot premise in the history of ever, and that includes Jar Jar Binks putting forth a motion that eventually changed the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Hell, Jar Jar is a better character than any of the people on this ship, and that's... ... Okay. *steps down from the soapbox* I'm 36 SECONDS into the episode at this point. 36 SECONDS. Hell. 50 seconds in: The reminder that THE BURN was caused by the scream of a uhm, whatshisface race name (I know it's Kelpien) child. I wonder if I'll get through the "Last season on Star Dreck: Worse than AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIDSSSSSSSSS" without suffering a stroke. NUMB ARM. NUMB ARM NARM NARM NARMM NARM NARM NARM. Oh, right, that numb nut Booker is still around too. Great to see Cyborg Whatsherface and the other people of the bridge crew that didn't get names until a couple of episodes back because why bother with worldbuilding. Spoilers from here on out, don't tell me I didn't warn ya. Can someone put me out of my misery please?

absence o' relative scale is also making us "city" maps misleading. show a map o' "chicago" rta which in reality is representing an area 'bout the size of 1/4 of england. illinois is 150k sq km. england is 130k sq. kilometers. most europeans we know has seen maps o' the US and they know it is big in terms o' the raw numbers, but once they live here or spend time traveling in the US they nevertheless express surprise 'bout the distances involved. even so, one thing we do miss 'bout having gone to school and having lived in the bay area is bart, and bart is hardly perfect or even great. the thing is, decent public transportation in a nation as large as the US is expensive. the interstate highways system in 2019 dollars were $530 billion and is widely considered one o' the better investments evar by the fed. talk 'bout costs o' infrastructure is reasonable and is no need to spend foolish or excessive, but often such complaints 'bout costs is painful myopic. tax cuts for the rich (regan and trump) as well as automaker and bank bailouts (obama) are known to be costly and do not result in long term benefits. infrastructure investment, on the other hand, as were the case with land grant universities and the aforementioned interstate highway system, do result in long-term benefits which marked outweigh costs. 'course poor spent infrastructure dollars benefits nobody. HA! Good Fun!

Or both. Some folks have been spreading rumors about the return of that fake Trek show that had so many folks scared.

I hate timers as well. They always make me panicky and then I rush through things being afraid that I'll fail, but then when I finish I always wonder what I missed by rushing through.

Komi can’t communicate new episode thingy: Hououin Kyoma has a guest role, aside from that it was not nearly as terribad as the last one. Either my brain suffered severe damage last time or this was a better episode than the last three.

Almost done re-reading Eye of the World in preparation for the TV show. It is amazing how little I remember from when I read it 25 years ago. Is the first season somewhat in-line with the first book, or do I need to read the 2nd book as well? It is also amazing how much harder it is to read these massive books now that I'm older. I am lucky if I can get 15 minutes to read without an interruption or falling asleep.

Clickbait title, but an interesting watch.

More Bloodborne yesterday. Finished the Living Failures - wasn't really good, wasn't really bad. Made it through the fight with barely any hitpoints left. Did Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower right after and man, that is probably one of the most fun battles I had recently. Really nice, and I was actually sad to finish this one, because I really like to replay it. Also, awesome new clothes, probably going to roll with them till the end of the game now.

I agree, Soulblade is best melee cipher builds, and there's a nice synergy with rogue since Soul Annihilation benefits from sneak attack/death blows. Assassin is also great; with backstab and the assassinate bonus your Soul Annihilation attacks will live up to their name, and one shot pretty much any foe aside from bosses. Also, if you use Whispers of the Endless Paths the once/encounter ability Run Through is devastating when used from stealth/invisibility.

At least you own Titan Quest 4. Nobody else does.