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I have been reading some topwar.ru site and comments on it and its hilarious and chilling at the same time. These people are nuts. They are so stuck in the past its unbelievable. And they are delusional as well. If anyone wants to have insight into Russian mind I tell you go there and use google translate. The crap you can read there is mindblowing. I don't know if I should be angry at them or pity them

Sheesh, these guys just keep falling off things. https://www.newsweek.com/putins-key-man-artic-found-dead-after-falling-overboard-1742218

Russian soldiers handling ammunition. Note: male life expectancy in Russia has traditionally been very short.

Yup, this is the biggest part of the disaster for RU forces in the east right now: that their forces are abandoning most heavy equipment in their frenzy to escape UA encirclement. Tanks, IFVs, artillery, rocket launchers, SAMs, everything being abandoned as they flee, which is not only a boon to the UA but also will make it very difficult for Russia to reconstitute new units from the remnants of their defeated forces. Bad enough they're deploying reserve units with untrained conscripts, now those conscripts will not have decent equipment either even while the equipment of the UA is only getting better and better.

According to US defense sources, the UA is operationally using only five tactical brigade groups in their offensive in the east. And they confirm that US Special Operations Command is relaying tactical battlefield intel on the Russians in real-time to the UA. So this is why my guess is the US saw the redeployment of RU forces from Khar'kiv to Kherson (which included RU spetsnaz and airborne units which are the last remaining Tier 1 RU units), and gave UA real-time intel on exactly where to attack on the eastern front. The UA in turn has been excellent in acting very fast on the intel they're receiving, and being able to make very rapid battlefield changes to their attack plans, because the US is literally telling them in real-time exactly where RU units are located and the strength of those RU units. Furthermore, read this article about how awesome the triple-7 has been in UA hands; way more of a game-changer than the much-more widely discussed HiMARS systems. The UA is now in the position of teaching us and NATO how to effectively fight a modern conventional war in an urban setting. https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-m777-is-deadly-in-ukrainian-hands-but-even-deadlier-in-americas/

I edited the post : killing the character under Refuge and resurecting him cause the paralysed status to disappears but the untargetable effect last for the duration. It is a per-combat Martyr's Memories or all-classes Temporal Cocoon now !

That did not take very long 🤷‍♂️

Yeah, I did Solasta as a bunch of ~2 hour co-op sessions, and its length was about right for that. The campaign is utterly perfunctory, but I guess that's the intention, sort of a showcase for the faithful engine they've created. Feels like NWN's relationship with its campaign really.

According to Goldman Sachs EU gas prices have already peaked. Pretty surprising as the EU discussions on market intervention are not going terribly well.

Yeah, it's actually easy. For instance, if you simply combine Putin with a Hitlerian hysteria and sense of impending personal demise, you'd have a pretty awful leader without any reservations about killing everyone everywhere. Of course it's uncertain whether such a person were stable enough to end up as a leader. (Well, Caligula would suggest that stability is not necessary.) Realistically speaking, someone like Patrusev would appear to be even worse than Putin, though it's debatable whether he'd qualify as "much worse", and I hope we don't get to find out.

I mean who the hell use word 'propagandist' about their own 'journalists' unironically and think its a good thing? They use phrases like 'military-political'. One guy in one sentence called people of Ukraine nazis and called for holocaust. You just can't make that $hit up! No wonder 1984 is banned in russia, double-speak and double-think is so strong in them

You know, after seeing videos like that, maybe those exploding depots deep in russian occupied territory really weren't attacks by Ukraine after all.

Look at the history of Russia. You will find almost nothing that suggests things will change for the better. There have been two very brief glimpses of light in Russia, the most recent of which was about 30 years ago and lasted but a moment.

I was thinking along those same lines. But then, should this spread enough, there are not going to be enough bombs, so things may change. Let us have some hope for that. Zelensky's rethoric is fairly strong, and not bad at all, in his latest "address" to Russia: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/12/europe/zelensky-message-kharkiv-russia-ukraine-intl/index.html

Approximate cost of captured/destroyed Russian equipment during 1 week long Kharkiv offensive is estimated by Forbes at almost 700 million USD. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/09/12/7367169/

LOL! Cannot resist the call of D&D. 😛 I even backed this game on Kickstarter. But it is definitely a case of loving it in spite of it being TB. I think that for 5e D&D, TB combat is tolerable because it can work well when done properly, as TA has done with Solasta. It's quite amazing, though, that a tiny developer like TA, using Kickstarter funds, has done a waaaaaaaaay better job of creating a decent combat system than Larian has done with BG3.

About me: Hey everyone, before I ask about the build I just wanted to tell a bit about me so you all can have an idea before you suggest something. I have always played RP games but I used to be obsessed with graphics so those were never old, or isometric games. But recently I wanted to get into that isometric part of RP games and I have always wanted to try PoE out, so my time has come. After trying out some classes I felt close to Cipher since Edér is the coolest guy and he can tank very well, I didn't want to be tank myself and include Edér. Also Aloth, his lore is so high and he is a good wizard so I didn't want that either. So since I am gonna be able to use weapons + spells on one character, now I am going Ranged Cipher. Here is the build so far: Build Class: Cipher ATRB: MIG: 12 - CON: 10 - DEX: 14 - PER: 16 - INT: 16 - RES: 10 | Since I am new to this kind of RPGs, I didn't want to min max. Race: Death Godlike | Just because I like that more damage to lower health enemies, also they look cool! Culture and Background: The Living Lands - The one that gives Mechanics and Stealth, I don't remember it I am sorry! Playstyle and Party that I want to go with: So since I don't have that much knowledge, this section might be cringe for some of y'all to read. I am planning to have 2 tanks, 2 melee damage dealers, one wizard and me. The fights I want to get the agro to the tanks then let the melee damage dealers do hit and run while wizard is dealing AoE from back and I am dealing damage with bow and using crowd control spells from back. Would this work, is this a good party formation? Weapons and Armor: Since I don't know the game I really don't have any idea about these, but since I am planning my tanks to tank everything I want to go with light armor. And for the weapons, I wanna use bows most of the time. But if I find a better enchanted firearm, I am gonna go with that. But, mostly bows. Final words: That's pretty much it, thank you all already for the replies I am gonna get!

^ I don't think they were any worse/better re: outside noise than today's earbuds or over-ear small headphones. You won't notice your A/C or fans, planes going overhead, general traffic noise, or maybe your husband quietly going "Hey" in the doorway until he starts semi-shouting, but yeah, the chaos level movies would have you believe is silly. Not to mention those usually also have physical wall/floor vibration stuff likely going on. I liked John Wick series but that one scene where they're shooting at each other with movie-level silenced guns in the middle of a shopping mall, where people a few feet from them didn't notice, was hilarious. Not being able to consciously hear even minor noises is the reason I don't like headphones in public. Don't know how ppl go around with them all the time like that. I'd be worried about not hearing the mugger, bicyclist saying "to your left", traffic, all of that. >.>

Aren't the headphones like $10 hunks of garbage that would be physically incapable of muting outside noise unless you can turn them up to like 110db? Visible full ear-covering headphones would probably make it a lot more clear to someone not familiar with the idea (...and it would be at least a little more realistic). Still, it's a silly movie cliche that I'm surprised anyone would have trouble picking up. Cellphones are pretty terrible for dramatic cinema and atmosphere, in all fairness. That's why whenever I wander the streets late at night, I make sure to not have my phone on me...you know, for the suspense, .

Currently leaning toward giving a little buff to evasive fire, but not as much as in version 1.0 of the game (where it dealt 20-36 damages) So I intend to make it 15-20 -> 20-25 damages And also 7 PEN -> 9 PEN so it would be more reliable. So the cap is below version 1.0, but slightly more consitent vs high AR. Flurry of Blades seems a bit underwhelming for a Tier VIII, even with the Shadow Step boost to 2 Guiles and 8s Paralysis. The AoE is only 1.5m radius and it has 5 PEN. I plan to give 5 PEN -> 7 PEN and 14-28 -> 25-35 damages. The benchmark here is Spirit Tornado and its instant 14-20 damages for 1 Rage, for 3 ability points and with other side effects.

To be a fly on the wall when they were pitching the idea for Primal...

It's probably more or less the same intended demographic as Vampire Princess Miyu, which is...what, young teenaged girls who want at least a little thought and feeling infused into their action and mystery? Neither Vampire Princess Miyu or Noir are the deepest of shows, but they are tonally serious and at least are trying. From the way you described the beach scene, I was expecting it to be questionable; I thought it was perfectly tasteful and served a pretty clear purpose in illustrating some differences between them. Yeah, it's a swimsuit, but there was pretty clearly very little male gaze with how they presented her. P.S. After four episodes, I've begun to look forward to the intro song, .

So that's where my boss got that motto from.

Er...that's the line where he slaps Gunsel, IIRC. Have I misremembered? EDIT: I haven't gone completely out of my mind, yet. But its Cairo, not Gunsel/Wilmer, he slaps

With the current armament, the Kerch bridge would be in range only from deoccupied Crimea. Namely Primorsky city is the furthest one from where it would be reachable.

Shouldn't be, with the missiles most people think they have, the bridge wouldn't even be in range from Sevastapol, and Putin's palace is 130 km further away.

Solasta is not a long game and quite comfortable to play in short sessions. I completed it some time ago without DLCs. I can't quite point out why, but the game was extremely nice and comfortable to play, unlike DOS1-2 (it could be the lack of "lol, gotha" moments, precise controls, expressive visuals, meaningful loot and crafting?). Though, its main quest line was somehow linear. Wasteland 3. Replayed the first mission trice while testing the PCs. Ended up with a melee fighter and a sniper. For some reason I have the feeling that the Patriarch's children are going to die.

Oooh, didn't know it was that good as a "damage sponge". Thank you for the heads up. I might just stick with it for now then (since, the game comes with built in cheat mode in for of respec of everything short of gender iirc). I might down the line consider bulwark and boar, but honestly, he looks just awesome on a triceratops 😂 I'll keep my dino as a wrecker until such a time where I feel like it needs more help staying alive 👍 It's all a thematic thing after all, a reckless, raging, chaotic barbarian on a wrecking mount and inspiring ferocity in his party members (envision Ember on fire, charging at the enemy while yelling "Murder death kill! Murder death kill!")

Navalny is also a Russian nationalist, but I think some of his “nationalism and racism” could be attributed to the similar Russian rhetorics, as they are using against Ukraine. …yada, yada, Ukraine, yada, nazi, yada, special military operation… But I have seen at least one article about him on Washington Post, where he was quoted speaking very dirty about Georgians…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/11/putin-loyalist-kadyrov-criticises-russian-armys-performance-over-ukraine-retreat When Putin loyalists like the criminal autocrat Ramzan Kadyrov criticize you know you have a problem

Solo is an official game mode that you have to choose from the game menu before starting a playthrough. It prevents you from adding somebody to the party but you can still meet Edér and talk to him. Once you both land on the beaches of Maje Island you can kill him and he will drop his gear, including the Saint's Armor. No need to do it before then. If you kill him during the ship fight he will be gone but drop no loot. I never tried to kill him right after waking up on he ship - but as I said you don't need to. if you don't activate the solo mode you can still play solo of course (by not adding somebody to your party or just removing them manually) - but it's not "officially" recognized as a solo run (for the sake of achievements for example). If you want to kill a party member you have to knock them out four times to they get more than 3 injuries. This will kill them permenently. But in order to ge the gear you can simply take it from them in the inventory screen and then remove them from the party roster the normal way. No need for killing then. In solo mode the is no alternative to killing Edér (or get him killed by luring several boars to him maybe?) in order to get the Saint's War Armor.

Speaking about hilarious stuff in Russia, there is one about that ferris wheel. Two Russian hacking groups have claimed responsibility and demand repercussions at Russian government for the failed defence of Kharkiv Oblast, else they would destroy it 😄 And believe me, if there is someone ****posting some Russian doing utterly stupid and hilarious things, it’s most likely truth 🤣 Like this one

The end to Putins War will be accelerated by this type of real dire economic news about the Russian economy and the military successes we all witnessed around the Kherson\Kharvic offensives. https://www.businesslend.com/news/russias-budget-surplus-evaporates-as-energy-revenues-shrink/

It does - but probably not for anyone who has not seen Noir. It certainly is a strange beast, a blend of things that usually do not blend together all that much. Bee Train was founded to allow artists to create anime free from regular studio constraints, and if Noir is anything to go by, they succeeded. It certainly is an attempt at making the action scenes be more than just cool action. I'm not sure why it is all bloodless, it would add some more gravity to scenes that are meant to be more artistic than awesome, even though some of the kills certainly are meant to be both. Also, indeed, some of the scenes are just ludicrous, like Mireille being able to mow down the entire army squad. Funny how I'd probably be complaining about the series instead of liking it if a few of the elements were just a bit different. Case in point, this episode's beach scene. Mireille's beach outfit is probably even more suggestive than most in anime, but it's perfectly in character for her, and the juxtaposition with Kirika next to her just made it different enough. Plus, it made me laugh. Not sure if that was intentional, but probably. It's just too ridiculous to not be meant to be funny at least at some level. I fear the critics weren't wrong this time around, the pacing of the show certainly is glacial - borderline problematic even, perhaps. The next episode moves forward a bit (very little in terms of the plotline, but for the characters). Well, that's easy, they are Noir. Mireille is particularily mum about using names when talking to Kirika, which is probably just a fake identity anyway. Took me a while to remember their names too. It also doesn't help that Mireille is just called Meruru in the few instances Kirika uses her name. Learning more about the characters is apprently intertwined with their connection to whatever the storyline is going to be, so that's probably still going to be a couple of episodes. It sure is a strange one. I have even less of an idea who the intended audience for Noir was than I had for The Vision of Escaflowne. The latter was the result of a shoujo-retooling of a shounen mech series, but this one was probably fully intentional.

According to one newspaper in Slovakia, there is information, that 84 deputies already signed the demand for Putin’s resignation. As much I would like to believe it, this newspaper is in my eyes not amongst the most credible one. So we’ll see. Would be big breakthrough if that would be true…

People are also not aware, that currently the most blame for ****ed up invasion, is on the shoulders of Shoigu. Putin already works on getting out of blame for this. So unless there will be more than these 18 deputies, he might still be save. That could also change with the fall of Kherson, because as kanisatha has mentioned, the most elite Russian forces and a lot of FSB is stationed there.

What an interesting read, amazing how effective the m777 is. Clever weaponry and a godsend in the war in Ukraine

And therein lies the biggest problem: there is no democratic movement or even a semblance of it behind Putin, just waiting for its opportunity to rise. There's likely to be a power struggle which could go all the way up to civil war. The nature of the power struggle is likely to be dictated, at least to some extent, by the way Putin falls (and I don't mean whether it's from the 3rd floor or the 4th). But then, Putin hasn't fallen. The implosion of his regime could be quick, though. Let's see.

I must say this was a tempting comment, in the sense that maybe I should give it a try. But then, with family, work, and all the rest of it, maybe it's a no.

I thought they were able to focus it now. I'll have to go look it up.

Ran into a dragon on the road in what felt like a not so random encounter. I wonder if that was linked to Greybors companion quest 🤔 It sent Camellia to “deaths door” but otherwise decided it was better to flap away and fight some other day when I started hurting it. I think I’m getting hang of the crusade management. It really is a bit like playing the old HoMM 😎

Eh, a benefit of making a niche product for a narrow audience, rather then AAA product that is meant to appeal to as wide demographic as possible without fully satisfying none.

Was the second post of the thread and what at least some of us were already responding to, .

I guess somewhat related to all of this https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1569487694077771776

Just learned that I can rest at the Commander’s Court, so I didn’t need to reload. It’s ok, though. I cleaned most of the enemy armies north of the Lake Lost to the Sun. Setsuna is level 7 now, he got Fireball, a +xp feat and extra energy. Btw, how does experience work in the Crusade battles? Should I kill the enemy units with my units to gain xp or can I destroy them with the Fire spell? Does it make any difference? Wintersun. Thanks for the tips. My character has strength 10, so I'm not planning on picking Intimidating Prowess for now. She fights with Rapiers and has weapon finesse, with a base dexterity of 16, but who knows, eventually she may equip a different belt and then things will change.

also the wizards are quite good if not quite the right style

do some variations on the orlan art! can you feed it multiples at once for one set of output? just to help guide it a bit? also lol:

It did a pretty good job on the Percy Gang. 👍 Should be useful for generating more portraits for certain PoE-exclusive races maybe (like Aumaua, Orlan, Godlikes)?

My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to respec a bit to try out a few different things. My barbarian is now truly living on the edge of the chaotic life, embracing the "Mad Dog" archetype, riding a (wrecker) triceratops. I remembered to put some stat points in INT for the Trickster path, but mostly just STR and CON (and the leftover in INT). Picked some nice feats like limitless rage and reckless rage (and the one that shares my rage with my team so we're all going to be raging barbarians). It was a bit of a toss up between a skald or a vivisectionist level for now (level 10). In the end, I did like the mutagen better (i.e. vivisectionist). I might try the skald later tonight and see how that pans out. Also ran into a skeleton merchant a few times as a random encounter. Bought a few nice things for the team.

14/15 "The Statue of Eothas & Statue of Liberty will never be ballin—" EDIT: Part 2