LadyCrimson

That trailer for Vendir: any RPG that lets your chr/party run that fast across a map gets a bonus star from me. ...are there any upcoming visual fests coming this year? That aren't souls-like or online or the same basic survival tropes. ...I could use a Death Stranding 2, to be honest. For all its weirdness and faults, it was at least different.

I am pretty sure Death Stranding didn't used to have a "Very Hard" setting - it only went up to Hard. So that is what I am using, as well as staying in Offline playmode for a while (I might turn Online on about midway thru the game for some road building "help"). As I recall "Hard" largely made the rainfall more damaging to gear/structures and package containers, with enemies being slightly more spongey but I could still stun grenade and punch them into submission no problem. Very Hard seems to increase that package container damage speed even more, and just trekking 40 meters in the rain feels like I'm getting the red "YOUR CONTAINER, LADDER, PCC IS RUINED" message constantly. It's awesome! I wonder if I'll have to do something besides punch (or occasionally, sneak or lasso) the bandits, now. I don't think I ever used a gun type weapon at all, before.

Y'know, Death Stranding does look a little better on PC, especially if you have a good TV. It has a bit more of that "wow" factor at times, with all the darkish/moody scenes. But the PS4 version was still very good. The main difference is cutscenes on console have that slightly softer focus plus forced depth of field/vignetting, so only the center is in hard focus. So because of that you'll see more/sharper textures edge to edge, human wrinkles/pores etc. on PC throughout. The rest is quality of one's hardware/TV and the color/contrast and better graphic lighting differences such entrails. I mean I have direct screenshot comparisons and it's pretty close in some respects. I did the first trainer quest in the game, sat through cutscenes, the next trainer quest, sat through cutscenes. I forgot how long it takes time wise to actually reach the point where the initial long and frequent cutscenes stop and the game (you feel like you have more control) begins. >.> Of course I could've skipped them but it's been long enough I felt like watching them again as a reminder, plus to just see graphics. Apparently I still remember the paths/methods to entirely avoid all BT encounters tho. Like the first body furnace, if you sneak and go up to the roof of the building and go around, you can avoid having to try to run past them. And I remember there was a few big bad encounters in the game (big bizarre lion things) where I figured out if you ran to one side over some obstacles and got out of the "zone" really fast you didn't have to fight them. That was one reason I liked the game ... combat was usually optional. And why I didn't like those combat specific war scenarios. Anyway, I might be able to get into the game again. It's probably going to take a long time to finish it tho since I'll likely only play it an hour or two each time vs. all day long. Edit: oh, also, after the very start of the game felt slightly choppy in Director's Cut, I changed an nvidia setting - Low Latency Mode to Ultra - and the performance/fps seemed to smooth out. Not sure what that was about but it worked and it's holding 60fps native 98% of the time now, like before, vs. drifting constantly from 50-60. *shrug*

Speaking of 4k and TV's, hubby's 55" Samsung ...Q90 I think? (which they don't make anymore) that he uses as a work desktop survived the move to the new house. And then he broke it by accidentally mis-reaching/side-swiping a small plastic volume control box (about 2x2 inches) into the bottom of the TV's skinny frame. Where the thing made contact, a giant fat black line appeared, and the bottom inch or so of the screen is all funky too, making a taskbar unreadable. He was bummed for days. So, note, don't put volume controls (or remotes or anything of that nature) half a foot away from the bottom of a modern TV, in a spot where you may want to move it around a lot. Alternatively, don't have your TV on a floor stand that puts the bottom directly level with/practically sitting on the surface of your desk. Apparently those "near invisible" plastic frames (let alone the screen, ofc) can't handle any impact at all.

I randomly came across an episode of that Star Trek: Continues webseries. I had completely forgotten about it. I remember watching the first episode and sorta liking it, so I watched a few more episodes. Apparently there were ... 11 eventually made? I still sorta like it - it definitely is more in line with ToS then any "new" Treks have been and the cast/sets all look pretty good. The plots aren't bad either. And yet it's still just a little too weird without the original cast. I'm still of the mind that if I want a brief nostalgic dose of original Trek, I'll just watch ... the original Trek. I guess I'm one of those that doesn't really feel a need for constant new stories in the same 'verse forever and ever. In fact usually most series/IP's run on way too long. Hence why I'm not a fanfic writer.

I have a simple mind that doesn't mind some grind to improve characters performance efficiency and abilities. Or that long hunt for an item with near perfect stats or, er, a cute pet, or something, assuming I care about whatever it is. But I have limits to my patience for such, and my definition of "good enough" is reached long before the types who seem to spend 18 hrs a day to speed level/gear a chr. to uber meta/top ladder rankings in 3 days. >.> I was never going to grind Diablo2 for a Zod rune, for example. In D3, you can rank the best Gems to 150 I think. I will never get even close to that because you'd have to do Greater Rifts 150 or something and yeah...that is so not worth it, especially solo. There is zero point/goal to going past GRift 70, outside of bragging rights.

I don't even remember making this topic. Yeah, it's probably not a 4k thing, it's all those settings TV software likes to default to. TruMotion, RealCinema, "Motion Eye Care" (or whatever other brand-name names they give such), smoothing/noise/other "improvements". Back when I first saw early 4k's in stores I thought floor examples looked bizarre from the illusion of too much depth perception where everything looks hyper-focused but with this odd dimensional flatness. Get rid of all those kinds of settings and it goes back to ... not looking like that. All those settings seem to emulate a certain type of look - one that you could do/get decades ago before 4k (there's some episodes of Twilight Zone that remind me of the effect a little, can't recall the reason for the change there, filmingframe speed or something). Also, I still say our old plasma TV still has all LED/QLED/OLED/whateverLED beat in terms of contrast/brightness while not crushing dark vs. light in scenes. There are plenty of aspects to image quality/perception and visual "pop" that have nothing to do with screen resolution size. Edit: doesn't mean I'd give up my OLED at the moment tho. At least not vs. a non OLED, LED.

Another full day trying to farm D3 "Screams." This time I got 3, for a total of 4. So I finally tried the new arena challenge thingie. ---My seasonal character began it with: Paragon Level 328 and 3 main Legend Gems already at around 42 (GR 53). ---Ran around like a chicken in the arena. Felt like I was mostly running to avoid constant waves of overlapping/room filling AoE molten ground explosions with skellies/mages randomly attacking things and that kept me around for a bit. ---I did not find this scenario very fun. I didn't hate it or find it hard in a typical sense, but it wasn't fun either. ---I "failed" after about 3 or 3.5 minutes with a Rank 79 augment stone and XP boost to Paragon Level 346. So only 18 chr. lvls for that level of survival, but it was pretty easy to last long enough for that 80ish Augment Ranking. ---in solo offline play, highest level Gem augment I've done is maybe 64 or 65. If I got 26 Rank 70-85's it would be a moderate main stat boost on my two main offline chrs, but they can already do almost everything anyway so yeah ... no. Doesn't seem worth days of farming that many Screams. (edit - especially since I'd have to wait 3-4 months before I could use it them on offline chrs). I'll just use up the other 3 Screams I have and that's it.

Diablo3 Seasonal: So I buckled down today and played a while. Farm Nephalem Rifts for some keys, use those to farm Greater Rifts for leveling gems etc, but mostly hoping for those Petrified Screams. Repeat. Got a few helpful items along the way and blew through GRifts 25, 35, 45 (GR's don't get too hard until 60+). My chr level got to Paragon 200. No Scream. Finally at Paragon lvl 206, one dropped, I went "well, finally," and immediately closed the game without trying the new challenge, so I still don't know what it'll be like/whether it's worth it at all for a non-meta player like me. >.> I have a feeling you could play for 8+ hours and you might get 1-3 Screams. So despite the giant XP boost and an insta-Augment (that won't be high Ranking if you aren't uber build), since you still have to grind the Rifts forever (where you could/should be leveling gems each time anyway? at least if always solo) it kinda seems like you're adding to the grind vs. saving time. ...still, I'll try it, I'm just too tired after all that Rifting.

^ I knew someone was likely to do that, and not surprisingly it's Gromnir. I think I tried to imply I'm aware falling deaths in movies have been around a while/still are. Probably since the dawn of the first silent films. But it felt so over used in the 80's/90s action movies to me I guess. Die Hard, Robocop, "did he sound something like that?" Untouchables type silliness. Anyway, even good or neutral guys have falling deaths (Lion King). Which makes me think: 1: it's some kind of human thing re: fear of falling and knowing what type of emotion that brings (either cathartic "yay" or horrified "ohnoes"). 2: it's sometimes a way to kill off characters with a tiny bit less overt violence/action on the heroes part - eg, not a direct, violent or "truly deliberate" killing blow that has to be shown.

Is it just me, or was there that period of time in the 80's and 90's where almost all villains/"bad guys" ended the movie falling from some great height in an overly dramatic fashion? Usually a skyscraper, but cliff, plane/helicopter, whatever worked. I mean, I'm sure they still fall like that sometimes/often (past, present and in the future) but it felt like it was almost a literal requirement back then. So that makes me wonder ... what is the appeal of the villain dying like that to audiences? Or why do studio's think audiences like/want it?

Every time someone posts something like Bokishi I get all jealous, even if I totally don't need any kind of upgrade for my current usage/habits.. Then I notice the 3080ti FTW3 is on Amazon (available! 18 left!) for "only" $1360 or so, and my lizard brain starts screaming at me. Must...wait...for the 4080ti...

Upgraded Death Stranding to the Director's Cut or something. That is one clunky update process since they decided to delist the original version (can't buy it anymore). First patch your original game if you had it for save compatibility, not sure if anything else. Then download the entire (new version) game again for the D. Cut (so it's installed twice, different folders). Then if you want to load old saves (I don't really care), it'll auto-port them in from the patched original. I was trying to keep old and new versions separate so I deleted the copied saves from the D. Cut folder. It kept just writing them back again (erasing all game option settings you did, in the process). Fine. Maybe if I copy back the unpatched original version first, but for now, don't care/ignore. "New Game". Note: I believe if you did care about ported saves, once done/started etc. you could uninstall the original version to save space. Anyway ... still gorgeous, moody. I think non-DLSS maxed 4k performance might've overall dropped just a tad (5fps or something) but it's been too long don't remember for sure. Oddly, DLSS set to Quality doesn't seem to give much of a FPS boost now. I think it did a little (like 10-12fps) before but now it didn't even seem to give that. And while DLSS looks "fine" I still find it gives this slight softness that I don't like. So back to native 4k and a not quite solid 60fps. Whatever. Now time to see if I have the patience to drag Norman Reedus across America again. Actually, all of that would be fine, it's the Mads chr. combat chapters I don't want to do again. Those were annoying. Edit: oh, also, the save system on PC for this game still sucks, if you like to manage saves at least, just like it sucked on console.

DLC/Director's Cut or whatever it is, purchased. Let's see if (on PC) I can get farther than the starter area, this time. I might've forgotten how to play, the controls feel all wonky. Still visually/atmospherically impressive tho.

In our tiny section of Sac. area, I think at this point I only see ... "pulls number out of hat" ... 10%-15% of folks still wearing masks. Basically as soon as it wasn't a requirement most people stopped. Hubby kept commenting on it (how few people were wearing) over and over and over and I finally was all "I take it you're tired of wearing one and want it to be socially acceptable, not just legal, to not. Just don't, then." I occasionally still wear one just because they also help with my pollen/dust allergies on bad days, but most of the time not, now. I do like the feeling of more anonymity with one on, tho. Pfft.

Y'know, I've never been a doomsday prepper sort, not even remotely. Based on any current budget ofc, I try to be somewhat frugal in areas, am "super cheap" in other areas (furniture? clothes? "home decor?" what are those?), and have those areas or occasional few things where I just go "F it, I'm getting it." It sorta balances out usually. I don't stockpile goods, buy lots if it's a sale, or any of that type of thing. But all this inflation recently (and the size increase of it vs. time, mostly) and the fact I can no longer eat barrels of rice, pasta, and potatoes etc (the diabetes), has me thinking about food and groceries and wondering if I should actually get a garage freezer and start freezing bread (hubby), giant CostCo meats (cut up into smaller portions at home), etc. in case this next year sees grocery shelf shortages of such things. >.> More likely, I should probably stop watching YT/news videos.

I remember that Night Court chr/role but didn't recognize "Data" as being that same actor until it was mentioned in articles. Those few skits he did for YouTube on his channel were kinda funny. One time years ago I commented on Twitter that something he said sounded like what my husband would say and he replied that he was my husband. I don't remember exactly, just the "be paranoid who you're really talking to on the 'net" type of snark. I wonder if he still Twitter's.

Head of cabbage, stewed tomatoes, tomato puree, extra water, garlic, onion, a small amount of jalapeno (including the jar juice), a little meat (the falls into texture bits type not the chunky pieces type), bit o' salt. Then when you put it in your bowl, you stir in a tablespoon or two of the thick 5% Fage greek yogurt I like. Hubby said it was the "best tomato soup he's had." ...looks like a big bowl of kim chi soup because of the color and cabbage, haha, but tastes more akin to a soup version of stuffed cabbage/tomato sauce dishes maybe. Anyway, apparently it was successful.

I'm sure they could come up with some reason re: Thor if they really were keen to. It's all magic anyway. I just wonder if they will. I do like that actor as Thor and would miss him in that role - he fits my notion of the chr. quite well. He's the 2nd reason those Thor films were tolerable/I might want to at least check out the new one. It's kinda like not being able to see anyone but Hugh as Wolverine now, or something. As for Brent Spiner ... yeah, he's one of those actors that really shone in a single role and really isn't all that (or isn't offered any good roles later) in anything else and then just keeps reprising that one role or something similar forever. I like the man (he's rather funny/snarky and can sing fairly well) but such is the acting life.

My D3 seasonal chr. can now do Torment4 Nephalim Rifts, so it was time to start farming lower level Greater Rifts for the usual Gems and now Petrified Screams (needed to open the seasonal new Echoing Nightmare thingie). It's just been one morning, but so far, not a single one has dropped. Rare and random and need a lot of luck I guess, just to be able to check it out once. I suppose the drop odds get higher at GR 70+, but, yeah. >.>

In 10-15 years or so Thor will be "too old". I wonder who will replace him in the reboot. I remember Brent Spiner wanting/happy to kill off Data because he knew he was getting too old and didn't want to be sagging and wrinkled in gold paint.

You know that saying re: potato (or other, I guess) chips, that you can't eat just one? These are worse. Even hubby, who doesn't snack much, will snag a couple squares every time he walks by. That 2 pound bag doesn't last long. We go to Costco maybe once a month or so and every time I say "I won't buy those" and then I do. They are sooo goooood. Addition: I'm low carb, not zero carb. There are so many options now for "cheating" a bit. That bag of almond clusters is sorta similar to the Kirkland ones (more loose vs. firmly squared) but at least it isn't 2lb. I should stick to that. Those sunflower chocolate crisps are decent too. AdditionAddition: I had a head of cabbage and cans of stewed tomatoes so I'm making a cabbage soup for lunch (and hour or two cooking). Kinda winging it. Add a little chicken or carnitas-style pork in the last 15 minutes. We'll see how it turns out.

"Wrinkle Resistant Shirt" (in the US at least) = lots of embedded formaldehyde that you cannot actually wash out entirely. Even if it's not plastic-fibers. Although I think you could maybe get to a point where 50% of it is gone. Maybe. That chemical is in freaking everything now, from cosmetics, clothes, bedding, rugs, memory foam/plastic fibers, EVERYTHING. I seem to not be bothered too much by small amounts of gas-off air exposure but direct skin contact wreaks havoc. So after a while new carpets won't bother me a lot nose wise but I cannot lie down on them for more than 60 seconds. I remember lying face down on carpets as a kid. Didn't bother me then for whatever reasons (did they use less chemicals in carpets back then or I just hadn't become sensitive yet?). Now I'd have a big red itchy patch on my face. Anyway ... just a reminder that that seeming acne and/or eczema or skin swelling flare up might come from one of those millions of products around your home that you may suddenly have become sensitive too. It's not always your diet or anything "exotic".

On PS4 I can unplug the 'net cable from the console and still play D3 and the few other games I have on there. It's the only reason I bought it on there, years later, when I technically already had it for PC. The portability of the console means hey sometimes I won't have reliable 'net, I'd like to be able to still play games then y'know. You might get a box saying certain online features aren't available (like leaderboards or whatever) but it doesn't alter the game itself. Also, I only buy PS4 games that don't require the Playstation Live account, which I do not/refuse to have. I think the PS5 might enforce PS Live more often now just to play, but I'm not sure. I think that's what console-Diablo4 was planning on doing (assuming they don't change their minds). The fact those new map/challenges were season only was the main reason I thought I'd do it just to check them out. If they don't appeal I'll just quit/go back to non-seasonal only. The only other time I might do D3 seasonal is for a pet. I just didn't know about the mini-Diablo one until season was almost over so no point. I'm not someone who would get to GR70+ in 1-4 weeks. >.>