Achilles

I haven't played the pnp version, but I want to say that I think I know what you're talking about. If I'm correct, the answer is If they do all of that, then the topic is up for a very brief discussion before never, ever coming up again.

Not sure if a new game is required but I've noticed that quite a few things in the last couple of patches aren't actually patched.

Nevermind that two of those projects are roughly 15-person teams working on passion projects rather than AAA titles

I submit to you Fantasy Island...and Fantasy Island

Hmm. Isn't "arthouse sci-fi" one of those worthless genre labels? Ala Ex Machina, Ad Astra, Gravity, Annihilation, etc?

Signed up for my booster today. 12 days out, which I'm taking as good news because that means my stupid ****ing neighbors are finally getting their shots. If there's some possible other interpretation for those facts, please don't bring them to my attention. I want to believe.

It's an oldie, but you might want to check out the movie, Contact, if you haven't seen it already. Another movie based on a book, this one written by absolute legend, Carl Sagan.

Right. But if you read the source material, you knew what was happening and why. And when the twist came you'd think, "did he make this movie because he liked the short story, or did he do it because it had a twist? Hmm" Unless it isn't. Carbon-based life is what we know, but that doesn't mean that's all there is. Added by edit: I went looking for a link to the short story for anyone who was interested in a quick, fun read. Looks like this thing is worth money now, so you have to buy it to read it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48749235-story-of-your-life

The events more or less happen the same. What's missing from the movie (and maybe why you felt thrown) is... ...which felt like a pretty slick move on the author's part when I read it. YRMV. The one way that I felt the adaptation did work is that the story actually had a bit of twist in it, naturally, so Denis didn't have to sprain anything inventing one for a story that didn't necessarily need it, like he usually does.

I think the problem with Arrival is that it mostly glossed over the most interesting parts of the short story it was based on. To be fair, I don’t know how a director would have filmed the most interesting parts of the short story.

Good news: new patch! Bad news: it breaks text size settings Not sure what "Fixed the Immaculate Petal visuals" is supposed to mean, but I feel like they include it in every set of release notes now (without actually changing anything - still looks like a basic shield, but green rather than blue)

First book was 600+ pages with appendices, etc. Second book had fewer than 250 pages. First two books tell the story of Paul Atreides, so a trilogy based on the first two books would make a certain amount of sense. EDIT: Another quote for those who are curious:

First book was pretty good. I don't know that I cared for the second. I only read Messiah because the rumor mill says that's where the movie trilogy will end, but I have a feeling a lot of it will get changed for the adaptation.

Recently finished Dune and Dune Messiah Currently reading:

On one hand, I'm happy to see the list of items that finally got fixed. On the other, I'm saddened by all the the things not listed and the knowledge that many of those items were reported broken in the beta.

I was relying on Seelah's Aura of Courage spell in my second to last past. Per your post, it did not satisfy. This time through, I had army of heaven and my party was immune to the fear effect (though the other demons in both locations were not)

Not sure if they toned them down, fixed the bug that made them difficult, or if a certain 10th level (defensive) spell is game breaking, but I noticed that I didn't want to punch my monitor once while fighting these in my last playthrough

At the start of the encounter Irabeth barks I suppose an incredibly literal player will immediately see that and understand that this is the secret key that unlocks the mystery of this sequence, but for the rest of us...the first time through is the hardest. I usually put Lann on the roof of the tavern, move Ember and ranged merc to roof of the forge, and let them take the main gate. The rest of the party sets up at the junction of the forge and the storehouse (top of the ramp in a defensive position). Lann high tails it over to other side of the building when the fight is almost over and there are only a couple of high value target left. Changing the subject (and resurrecting a sub-thread) Confirmed last night that 10th level spells unlock at level 20, which should be right before the climax encounter of act V and means that the player will have access to them for all of act VI. Much, much better than what I feared would be the case (mythic level 10 unlock)

There are actually several areas in wrath where they doubled the size of doorways in between pre-release versions, if that tells you anything.

Considering animal companion size requirements for mounted combat, poor pathing, and the amount of time spent in dungeon-like areas, I'm really surprised that anyone thought this was the game to introduce this feature. Also surprised that people are using it.

On each of the formations tabs, there's a "Hold the Line" checkbox at the bottom. While I'm certain that's what you're looking for, I *think* it's only applicable while the party is in combat.

Apparently I've been ignoring the offensive capabilities of the Angel spell, Radiant Ground, to my detriment. Just took out Playful Darkness in two rounds with it landing all of one hit on a party member.

Democrats aren't actually that good at leading and Republicans want to turn the U.S. into a theocracy. In the context of your post, the Democrats are too busy chasing the mob qualify as conservative (at least in any way I've heard that term used, politically), while your label for Republicans is possibly appropriate.

Didn't mean to imply that it would be easy or even plausible. I am reminded of learning how dodging taxes was viewed as something as an art form in Greece during their debt crisis. I suspect that the same thing applies here and will become all the more prevalent as "tax the rich" becomes a slogan people wear on their clothing. From my simple and uninformed perspective, the heart of the matter isn't money, but the principle of fairness. At the risk of putting words into people's mouths, it doesn't seem fair that money that I earn is taxed, invested, and then taxed again. From another perspective, one could argue that it doesn't seem fair that a certain class of people, who clearly have enough money that they are not living hand-to-mouth, get to put some of their money into a machine that grows their worth without having to pay back into the system. Neither group is wrong for their perspective, but the implications for what kind of world we live in differs based on which one we decide should be the default. My 2 cents.

Not to mention, brokerages usually charge a fee every quarter to "maintain" your portfolio. Obviously a smart person will seek to pay the least amount possible in fees, however doing so is seen as a cost of doing business. All this to say, paying a proportional tax on a quarterly (or even annual) basis, is not crazy talk. Especially since the vast majority of people don't own any stock in the first place.