BruceVC

I finished ToEE after about 90 hours. Well I defeated Zuggtmoy after that time and assumed the game would end but more about that later As I mentioned its the best adaption of D&D rules and mechanics of any D&D game I have ever played and the combat strategy is always exciting I had many difficult fights and I loved how I would be defeated and then have to learn different spells or come back later. So for example when I was clearing the 2nd level of the High Priests I was able to defeat both the Air and Fire factions relatively easy by using a simple approach create a bottleneck in an entry passage so they have to advance through a limited space use AOE spells like Grease and Stinking Cloud so they get weakened this made is easier for my 2 tanks to fight combat against less enemies and I could use AOE spells in the bottleneck areas...Fireball is always my friend But this strategy failed with the Water High Priest because of the Juggernaut monster who was too powerful so I came back later at higher level and spells like Stoneskin and was successful after about 5 attempts Then I got Thrommels Sword as a reward for freeing him but only much later and that single weapon made a huge difference in battles, I gave it to my barbarian. This must be the best sword in the whole game? When I first got to the elemental nodes I thought I would be able to defeat most enemies using my standard strategy but I quickly learnt a hard lesson that wasn't going to work against the Demon bosses to get the gems. So I ended up using and learning buffs I typically wouldn't focus on like Remove Fear and ways to boost my saves against the Hezrou stench But these were all very challenging battles with the Balor being the hardest of all enemies but I persevered and Thrommels Sword made a huge difference Then I got to Zuggtmoy and ended up taking the gems and banishing her without a major final battle which I wanted. So I restored and waited for her to attack me and it was an incredibly difficult battle especially with all her fungus summons 4/8 of my party died in this final battle but I did kill her and I thought " wow, game over. That was exhilarating " But then you get to travel to Verbobonc for an massive expansion added by the Co8 mod , completely unexpected. Could my experience get any better So I have just started on the Verbobonc expansion and its really appreciated because I wasn't ready to stop playing this game

But both you and @Gfted1 seem to missing the point and I'm sure you realize that? They not trying to create murder bots\super soldiers or flawless children. There is a healthy level of testosterone that all men should have and its beneficial in certain roles like a solider This treatment will address just the testosterone levels

Until I read the link I thought this was some veiled attack on transgender but its not about that Its about helping " older " soldiers who may have less testosterone. As far as I know healthy levels of testosterone is a good thing and it would benefit the role soldiers play So he wants to help soldiers who have less testosterone than they should and its optional @gorth Im sure you would agree this makes sense around the benefits? "The Pentagon chief authorized the new screening program to ensure troops “have the right testosterone levels to operate at [their] absolute best because it’s well-established science that as we age, testosterone levels often naturally drop,” he said. Should treatment be recommended following the test, service members have the choice to receive TRT. “This initiative it’s not about artificial enhancement; it’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain and fight,” according to Hegseth. “We owe our warriors the absolute best medical care in the world. And this program delivers on that obligation.” "Roughly 5.6 percent of men between 30 and 79 have testosterone deficiency, which can cause muscle loss, fatigue, weight gain and sexual dysfunction. It also is linked to other serious health conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and depression. “By addressing these health markers early, we’re keeping you on the leading edge of lethality and giving you the same level of support that you give this nation the absolute best,” Hegseth said."

A disappointing final result but it was a good game Firstly the ref was brilliant, it made a big difference watching a WC game without the ref stopping the game every 5 minutes because of exaggerated injuries and desperate attempts by players to get awarded penalties The game flowed which was great End of the day England played well but Argentina did what they always do, they somehow come back in an incredibly strong and unstoppable way in the last 20 minutes or less. People use to say " Argentina is fatigued, that's why they do this " I dont buy that for a second. Its like they reserve energy for an intense onslaught at the end and so far its been successful in every game. And Argentina missed several goals by a fraction, literally hitting the posts The entire team always coordinates goal attempts, Messi is an exceptional player but its not just about him. So well done Argentina !!! But England should be proud of there effort and how far they got, they had some inspiring wins to get this far Now all my preferred teams are out so who do I support in the final? Its a tough one but I am going to support Spain. Argentina won the last WC so it makes sense we see an EU team winning this one I am looking forward to seeing how these 2 teams square off considering there history in past international games. They have faced each other 14 times and its exacty equal around wins https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spain-vs-argentina-matchup-history-234449522.html "Few international series could enter a final with a cleaner deadlock. Spain and Argentina have played 14 times across official competitions and friendly matches, per BolaVIP. Each country owns six victories, while two meetings ended without a winner. Sunday’s game will finally tip the overall record toward one side. Argentina holds the advantage where the World Cup is concerned, although the sample includes only one match. The countries met during the 1966 group stage, when Argentina earned a 2-1 win. Luis Artime scored twice for La Albiceleste, and Pirri provided Spain’s goal after briefly bringing the contest level."

Absolutely but I also remember a game where the ref said no penalty for that reason I think it was someone in England? And in this case the French guy had his back to the Spanish player

What can I say about last night....disappointing result from France I dont think that first penalty was fair, arent penalties suppose to be intentional? But it doesn't matter because Spain scored another incredible goal and France failed to score any End of the day Spain outplayed France but I do think Spain is overall the best team of the WC Well done Spain !! But France did really well to get this far and I expect a festive and boisterous welcome when they get home Now its the most anticipated game of the WC so far...England vs Argentina Its going to be epic Go England !!!

So who is everyone supporting tonight, Spain or France? I also believe these are the 2 best teams overall in the WC I am supporting France because I like France more than Spain but also because I consider Spain the best team of the WC So if England beats Argentina I would prefer they play France in the final Go France !!! If France wins we can really celebrate for breakfast tomorrow. What about a baguette with Foie Gras, Jambon de Bayonne (Prosciutto ) and Chevre cheese? That would be the ultimate breakfast of decadence

Im 50 hours in ToEE and time for another update I cant keep singing the praises enough of the combat mechanics. Almost every single battle is interesting and several require a serious change of strategy. There are too many memorable events to cover so I will just discuss the main ones My party is now on level 6 and additional access to new abilities and spells adds even more variety and strategy to combat I initially entered the Temple through the Tower Ruins and faced a massive battle with bandits, mages and witches. But I was successful on my third try by using spells and there AOE. So spells like Fog Cloud and Glitterdust helped with enemy archers. And Charm Person is incredibly useful, seeing the main bandit wizard use fire magic on his comrades was hilarious The Tower took me directly to level 3 and I also found the well entrance near the burnt farm. So I started exploring level 3 before levels 1-2 and I was able to defeat enemies I met. Then I met Prince Thrommel who joined my party and initially I thought this was great but he is too powerful and he was undermining the fun in the risk of battle. But then when I left the Temple to sell loot in Hommlet he left my party anyway. But he did help clear the shadow area in level 3 which was very useful But now Im going back to exploring levels 1-2 and fighting the various elemental factions. I had to avoid the Harpy trap because my party keeps getting captivated endlessly but I think Silence should help? I will proceed back to level 3 once Im done with the higher levels

You more or less right about the general lack of support for England. Its disappointing but real But it depends where you are, I watched in a local sports bar and 70% of the people were supporting England and everyone I went with as well Its a pity people cant move on from outdated tropes and historical bias and get behind England for this stage At least @rjshae is supporting England now , that makes a difference

Absolutely fantastic outcome for England, I think both teams could have won but English defense made a huge difference in the second half Norway dominated the second half and I was expecting a goal. Also the Norwegian goal that was disallowed was correct, Anderson was pushed And Haaland going off for fatigue? What happened to that famous Viking stamina? Bellingham is the man !!! Norway can go home to a heroes welcome, they exceeded the predictions and expectations of everyone. No shame at this final loss Football has somehow created time control, how do the last few minutes of every game slowdown when your team is ahead and its this close Well done England !!! Now its Argentina and we can all get behind England in this game And I want France to win so its an England vs France final. There has never been an England vs France final and here are interesting stats about these teams facing each other in a WC "While both are major European footballing nations, their paths in the tournament have rarely crossed in the knockout stages. They have only met three times in World Cup history, all prior to the final 1966 Group Stage: England won 2-0 during their victorious home World Cup. 1982 Group Stage: England won 3-1 in Spain. 2022 Quarter-Final: France won 2-1 in Qatar on their way to the final

HUGE game tonight, England vs Norway It could go either way but Im confidant England's experience will win the day Go England !!!

As long as we can mod the new Fallout game we have nothing to worry about, it will be a fantastic gaming experience 👌

Brilliant performance by France, it should have been 3-0. I dont know how Mbappe missed that penalty, that long delay was clearly a factor? But the game stats speak for themselves as a demonstration of Frances dominance and skill 22 goal attempts vs 5 They made Morocco look amateurish but Morocco is a good team, France is just much better Well done France !!! Another epic game tonight, Spain vs Belgium Go Belgium !!!

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/08/erratic-trump-dominates-final-hours-nato-summit The NATO summit is over with the expected Trump ranting about NATO members contributing more and NATO not helping in Iran and ending with Trump fully committing to NATO and its shared defense So key takeaways "It was a great meeting, there was a lot of love in that room, a lot of unity,” Trump said soon after at a bilateral meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which included a surprise offer to license the manufacturing of Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine. Nevertheless, the shift from angry critic to Nato supporter – “If there’s one word that comes out of today it’s unification,” Trump said at the end-of-day press conference – will be hailed as a victory for the alliance whose stability been called into question. The final summit declaration, signed off by Trump and 31 other alliance leaders, affirmed the countries’ “ironclad commitment” to article 5, which says that an attack on one Nato member is an attack on them all.

There seems to be almost no positive attention on Switzerland's progression The last time they got to the quarterfinals was 1954, it will be fantastic if they beat Argentina So well done Switzerland !!!

Before Trumps second presidency I would have believed this is fake news ...but now Im not so sure. It could be real

I didn't watch any of the games last night. I have loved this WC but timezone differences for certain games is not great But all games and the WC are broadcast 24/7 on dedicated DSTV channels in South Africa so I can always watch highlights and any full game if I miss the late night viewing ...its just not the same excitement as the live game Anyway Spain through and Belgium crushed the USA Well done Belgium !!!

Yeah, I never thought Brazil would be knocked out Norway really surprised everyone and many punters will be very unhappy

OMG....what a day of results. The last 24 hours has been the most exciting so far for me around results. This WC has also delivered on the unexpected wins Firstly Norway, I didn't think they would win but they have played so well I knew they would go home with pride and as local heroes. But they won !!! Yes Brazil should have got that early penalty but the Norwegian goalkeeper was unbelievable and then Haaland delivered late but he still delivered. But the entire Norwegian team plays well together as a cohesive and highly effective team Well done Norway, they must be the greatest surprise around any team so far? And then the England game. Firstly I set my alarm clock for 3:30 am because I have to work today and after the Norwegian game 3.5 hours sleep is better than nothing. But the 1 hour delay meant I got to watch the whole game from second half What an English performance and they won with an incredibility hostile Mexican crowd and 1 player short. This constant booing from the Mexican fans I noticed in the South Africa game, is that normal in the US or Canadian stadiums? I'm really happy Mexico lost After this win there should be no doubt England has the potential and skill to go all the way Well done England !!! The " worst " part of these 2 wins is now Norway and England have to play each other but it was inevitable and likely that favored EU teams would play each other in the next stage like Spain vs Portugal But Norway as I mentioned has had an incredible WC so if they lose to England they still go home as real winners ⚽

@rjshae So you playing Belgium on Tuesday, its a good team to play. You wouldnt want to be playing the likes of France, Spain or Argentina. Its always a good game when you realistically can win Spain was phenomenal last night, they must be favorites to win I see football is now the 3rd most popular sport in the USA, its become more supported than baseball. I never thought I would see that ⚽ Soccer reportedly overtakes baseball as America’s third-m...Soccer continues its steady rise in the United States. According to The Economist, the sport has now surpassed baseball in popularity, ranking third among Americans’ favorite sports, behind only Ameri

I watched the England game in a sports bar last night so Im very hangover but it was worth it Well done England !!! And I was very happy with all the other games, I even watched the end of the unexpected Belgium victory But first the England game, the first 70 minutes were subpar but the DRC goalkeeper was exceptional. How did he stop so many goals? Then the Kane goal must be one of the best goals of the whole WC, he scored without even really looking at the posts. Thats true skill...a real football savant But DRC should be proud of there effort And then Belgium, no one would have ever predicted they could come back from 2-0. But they did, that winning penalty was unfortunate but thats how this game goes. So well done Belgium !!! And then the US won which was predicted and the preferred outcome for me. I want the hosting countries to get this far and I support the US Bosnia got further than most expected so they can go home holding there heads high A great day of WC results ⚽

Its an important ruling for me more because its another example of how Trump doesn't have control of the SC despite it being majority Conservative They not predictable around how they make rulings despite some decisions and the fearmongering And an independent judiciary is the most important institution to ensure that the US doesn't become deeply influenced or controlled by either left or right political ideology The Constitution must always be the benchmark for laws and rulings and not the current presidents views or the extreme views of either party But yes there is abuse of this citizenship right but the solution is not to ban birthright citizenship because its complicated and not all about abuse

You not going to avoid anti-Americanism in this WC. Its unfortunate and Trump is a big part of it. But it would be nice if people could learn to separate politics from things like the WC But this is the world we live in, the good news its irrelevant to most fans and the success of this WC which is what I was predicting. This type of sentiment exists almost entirely on SM and the Internet and doesn't reflect RL views and RL outcomes around the support of this WC Great win for Norway, this is the furthest they have advanced in 28 years. I was reading up on iconic " Viking row " that Norway has adopted Fascinating history and such a quintessential Scandinavian development, I really appreciate it now https://africa.espn.com/football/story/_/id/49221882/norway-world-cup-viking-row-usa-fans-erling-haaland-martin-odegaard And then huge game tonight, England vs DRC Go England !!!!

When the state cuts the Internet is it all access outside of Iran? So can you access local websites and do Messaging apps work like WhatsApp, do any apps like this work? Also do people try to use VPN or dont they risk it? Sorry for all the questions but you the only person I know in Iran who has RL experience with these blackouts and Im interested in the direct impact to people and what they do

I watched the Germany game and I was very disappointed with the outcome Germany should have won. Again I use the official stats to make this point Germany possession 65% vs 23 % Goal attempts 21 vs 6 But they only came alive in the second half. And then the goal that was disallowed for " goalie interference"?? Really I also hate penalty shootouts as the way to decide who wins but I suppose you have to have some way to get a winner Biggest disappointment so far And then to make things worse Netherlands lost to Morocco so now 2 prominent EU teams are out Japan can at least be happy with there performance against Brazil