BruceVC

I played the latest Fighting Fantasy PC game book, Return to Firetop Mountain. These games are all PC versions of the iconic Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone RP gamebooks and the PC versions are not only nostalgic but they create a better experience than the books because of certain mechanics and design. If you die you dont need to start the whole story again, you can restore Tin Man games has created about 23 of these original games and I have played about 80% of them. Highly recommended if you enjoy the books, they dont take long. Maybe 4-6 hours to complete Now Im busy with Far Cry Primal. Its your typical Ubisoft successful and tried and tested design, a large open-world map with lots of repetitive activities and then main quests to progress the game. You also need to build a village and find resources But this is obviously set in 10,000 BC and this unique time period is very entertaining. I'm having lots of fun taming beasts and interacting with the animals and enemies of that era I am also playing on Survival Mode to make the game harder so you have to rest to regain stamina and animals are harder to fight at night Im about 15 hours in and so far Im not experiencing any of the inevitable fatigue with mechanics around this type of Ubisoft game. That normally happens to me after 40-60 hours or so because you can only do the same types of activities so many times before boredom sets in

Its a scheme and commercialization of the influence that any US has but Im not sure its inside trading by definition because you dont know what impact Trumps comments on Truth will have The amount of BS, inane rants and sensationalized comments he makes on Truth it would be difficult to determine what is true and what is not?

How Spain's migrant crisis created a political storm - wh...The Ceuta crossings have shaken Europe politically, exposing divisions over the sensitive issue of migration, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford writes. This Spanish migration disaster started with Spain giving citizenship to 500k illegal migrants so you create a false impression about "Spain welcomes illegals " Then fake news and a misunderstood Spanish court ruling led to this latest incident of the 50k plus illegals thinking if they get to Ceuta they will somehow get citizenship and access to the EU Its stupidity on an unparalleled level for these migrants, people still believing SM as truthful But the Spanish government needs to also take responsibility for its original decision around giving papers to the 500k illegals " Italy is not the only country to see Spain as soft on migration, though. Meloni's call for an urgent meeting of interior ministers to be held on Tuesday was signed by almost two dozen EU heads of state, calling for the elimination of all policies that could be "pull factors" to Europe. Above all, they mean Spain's controversial move to allow hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants apply for residence and work permits and "regularise" their status. The government's pragmatic: Spain is ageing and needs workers. But those who flocked to the beaches of Ceuta this week were not heading to sign up for a campaign that's already closed. Sanchez himself points instead to a recent ruling by Spain's Supreme Court: it said those who enter by sea cannot be pushed back immediately. The prime minister argues that was misrepresented by smugglers to promise an easy path to Europe. The crowd heading for Ceuta didn't need to pay smugglers, though, because most were Moroccan and the route is well known. The message was actually spread online. Migrants have shown social media posts to reporters with people shouting that "Spain is Open" and jumping into the sea. Multiple accounts we've checked ourselves show young people in wetsuits and flippers, or filming themselves already swimming, mixed with pictures from inside Ceuta itself. Some have only been active for weeks. Several have tens of thousands of likes. All their promises were false. The crowds who made it to kiss the shore in Ceuta with joy were met with nothing. Without food or shelter, and with no way on to continental Europe, most quickly turned back."

Its really interesting reading this post because Im exactly the same but you have explained it better I want choices even if its not about any significant gameplay change and that tadpole example is an excellent example even though I haven't played BG3 yet I always try to RP like Conan. He is at heart an honorable man, he will always save a damsel in distress but he also wants wealth so he often goes on quests and missions for the money. But he wont abandon his principles and integrity

They attacked and damaged an Iranian ship and killed 1 sailor Ukraine has said it was unintentional They might have sunk it but as usual with this type of news its uncertain Definitely a WW3 triggering event

WW3 because Ukraine attacked an Iranian ship, seriously bro ? Firstly Iran has been supplying military resources to Russia for years that have been used to perpetuate this war and kill Ukrainians Secondly Iran has no military capability to go to war with Ukraine, they cant even stop the US from bombing them any time they want. There only strategy has been asymmetrical warfare where they launch drones and missiles against defenseless ships and Gulf States. They wont even target the US Navy because they know that will justify escalation from the US So no, there wont be WW3 or nuclear holocaust because of this. You can quote me on that

I remember reading up on this adventure game and it looked very interesting and I see they have other similar games. I like playing adventure games as a break from my favorite genre, RPG. Im currently playing Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers Escape From Mystwood Mansion on SteamIn this first-person puzzle escape room game, you are trapped in the mysterious Mystwood mansion. Explore the mansion and find hidden compartments while solving puzzles and deciphering codes to find a

Lots of people will say the narrative doesn't matter or the RP choices are basically irrelevant because you still end up finishing any RPG in a similar way and you only see your outcomes around choices at the end where you see a 1 page summary screen of each serious decision or what happens to various NPC or party members And they believe combat is much more relevant than party interaction or narrative choices. And its a perfectly reasonable difference in opinions because we all different people and our definition of an RPG will always be relevant to our own sense of fun and fulfillment But for me I fall firmly into the camp of narrative choices, party interaction and side-quests. Because my favorite outcome of RPG is the RP choices that get presented even if they dont change anything significant. Its the option of deciding and then thinking " what will happen if I choose this path " even if the game doesn't go into detail. I use my imagination for this Combat mechanics definitely matter, its a huge part of the experience but most games deliver on both more or less So ToEE provides exceptional combat but a very simple narrative where its really a linear dungeon crawl. Still highly recommended for what the game delivers on

https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/the-odyssey-box-office-nolan-shattering-expectations-1236821760/ After 2 weekends Odyssey has shattered box office expectations and reached its breaking point of $650 million But that's just after 10 days !!! Its now predicted to comfortably reach that $1 billion sales figure Nolan took a risk with this movie, it was the most expensive movie he has ever made. Total costs with marketing were about $400 million. But it paid off nicely. Good to see "With a sensational second weekend at the box office, it’s clear “The Odyssey” will have a long — and epic — journey in theaters. Christopher Nolan‘s take on Homer’s 3,000-year-old poem, starring Matt Damon as the Greek king Odysseus, has generated a remarkable $652 million worldwide, including $289 million domestically and $362 million internationally after just 10 days of release. It’s already the sixth-highest grossing Hollywood movie of the year at the global box office — no small feat for a sword-and-sandal epic that’s rated R and clocks in at nearly three hours. With euphoric word-of-mouth and staggering demand for premium large formats like Imax, “The Odyssey” is expected to shatter all kinds of records throughout the rest of summer and into the fall. It could overtake 2009’s “The Dark Knight” ($1.008 billion) and 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” ($1.08 billion) as Nolan’s highest-grossing film."

Yes and this was one of the considerations I was going to raise with you It has no real narrative and how you can influence the outcomes even if its superficial and more about choice summaries at the end Its basically an incredibly exciting dungeon crawl where you dont need to think about any choices. I absolutely recommend this game for its combat mechanics but I dont think its the right game for you And thats also why I didn't give it a higher score, I feel an RPG has to have an overarching narrative with choices to be complete around the RP aspect In PoE you get to make these huge choices in the background of this cosmic narrative about the future of gods In Pathfinder you interact with powerful entities and you can influence who ascends to divinity Anyway I dont want to put you off ToEE but Im just trying to be objective about its strengths and what it isn't

I completed the Co8 quests after about 40 hours so Im sadly finished with my ToEE adventures but all good things have to come to an end Total game time was 135 hours I wont repeat in detail what is fantastic about this game. Its the best adaptation of D&D ruleset and combat mechanics of any party based D&D game I have ever played and that creates the most exciting and challenging combat I highly recommend both Co8 and Temple + mods. Its not just the increased level cap and extra quests. Its the stability and how you can make rule changes that matter, for example you can remove Fog of War which I did for one hard battle As far as bugs were concerned, nothing significant except where I suddenly lost 80% of my XP for 2 party members after a hard battle on level 2. But I used console commands to restore this XP which was really simple I had a very frustrating battle during the Hickory Branch quest where you face 50 enemies. The problem was every turn you get hit by explosive runes that do force damage to your entire party and I assumed the enemy archers were responsible. I spent about 6-7 hours until I finally won this battle and tried about 6 times. I nearly raged quit. Afterwards I read a guide that mentioned the explosive runes are buried in the ground and its advisable to attack all the enemies from the left and not the normal right side of the field. I wish I knew about this prudent strategy before I spent all that time trying to avoid the rune damage The only criticism I have of this game is it doesn't have a complex or thought provoking narrative like PoE or any companion interaction and side-quests which I always enjoy because it adds depth to my RPG experience. So you dont really need to make any serious choices. But that's not enough to detract from its strengths ToEE gets a solid 78/100 on the globally respected " BruceVC game rating system " and its highly recommended for anyone who wants to play a party based RPG where combat is its greatest strength

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I will definitely be playing it, any re-release of these classic D&D games is always fun I dont think I played the original?

Enriching Uranium for energy purposes is not an issue, the NPT allows this And if Saudi Arabia wants to suddenly enrich Uranium to 90% they will receive the same negative attention that Iran is getting from the likes of the IAEA It becomes hard to tell any ME country " you cant enrich Uranium for energy purposes " because of the reality of Iran trying to get nukes So there is understandable concern now that Saudi Arabia wants to do it

Yes, do that when you ready. There are only the 2 mods you need to install and you can use this Steam guide which is incredibly helpful . But send me the PM anyway so we can discuss other things Steam Community :: Guide :: Modding Steam ToEEA guide for customizing your gameplay experience on the new Steam re-release of the Troika classic Temple of Elemental Evil....

@kanisatha Will this be the first time you playing ToEE? If so I need to share some important tips and considerations so your expectations aren't disappointed

Oh no need to worry, these hard quests Im on now come after the main quest and they all optional So you can get the benefits of Co8 and Temple+ including the level cap increase just in the main narrative. I think I was on level 11 by the time I got to the end of the normal game And not all the new quests are this hard, there probably about 6-8 news ones that get added and 2 are very hard so far. The Slavers and this one Im busy with. But the whole access to Verbobonc only comes once you finish the temple. And when I say hard, its all about the final battle. Not every part of the quest

For those people who want more from ToEE after completing the main quest I highly recommend the Co8 mod and its quests Firstly you can go up to level 20 and you need those higher levels for the most exciting and challenging battles in quests this mod creates There is this one battle with Slavers that makes the Zuggtmoy battle seem like a cake walk. Every time I think my strategy is solid I end up having to rethink and that type of risk in combat always enhances the experience But there one is quest called War of the Golden Skull: Defender where you have to defend Hommlet from waves of Hextorites. So you fight several really hard battles. The first time I tried it I finally won all the battles by resting but then I was told I failed the quest because I rested and the Hextorites have kidnapped all the villagers and you cant leave the map so your game ends at the point because you cant progress I am now trying it again without resting but this obviously makes it incredibly hard. The key objective now for me will be focusing on the enemy mages and clerics because they wreck the most damage with spells like fireball and flame strike and they start off at the back of the combat area so its hard to get to them quickly I basically relearnt spells to include almost all AOE and stocked up on every healing scroll and potion I could buy and I dropped Furnok to include another tank that is part of this quest Lets see if I am able to succeed but its going to be really tough

What a game, Spain absolutely dominated Argentina and they deserved to win The stats tell the story, goal attempts 20 vs 2 for Spain Full confession, I was drinking an Argentinian Malbec Red Wine but thats okay because drinking good wine should be about a global selection. ( @Gorth have you tried Argentinian Malbec ? ) I was waiting for Argentina to do what they have been doing the whole WC, come back in the last 15 minutes and I remember thinking how utterly unfair it would be if somehow Argentina scored at the end. Im very glad it didnt end with penalty shootouts because as I mentioned Spain deserved this victory Well done Spain !!! Some interesting stats about this game and the 2 teams https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments...icles/spain-argentina-final-report-highlights Spain's total of one goal conceded is the lowest for a World Cup-winning team in a single edition of the tournament. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon has set a record for most clean sheets in a World Cup tournament with seven. Spain’s Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, both 19, are the fourth and fifth teenagers to have played in a World Cup final. As with Pele (aged 17 in 1958), Giuseppe Bergomi (18 in 1982) and Kylian Mbappe (19 in 2018), they have all ended up on the winning side. At 65 years and 28 days old, Luis de la Fuente has become the oldest World Cup-winning coach, surpassing the mark of his compatriot Vicente del Bosque who was 59 years and 220 days when winning Spain's first world title. Spain are the first team to be reigning champions of both the men's and women's World Cups at the same time, having won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023. At 39 years and 25 days old, Lionel Messi became the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup final, breaking the record of Sweden’s Gunnar Gren, who faced Brazil in 1958 aged 37 years and 241 days. Substitute Nicolas Otamendi beat Gren's record too to become the second-oldest outfield player (38 years, 157 days). Messi is also now the second player to have appeared in three World Cup finals, doing so in 2014, 2022 and 2026, after Brazil’s Cafu, who played in the 1994, 1998, 2002 deciders. La Roja are undefeated in regular time in their last 38 matches (W29 D9), having not lost since 22 March 2024, when they succumbed 1-0 to Colombia in a friendly in London. This is their longest-ever unbeaten sequence and has beaten Italy’s record for a European nation of 37, set between October 2018 and September 2021; it was Spain who ended that run by triumphing 2-1 in a UEFA Nations League encounter on 6 October 2021.

Who we all supporting tonight? I am really looking forward to see if Spain can counter Argentinas ability to come back in the last 20 minutes Its going to be an epic game between the 2 best teams overall of the WC

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