BruceVC

I dont want Trump to win because he doesnt take the role of US president seriously and its all theater to him But Im very concerned with Bidens age and mental acumen Saying all that all these court cases and potential charges against Trump have actually strengthened support for him because many Americans believe the DOJ and courts are trying to influence peoples right to decide who they can vote for. So now you have some GOP members who are going to vote for Trump because they genuinely believe these charges are more about political interference And personally I do think there is some truth to this in some cases but end of the day perception becomes reality They not helping if you dont want Trump to win

No of course all these groups can protest but they cant break the law when they protest I know this is difficult to believe but there are such things as protests where people protest peacefully, its true. You can believe me on this

I hope you going to protest about this and you not just complaining on the Internet? We all need to protest more, hit the streets I say

I finished Shadowrun Returns after 12 hours, it really was fun and I like the ruleset and how the combat mechanics work I am going to play the DLC and some extra quest mods

I have no problem with nationalism, but I have a huge issue with nationalism when it translates to invading sovereign countries that don't want to align with you or be part of your sphere of influence And thats the reality of Russian nationalism under Putin. Ukraine had an election in 2019 and Zelensky won overwhelmingly on a pro-West\EU open ticket The invasion of Ukraine by Russia was about the decision that the majority of Ukrainians wanted, they didnt want to be part of the new Russian aligned states This should have been respected and accepted by Putin, if the election results had been a pro-Russia candidate I can guarantee you there would have been no invasion

I think you misunderstanding a few things, I did watch several of Tuckers short videos on Russia just not the 4 hour interview and I use to watch some of his FOX news shows. I generally dont watch him because I find him to be a populist and grandstander but I dont automatically disagree with him just because its him No media house gives me my opinion on things, the media has some influence but end of the day the facts and reality of things in the world matter to me. Opinion journalism is just that, sometimes I agree and sometimes I dont. Carlson is mostly opinion journalism I will give you an example, he made a cringe video of shopping in a Moscow supermarket and claiming how " cheap food is compared to the US" But thats factually incorrect, US food inflation is sitting on 2.6% and Russian food inflation is 8.1% https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/food-inflation https://tradingeconomics.com/russia/food-inflation#:~:text=Cost of food in Russia,percent in May of 2023. This is just one example, basically he a $ multimillionaire shopping in Russia where the $ is much stronger than the Ruble but for the average Russian food prices are much more expensive and this is a consequence of the war and sanctions So I use primary sources all the time before I have an opinion on something and if Tucker thinks "food is cheaper in Russia " its not, inflation primary sources dont lie

Hi Vals Nice to hear from you again, I dont have the interest or energy for this debate. If you were more consistent on this forum that would be a different story and I have these debates already on Codex Needless to say to my opinion on any war is not based on what the media says because the media cant predict or tell the future or how events change. Nothing has changed for me, I still support the right for Ukraine to decide its own future and I reject Russian nationalism and warmongering

Its not CNN take, Fareed Zakaria is a CNN host who has a specific show for 1 hour a week and he also contributes towards other media sources I tried to watch Tucker's interview but I fell asleep listening to Putin's ramblings about history from hundreds of years ago but what parts of Fareed's opinion dont you agree with? Its only 6 minutes long and he is very factual about where he disagrees with Carlson on

Im playing Shadowrun Returns, first time I have played this franchise Its fun, very simple and linear but good fun

Here is a good analysis from Fareed Zakaria about Carlons comparison where he suggested Russia has better cities than the US, its only 6 minutes long

I really hope Obsidian looks at the significance of post release sales numbers and decides to make PoE3, I can understand choices made on initial revenue sales because thats just how future decisions on all products work But if post release sales numbers are consistent and worthwhile then an investment in PoE3 makes financial sense I know Avowed is set in the PoE world and I will definitely play it but its FP and not party based so it doesnt have the same interest as PoE3

But on a serious note I do believe you are sincere about your concerns with big business and abuse that you see with mining companies in Oz and other parts of the world and I do think you believe in a fairer and better world Im just saying I dont consider you an anarchist but thats nots the same as as me saying you are inconsistent with your general views

But you notice most of the people shilling for the return of the USSR all live and benefit from Western, Capitalist Democracies and none of them will emigrate to Russia now but they " support "the authoritarian reality of Russia under Putin And one of reasons you find this unusual ideological inconsistency is because of the design and nature of the Internet and how we use it During the Cold War there were RL true believers and committed ideologues who not only supported Communism or Democracy or Capitalism but they were prepared to die for it and they fought in proxy wars throughout the world But they really believed in the ideology and this was reflected in there lived experiences and choices they made But nowadays you find people cheerleading on for Communism, opposed to Democracy or being anti-US\West but its just Internet and keyboard outrage. It has nothing to do with there RL reality so they dont actually have to do anything outside of this Internet outrage And it doesnt really change anything unless you do something in RL

Gorthfusciuous !!! I dont want to hurt your feelings and come across as rude but you not an anarchist anymore. You just not, your work as a Microsoft Dynamic\ERP consultant ....its like saying " Im a currency trader at Barclays bank but I hate and reject the Capitalist system " You know Im right, imagine how you would feel if the world did collapse into anarchy and chaos like a Yemen or Somalia reality

Nah, its very obvious the differences in US presidents and their ideological views and then you can easily see the differences in their geopolitical views It just requires some effort and understanding and of course genuine interest but I dont buy the point that only Americans notice the differences, its demonstrably clear because you can see and follow both there domestic and foreign policies and its very visible and openly discussed in the global media space

Do you know whats laughable, that you honestly believe that a state controlled media in an autocracy where people can't protest or criticize their government is somehow more credible than a free media in any country where an independent media exists Thats the real joke And when you say "Russians love of Putin" what about those Russians that dont support him or believe in political change. They arent allowed a voice and political opponents get arrested or assassinated, great country to live in

I completed Deadfire, it gets a solid 80/100 on the globally popular " BruceVC game rating system" and I know people are thinking " thats a very high score for this highly respected game rating system " and I will summarize why But I had a surprising end to the game, I was expecting an epic and final battle at Ukaizo like with Thaos and PoE1 and as I mentioned I prepared for this by getting my party to level 20. But because I had released the Water Dragon in a previous quest the Ukaizo guardian was automatically defeated by the Water Dragon....so no final epic battle, I was disappointed But in summary what I loved about the game and some of this I have already mentioned in previous posts Obsidian successfully created a new IP with lore and mechanics that works, this is a feat in itself and it should be recognized if you think about the popularity of D&D or Elder Scrolls The strategic nature of combat for hard battles is fantastic, its one of the main reasons why I play party based RPG The overall narrative and lore of the world is very thought provoking and you really end up thinking about who you should align with and what will the outcome be. But I cannot stress enough how important the Enhanced User Interface mod is so you become familiar with the lore and understand it. I used it a lot Deadfire is as close to open world as you can get with this type of game. You can sail to almost any island you want, explore any dungeon you want and face the consequences...brilliant risk vs reward outcomes and you feel motivated to explore and find new islands I enjoyed the crafting and how you can customize your character build and especially the abilities and spells at higher levels, they make a significant difference in combat Deadfire also provided some uncommon but appreciated features like the sailing mechanic and how naval combat works. I ended up just doing normal combat on the decks of the ships but there was the other option So excellent game and Im really disappointed there wont be a PoE3

Im 76 hours into Deadfire and loving it I decided to change my approach to completing the game, when I got near the end with the journey to Ukaizo and who should I align with around factions for the journey I was only level 15-16. So I decided to complete all the DLC and get my party to level 20 before heading for Ukaizo Great idea and it allowed me some epic end boss battles that demonstrate for me the best part of the game, the strategic nature of tough battles And for most of the DLC I couldn't defeat the end boss but then I came back later on level 20 and I have been successful on every end boss so far I loved all the DLC with my favorite probably being the Crucible arena fights and I really enjoyed the Beast of Winter. Neriscyrlas was my hardest fight and particularly because of Llengrath's Safeguard but once I had access to Arcane Cleanser the battle became much more manageable But my favorite spell is Concelhaut's Crushing Doom, nothing better that seeing enemies getting smashed by the hammer I also have Concelhaut and Nemnok as pets, Nemnoks comments are some of the funniest I have ever heard in any game Now I still need to complete the final battle with Porokoa who I haven't been able to defeat but now Im level 20 I should be victorious and I need some new crocodile skin shoes and a handbag And then I will complete the main quest and the journey to Ukaizo But overall, fantastic and enthralling party based RPG. Obsidian created a gem with this one

Are you comparing the reality of the lack of freedom in Russia to any Western country or the US ? Would you say its similar ? It reminds me of this debate on Codex, and I know you not suggesting this, but there are people who have never been to the US and just have an opinion which is influenced by SM and what they read on sensationalized forums which are all anti-Western\US So they do think the lack of freedom in the US and Russia is the same and when I ask them for examples and I use this comparison In Russia no free and fair elections no free media no criticism of the war or government allowed no real right to protest journalists and political opponents get arrested or assassinated They respond with these points about what they think about US no free and fair elections: Trump should have won and election was stolen no free media: deep state\Jews\CIA control media in the US no criticism of the war or government allowed: you cant criticize LGBT policies which government is forcing on society no real right to protest: people were arrested during Corona and werent allowed to protest and dont forget " Canadian truckers protest and how that was crushed " journalists and political opponents get arrested or assassinated : Again Trump gets mentioned or Snowden is used as an example But the point is there are people who genuinely believe the lack of freedom is the same in the Russia and the US or its not much different

https://videogames.si.com/news/disco-elysium-dev-zaum-layoffs Im not a big fan of Disco and its one of the 4-5 games I have never completed but retrenchments and companies possibly going under is never good news Apparently its linked to mismanagement?

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-forces-destroy-large-russian-landing-ship-military-says-2024-02-14/#:~:text=KYIV%2C Feb 14 (Reuters),on Wednesday%2C Kyiv's military said. Another Russian ship hit badly in the Black Sea, it makes you wonder about the future of this type of asymmetrical warfare and the usage of drones. They very effective in this type of war

Unfortunately it will get blocked in the House and this is another example of the political inconsistency in Congress

Gorthfuscious, come on How many years have we been debating Trumps grandstanding and populist rhetoric? When Trump is at a rally you cant take anything he says seriously, Im honestly surprised anyone is still "shocked " but what Trump says. These types of statements are expected Trump 101 rally theater and political hyperbole

Can I you tell what I think went mostly wrong with the interview, Putin doesnt understand the US or the Carlson audience or rather how people in most Western countries resonate with interviews No one wants to hear a long, boring and rambling answer about history from hundreds of years ago when you get asked a question about an invasion from 2 years ago. Putin doesnt understand this and its because he seldom has independent interviews from journalists who arent Russian state propagandists and especially since the invasion Codex is a good place to understand this sentiment because there lots of Carlson supporters and Vatniks who wanted this interview to provide new insights and be relevant. But its telling because they all saying how boring it was and how Putin missed an opportunity to get a relevant message across to the US audience To quote from one guy "Bleh, fell asleep yesterday and couldn't watch it live. From what i'm seeing, i didn't miss much. Putard is being typical retarded Slav droning on about **** nobody outside of Slav land is going to give a **** about. Disappoint. Guess the botox finally got to his brain "

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/08/tucker-carlson-putin-interview-released/ The Carlson interview with Putin is 2 hours long and as predicted it was full of Putins historical ramblings and revisionist views of the world and geopolitics and he didnt like Carlson trying to get him to stay on point and at one point said to Carlon "“I’ll tell you, I’m coming to that. This briefing is coming to an end. It might be boring, but it explains many things,” said Putin in a condescending tone " I think Carlson did the best job he could do considering Putin was obviously always going to repeat Russian propaganda so its not like we were going to learn anything new. By definition thats not how propaganda works But Carlson summarized the interview afterwards " “I’m not exactly sure what I thought of the interview. … It’s going to take me a year to decide what that was,” said Carlson in a video published on his website. “Putin is not someone who does a lot of interviews. He is not good at explaining himself. … But he’s clearly spending a lot of time in a world where he doesn’t have to explain himself.” For me it demonstrates Carlson is not a Russian shill in the normal sense, he definitely sympathizes with Russia on somethings but thats not the same as being a Vatnik or typical shill