Gromnir

article doesn't say what you claim it says. same with the bg article previous. got an article from somebody described not as an expert in field o' psychology but rather as "blogger," who does reference a study in the article you link, but that linked article is not claiming there is careful testing to achieve the correct addition level o' loot drops. in the future, quote the articles you link. a big complaint for bg1 were indeed loot, but were less 'bout frequency than the stoopid, though frequency were a factor if you didn't indulge meta. you could find one o' the best weapons in the game, a +2 electrical war hammer, extreme early, and there were a ring of wizardry in a bump in a log on the friendly arm inn map? ok, but what if you had chosen morningstar as your weapon of choice? +1 is the best you are gonna get after +100 hours of gameplay. with metagame, you could build your character correct and have access to swell gear, but if you didn't rely on meta, or were just unlucky, you were often cursed to discover loot useful to some other player but not you. bg were NOT pnp, but the developers had some kinda brain fart and didn't consider or care what would happen in a game which rewards specialization then fails to provide meaningful rewards for all those options. in pnp, a dm tailors the loot rewards so is appropriate to the people playing. in a crpg, the obvious solution is to make every option available, and in a game with a ridiculous number o' options you end up with ridiculous amounts of loot which also contributes to the excess money problem 'cause is obvious players is gonna sell the stuff they cannot make use o' personal. iwd, btw, is a special case for the ie games. am recalling a developer for that title lamenting, after the fact, 'bout feargus urquhart's contributions to a few o' the rando loot tables. other developers were trying to come up with kewl and unique items, and then feargus would add the stuff like the static +4 two-handed sword, which not only were +4 and did electric damage, but it stunned targets 25% o' the time. wtf? iwd loot was so not the result o' careful testing so much as it were one guy, feargus, deciding that more than unique histories and novel but balanced powers, iwd loot should be diabloesque and perhaps you can argue feargus were correct, but that ain't the point. poe2 provided another more recent example o' the lack o' careful testing. deadfire backers could, if they contributed enough cash, design a weapon or magic item which would then be available in deadfire. with the pirate theme o' deadfire it were perhaps less than a surprise just how many people wanted their own unique pirate cutlass, or sabre as the closest pillars weapon group. seeing as how obsidian had already taken the money o' the contributors, they didn't believe it would be fair to deny backers their chosen weapon, which resulted in a disproportionate number o' sabres in deadfire. deadfire developers removed the weapon specialization bonuses, so players weren't penalized for failing to be a sabre wielder. even so, not every player wanted to wield a sabre and so after the game release, the developers found ways to add a few not sabres to make options a bit more diverse. predictable after-the-fact kinda errors led to excessive sabres, and players complaining 'bout lack o' diversity results in an ad hoc solution. so complete not careful tested to achieve some kinda addiction response. also, the kinda development schedules you recognized previous kinda precludes some kinda careful manipulation o' loot cycles by crpg developers. content is added or cut 'cause o' time restraints and technical reasons and the developers is working a ridiculous number o' hours for months on end in an effort to reach milestones. sure, these guys got general kinda guidelines 'bout loot and leveling progression but they is so not careful testing the perfect frequency o' kama or spear drops to keep the skinner rats returning for the next food pellet. HA! Good Fun!

well, it's not as if doj need take the word o' the two goons. is even possible the individuals hired possess credentials beyond question, but even if the doj trusts the goons, it don't mean they necessarily believe all classified documents has been returned or that there is zero possibility o' more classified docs at bedminster or trump tower... or mar a lago for that matter. the thing is, in spite o' what you maybe hear from tv, or the internet, is not so ez to obtain a search warrant, and if the feds had probable cause to search other than mar-a-lago, or to search mar-a-lago once more, they likely woulda' done so already rather than allowing trump's folks time to bury evidence deeper... perhaps in the coffin with ivana in new jersey? IF the doj discovers more classified documents in places already searched, (most likely 'cause somebody eventual squeals to save their own arse,) then the fact the goons and trump people has presumably avowed via sworn affidavits they is unaware o' more classified, then future revelations would likely be strong evidence there has been additional obstruction. doesn't hurt a doj case to have trump folks make additional claims before a court. HA! Good Fun!

am similar not an expert but our whole life is an investment as 'posed to something we use to protect loved ones, well, at least once our sister died. our whole life policy produces not insignificant dividends which we reinvest adding to overall growth and am also avoiding some taxes by keeping as life insurance. our whole life growth is also unaffected by events such as the past year's market uncertainty which resulted in a significant dent in our ira-- stability is its own value. also, if we ever have a big ticket item such as a car or house we want to purchase w/o sacrificing other investments, am able to cash out w/o penalties those other investments might suffer. a decent whole life policy is worth considering even if you aren't trying to create an ulterior motive for beneficiaries who survive your passing. also, if you do have beneficiaries 'pon whom you wish to impart a bit o' post demise schadenfreude, perhaps aware that you is old/unwell, you may cash out and not tell beneficiaries. sure, you won't get to see their faces, but the predictable shock when they discover the $250k life insurance policy they thought would be theirs once you die were terminated and donated to charity six months before your death could keep your inner villain amused. not that Gromnir would personal ever do such a thing. nope. no chance whatsoever. HA! Good Fun!

wotr feats am posting 'cause am not sure when lunge were added. one o' the recent patches? however, we don't see anything in any patch note offering. regardless, even w/o a reach weapon and size bonuses, the payoff makes this a worthy consideration for any wotr melee focused party. attacks of opportunity happen so much more frequent in wotr than pathfinder pnp, and is so many ways to exploit. the outflank feat, aeon's gaze and the aforementioned reach weapons, along with high level parties who have multiple pets making a trigger o' outflank all the more likely, is just a few ways o' generating boss killing attack of opportunity events. lunge is a not insignificant way to increase attack of opportunity potential. d&d and pathfinder bad maths is your gain as each additional 5' o' reach radius represents a significant increase in total reach area. anyways, lunge is worth considering if you got a melee party and an available feat. the -2 ac penalty is a minor price to pay for extra reach. HA! Good Fun!

Trump team finds two documents with classified markings in a Florida storage unit Two documents with classified markings were found in a Florida storage unit during a search by a team hired by former President Donald Trump’s lawyers, a person familiar with the situation told CNN. ... am curious how exact one goes about hiring a team to search for and handle classified documents. we would assume the folks with the necessary security clearance would be working for the government. perhaps boris & natasha? btw, am not actual suggesting anything nefarious, but am nevertheless puzzled. our admitted extreme limited experience with classified material is you treat those kinda documents with similar safety protocols as downed powerlines, but instead o' calling 9-1-1, the feds is the persons you inform asap. do not touch or move the document and definite do not read. do not wait to communicate to feds your discovery. do not share info o' your discovery with anybody but feds unless you dislike somebody very much and want them to endure a lengthy intelligence interview. maybe there were an entry for this kinda service back in the day with the old yellow pages directories, but if so we do not recollect such and am having difficulty imagining there is much need for this job outside o' government. HA! Good Fun!

fyi Reduced Drug Prices, Enhanced Medicare Benefits Underthe Inflation Reduction ActFrequently Asked Questions (FAQs)October 5, 2022 People with Medicare could also save money on vaccines. Starting January 1, 2023, Part D-covered adult vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), including the shingles and Tetanus-Diphtheria-Whooping Cough vaccines, will be available with no deductible and no cost-sharing to people with Medicare prescription drug coverage. ... Beginning in 2025, people with Medicare Part D won’t pay more than $2,000 per year in out-of-pocket costs for covered Part D drugs (and for subsequent years, this amount will be indexed by inflation). Part D enrollees will also be able to choose to pay their out-ofpocket Part D costs in monthly amounts spread over the plan year. ... am thinking this is exact the kinda thing democrats should have been stressing before the midterms and would do well to focus 'pon in the next couple years, 'cause the changes highlighted direct impacts older white voters with lower or fixed incomes. as a group, those old, white and not rich people is current voting +80% republican. as such, every republican Congressman and Presidential candidate who were opposed to the inflation reduction act (which admitted does little to reduce inflation) should be getting lambasted by democrats. good news for republicans is democrats has a difficult time crafting and communicating a coherent message which resonates. HA! Good Fun!

the internet tells us australia does not cover the cost o' an effective shingles vaccination and that it will cost you $250 per shot if you want the good stuff. however, if you are an australian between 70 and 79, you can request a single-dose zostavax shingles vaccination for free. zostavax is ~50% effective as 'posed to shingrix which provides +90% protection. 'course we always believe rando info from the internet, but it is a starting point. kinda amusing how this started with a grumbly american complaining when he saw how much his insurance were being charged for a shingles vaccination, but truth is all americans get "free" through private insurance or medicare once they is aged 65, which is the best case scenario for all the "uhc nirvanas" so far responding in thread. in fact, based on boardie feedback, more than a few o' the uhc nations either don't offer the shingles vaccination, charge a fee, or offer a cheaper alternative vaccine. receive the shingles vaccine, as it turns out, is one o' thew few things older americans can rely on the government to help, along with a handful o' other vaccines and, curious enough, kidney dialysis... plus other stuff. we did mention how arcane is medicare part d, yes? if you keep private insurance once you hit 65, then depending on your plan, you could have a substantial prescription deductible. hospitals, in the past, might charge a patient +$75 for tylenol and a patient might need pay a $50 deducible. ever seen the number o' meds old people routine take, particular when hospitalized? each separate med being administered might result in the triggering o' the $50 deductible. some o' that nonsense has been addressed in recent years, but not all. regardless, is good advice for americans when they is close to reaching 65 to do considerable research regarding their medicare part d coverage as prescription costs is gonna represent a substantial % o' their monthly budget. aside, what private insurance is charged for a medication or procedure is not same as what you, as an uninsured consumer, would actual pay. once again, relying on the infallible internet, we see americans pay 'tween $180 and $300 for a single dose o' shingrix. kinda sux to have folks shopping around, contacting individual pharmacies and looking for coupons to be able to afford a shingles vaccination, but the alternative for americans is they need wait 'til 65 at which point they either pay through their private insurance or as a medicare recipient. HA! Good Fun!

warnock winning is a victory for sanity, but recognizing how improbable terrible were walker as a candidate, the race were far closer than it shoulda' been. am suspecting any republican candidate woulda' garnered at least walker vote totals. the current entrenched political and social divisiveness strikes us as unhealthy but am not seeing any short term solutions. HA! Good Fun!

this is why it would be so great if crt were actual being taught everywhere like republicans, fox news and bruce would have you believe. crt removes the questions o' moral turpitude and blame in the analysis o' discriminatory laws and practices. as causal observes it is ez to believe cultures o' bigotry is being diminished by natural forces o' social evolution-- things is better than they were 50 or 100 years ago, yes? improvements is dramatic for many minority groups and for women. mistake. would be nice to believe our generation is somehow better and more enlightened than the previous one(s). *shrug* crt don't have the conclusions and ez answers most people want, but it does require analysis o' actual change and when studied critical, it becomes apparent change is resisted by those in power who current benefit from banking practices, laws and customs. "me and mine." does such an observation shock anybody? motivated self interest is hardly a shocking concept. if you wanna see meaningful cultural changes, is best to look to economic factors, and unfortunate, since before the great recession, the economy has not been improving for a large % o' working class americans. white and working class americans has a considerable amount o' political power. wanna look for an explanation as to why bigotry appears to have become worse in the last decade or two, then is best to look to economic factors. crt is not just 'bout race. applies equal to women and lgbt or any other group which has had to overcome systemic obstacles to economic parity. "me and mine." particular when those folks become fearful, they resist change even if it would benefit the economy as a whole to do so. serious though, we do wish crt were being taught everywhere. would be refreshing to have discussions o' systemic racism and bigotry w/o all the baggage. also Manhattan Jury Convicts the Trump Organization of All Charges Alleging More Than Decade-Long Tax Fraud Scheme A spokesperson for the Trump Organization tried to pass the blame to Weisselberg in a statement, citing his trial testimony. “Mr. Weisselberg testified under oath that he ‘betrayed’ the trust the company had placed in him and that he, at all times, acted ‘solely’ for his ‘own personal gain’ and out of his ‘own personal greed,'” the spokesperson said. “The notion that a company could be held responsible for an employee’s actions, to benefit themselves, on their own personal tax returns is simply preposterous.” ... In addition to criminal liability, the Trump Organization also faces an active civil lawsuit filed by James this past September. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron put the Trump Organization under court monitoring until the case is resolved at trial next year. HA! Good Fun! ps the conviction makes almost unfathomable any kinda continued existence for the trump organization. period. is not a situation where he could rename and move to Delaware. as such, this news is much more significant than some may understand in the moment seeing as how trump were not a named defendant... and the legal situation for trump personal only gets more dire.

the cinematic graveyard is filled with bad robin hood and musketeers movies. almost makes you wonder why producers and directors keep trying. sure, there has been exceptions which were good, but they is few and far between. am also 'gonna note how the clip is maybe not the tone we get from dumas' works. musketeers is light-hearted and playful with a handful o' moments o' deadly seriousness. have mentioned previous how dumas were paid by the word and he milked that rate for every livre possible. audiences were in on the joke and so dumas (team dumas) crafted works which were fun, swashbuckling affairs filled with daring-do and sinister villains improbable punctuated by genuine moving moments. am not having a problem with a deadly serious musketeers, but is so not dumas musketeers. HA! Good Fun!

for pre-enforcement challenges, the litigant must exhibit, "an intention to engage in a course of conduct arguably affected with a constitutional interest, but proscribed by a statute, and there exists a credible threat of prosecution thereunder." standing is one o' the most arcane aspects o' law. something more than 80% o' civil cases is decided based on the application o' the rules o' civil procedure. criminal matters tend to be more cut and dry, but is not always so. regardless, we no longer demand that to bring a case before the Court, a person must first violate a law. if a state created new abortion criminal statues, we would not demand the doctors perform an actual abortion and possible expose self to significant criminal liability as a pre requisite for challenging the validity o' the abortion law. perhaps ask the doctor to sit in prison for lord knows how long while the courts answer relevant questions o' law and fact? both the state and the litigants want the question o' constitutionality answered regarding Colorado's Anti Discrimination Act. in these sorta cases, pre-enforcement challenges is if not de rigueur, then hardly exceptional. Alito jokes about Black kids in KKK outfits during Supreme Court argument is what we call a ted cruz moment from J. alito. ted cruz, whatever you may think o' him, is a smart guy, and if there is five persons in Congress more intelligent than ted cruz we would be shocked. nevertheless, how many times has ted said or done something so tone deaf or stupid as to be baffling? more than a few times. many more occurences o' buffoonery than just a few. am not sure if is reassuring or disappointing when smart people behave stoopid. 'course alito's comments is arguable worse than simple tone deafness, but unlike senator cruz, a Justice holds office for life. HA! Good Fun!

it is possible to play a necromancer cleric who chooses angel, and angel may be lawful neutral. wotr lawful neutral is easily achieved by choosing lawful options a majority o' the time in dialogs, and as often as not the lawful dialog choices is kinda on the cruel and bloodless end o' the spectrum. an angel necromancer cleric will maintain an untarnished halo while raising the dead and casting necromancy spells such as slay living and bone shatter. your angel sees mercy and kindness as cancers which need be cut out to save the crusade, with you acting as the God's chosen surgeon? is ok in wotr. converse, is nothing wrong with playing the goody two shoes angel and embracing necromancy simultaneous... 'cause that is how wotr rolls. is maybe one (or two) good necromancy spells available to arcane casters not available to clerics, and loremaster fixes that problem as you are able to select spells from spell books otherwise off limits to your chosen class. unfortunate, if you go combined spell book angel, then chances are you will find yourself casting angel spells during every difficult encounter, making your necromancy largely pointless. also, is no question lich has access to the best necromancy spells, and is not even a close call, but is nevertheless other ways to achieve a viable necromancer build including an angel cleric. HA! Good Fun!

maybe not as likely to enrage the nation as dobbs overturning roe, but am thinking this one could be equal problematic as it releases the pandora's box o' horrible the Court narrow avoided with the bigoted colorado cake maker. commercial speech has always been treated different, but the current Court has weaponized First Amendment religious freedom and speech protections to effective defend historical entrenched values circa the 1860s and 1780s often at the expense o' common sense and even the health and welfare o' the multitude. who were being routine discriminated in 1787 and 1868? everybody but white men. how could such an overt biased standard not make a reasonable person shudder? the lawyers for the plaintiff suggest there is limits as to whom a person engaged in a business transaction may refuse service, but they proposed no specific limits and am not sure how The Court could possible craft a general rule which would clarify as 'posed to confuse. same-sex marriage is enough o' an affront to religious freedom such that the business owner may refuse service, but denying services to disabled or minorities is a bridge too far? why exact? what is the legal argument for distinguishing? we thought the legal reasoning in obergefell were suspect even if am personal in favour o' same-sex marriage. however, obergefell is law and am not sure how this Court pretends it ain't relevant. based on responses during oral arguments, Justices for the majority is considering the religious and artistic freedoms o' the business owner, but am not sure how such invalidates the protections we assume is relevant in other business settings when a person belonging to a suspect class is denied equal consideration. of course you can't fire a person from their job 'cause o' their race, religious beliefs or disabilities, but is possible to deny those same persons business services? and maybe is not ok to deny business to racial minorities and disabled persons but those engaged in a same-sex union is fair game, but if such is the case, what is the reason for the exception? am most concerned this will be another situation where the Court works backwards from a desired conclusion (i.e. allowing businesses to refuse service to teh gayz) and cobbles together a flawed historical analysis to legitimize the illegitimate. with each such new case, the Court undermines american faith in the rule of law. HA! Good Fun!

The combat statistics for all the aircraft currently in use am having no idea how accurate the data is from the link. am only sharing the first entry so individuals may know how the data were shared. [Name of aircraft] Air-to-air kills – Air-to-air losses – Losses to ground fire [Name of conflict aircraft was used in] [Nation that used aircraft in said conflict] Air-to-air kills – Air-to-air losses – Losses to ground fire F-16 Falcon 76-1-5 Gulf War (USA) 0-0-3 No-Fly Zones (USA) 2-0-0 Bosnia (USA) 4-0-1 Kosovo (USA) 1-0-1 Kosovo (Netherlands) 1-0-0 Kosovo (Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, Turkey) 0-0-0 Afghanistan (USA, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway) 0-0-0 Iraq (USA) 0-0-0 Syrian border clashes 1979-1986 (Israel) 6-0-0 Operation Opera (Israel) 0-0-0 Lebanon War (1982) (Israel) 44-0-0 Lebanon War (2006) (Israel) 3-0-0 Intifada (2000-present) (Israel) 0-0-0 Soviet-Afghan War (Pakistan) 10-0-0 Border clashes (Pakistan) 1-0-0 Kargil War (Pakistan) 0-0-0 Northwest border wars (Pakistan) 0-0-0 Aegean Sea clashes (Turkey) 1-1-0 Venezuelan Coup 1992 (Venezuela) 3-0-0 HA! Good Fun!

*chuckle* so complaining in spite o' not actual knowing? hardly shocking. *sigh* so what? is not that obsidian ignored your complaint, eh? your hyperbolic statements 'bout xp and why the degenerative aspects o' xp farming were sought to be limited is more evidence o' ridiculous. players most certain did not hit cap midway through the game, but admitted 'cause o' the blunder with bounties, the cap were reachable before twin elms. Gromnir has pointed out dozens of times how the obsidians blundered with their xp rewards as they were so sure they had a scheme which would have completionists and critical path players reach endgame separated not by a gulf but o' a trickle. again, so what? you diehard ie game romantics never explained why the per kill xp made the game better. the fact obsidian failed in their implementation and ended up with results more akin to bg1 is hardly some kind proof the ie games did better or that obsidian's goal were wrong. if you were reasonable and rational you would see how the complaints 'bout reaching the level cap early in poe actual supports what obsidian were trying to do. duh. bg2 did have a solution: bioware simply made it possible to level ad nauseum 'cause the only benefit were the hit point grant. no, you don't think to criticize them in spite o' the obvious hypocrisy. no, and is missed 'cause o' inane reply/quote, they did something complete different from what you describe and not at all related to your complaint. you didn't like endurance/stamina? fair. many didn't. the developers worked on endurance/stamina over the course o' two games and whether you believe it ended up better or good is an individual choice, they clear weren't implementing simply to be unnecessarily complicated or 'cause they hated the ie games. doesn't matter if all your complaints were either objective wrong or based on no more than feels, 'cause. just 'cause. you recall josh not responding and we show links. you recall xp divorced from reality? just roll with it. you recall endurance/stamina in a curious obtuse manner and we show link which reveals continued developer input attempting to find a better way to implement the feature. groundhog day. HA! you recalled incorrect obsidian level and frequency o' feedback for poe as well as the goals and behavior re: endurance/stamina. why would anybody trust your recollects? regardless, if were so meaningful and memorable then make those arguments. we can wait. tell us the detailed and well explained reasons for per kill xp, insta kills, pre buffing, resistance to endurance/stamina, etc. is definite bringing back memories o' poe... the indefatigable. HA! Good Fun! ps apologies for the late edit. seems we accidental cut off a couple sentences in our last reply/quote exercise in silly.

necromancy is not the strongest school, but as long as you play core or lower difficulty, you should be ok. most conjuration spells ignore sr, which early in the game is a big deal for a caster. if you are playing on a higher difficulty, then the best spells and dc boosting gear is likely pushing you towards enchantment or illusion. but again, necromancy is more than viable on core or lower difficulties and our first ember build were necromancy and evocation focused and she were highly effective. dirge bard is a kinda fun necromancer as you may spontaneous raise dead, are able to cast numerous necromancy spells, and the powerful enchantment spells on your spell list will work v. corporeal undead... including hideous laughter. the drawback for bards is after the change to guarded hearth, bard song competence bonuses do not stack with guarded hearth, which means your signature ability is gonna be useless during most boss fights. is a whole bunch o' azata abilities and spells which is gonna make your mind affecting spells particular powerful. a single level o' sorcerer, or all sorcerer, means you may take the undead bloodline which works similar as dirge bard secrets of the grave resulting in your mind affecting spells working on many undead, so is possible to play cleric or other class and effective get the necromancy flavour. an ecclesitheurge cleric with one level o' crossblood sorc and at least the charm domain is gonna be a serious powerful necromancer, able to cast many o' the best enchantment and necromancy spells. witch or wizard spell casters pair well with lich, though there is melee builds which also work well with lich. is possible to have over 1000 hp as a lich, so a few obscure melee builds become viable. lich and angel is kinda noteworthy 'cause if you choose the combined spellbook caster route, then it is tough to build wrong as lich and angel spells is ridiculous op. the writing for lich is a bit over-the-top, but if you want to be mythic powerful, roll stomping your way through encounters as you indulge in teh evhul, then lich is a win choice... we s'pose. there is a couple companions who do not like a lich commander. perhaps counter-intuitive, it is possible to keep all companions if you go the demon path. am personal not looking forward to doing another lich, but it is possible to choose gold dragon after lich, which is something we wanna try in part 'cause am not certain how such is implemented and is few aspects o' the game we ain't tried. haven't spoiled self. even so, is a long haul to get through lich to gold dragon. maybe requires patience we do not possess. is a whole lotta less than obvious pitfall choices with wotr class/ability/spell selection, so don't hesitate to ask for feedback when you arrive at a preliminary choice for your next commander. HA! Good Fun! ps am knowing we linked already, but ember's good end with nocticula is the current pathfinder canon. it is in a subsequent adventure path, return of the runelords, which has nocticula achieve her apotheosis, and obviously ember ain't the trigger, but by embracing her innermost warm and fuzzies the first succubus becomes a chaotic neutral goddess o' midnight, artists and outcasts. nocticula's redemption hinges 'pon time travel btw, so canon is no more improbable than the ember route.

you are confusing poe2 with poe1, so, "yeah, no." am not sure how many times josh would respond ad nauseum to sensuki or others, in a single thread, trying to explain why water is wet or asking for more than feels arguments. am not sure the point regarding metagaming. obsidan were not trying to avoid making best classes or best abilities. how many times this point needed be made is baffling. what they did were make sure all the classes were viable and useful. the nonsense 'bout metagaming is just strawman silliness as that were never a thing... evar. heck, obvious poe and poe2 were designed with reload in mind. a few encounters were first time difficult even for Gromnir who had played the beta improbable hours. for poe, the radiant spore, raedric 1/2, anything with an ogre druid, the dragons (mowrghek ien were taking us more than one try or three,) concelhaut, etc... all those were quite obvious designed with reload in mind. as far as trash mobs, poe has far fewer than any ie game and as there is no xp reward for confronting them anyways there shoulda' been motivation to avoid when possible, but too many gamers, trained by innumerable previous crpgs, killed everything, 'cause. 'cause they would get more money even if they didn't get xp? 'cause you never know when a rando mob might have something kewl? dunno. on the wilderness maps, most o' what you could possible describe as trash mobs may be ignored. yeah, the endless paths were a mess and obsidian admitted such were a mistake 'cause they never planned on so many levels, so they kinda threw more than a few sections together w/o much design other than an attempt to minimal fulfill a stretch goal. edit: am gonna admit galvino's workshop felt like an unnecessary inflated and punishing slog. endless paths were bad and 'ccording to developers (who apologized) were the result o' rushed implementation, but the galvino's location offered almost no solutions save for punishing and repetitive combat and it were done intentional. that said, if you embrace the "spiritual successor" stoopid, then galvino's were a serious nostalgia moment for those who recall dragon's eye from iwd or any o' a dozen other simillar locations from the ie games. as for your feels about the difficulty o' a few trash mobs... *snort* so, what ie game got it right insofar as trash mobs? please tell. how is the feedback with owlcat going insofar as trash mobs, eh? see, statements like this show you is trolling. clear the effort weren't to be convoluted. maybe you think health/stamina were too convoluted, but obvious such weren't the goal and am gonna note the system were changed for poe2. heck, health/stamina were changed w/i poe as a response to the beta concerns. the folks who didn't get the bg2.5 or bg3 they wanted complained endless that obsidian were unresponsive when fact were obsidian were highly reactive and involved, but the developers didn't always agree with the leave it as it is pov and the feels arguments were providing zero help. you are remembering the way you want to, ignoring reality. not a new problem. HA! Good Fun!

not complete wrong. speaking o' time travel, set the wayback machine for 2016 HA! Good Fun!

got a few quibbles with the vid, but am gonna agree time travel is rare a satisfactory explanation unless is done for laughs, with the notable admission we enjoyed edge of tomorrow. even so, if the time travel plot device is a significant aspect o' the new indiana jones movie, am gonna be taking a pass until multiple reliable sources convince us an exception to our general rule o' applicability is warranted. HA! Fun! Goo

one o' the advantages o' having posted on these boards for so very long is a useful kinda perspective. top three complaints o' bg1 via community feedback: 1/2) too hard/too ez 3) the tedious empty wilderness maps punctuated by a gnoll or bandit encounter were not fun. inappropriate difficulty were always the most frequent complaint regarding the ie games, but the next most common complaint were regarding the horrible implementation o' "exploration" in bg. particular following totsc, the fan base were overwhelming demanding more durlag's tower kinda content and less o' the gameplay hour inflating rando wilderness maps and their micro-encounters. ... top three complaints for bg2 via community feedback: 1/2) too hard/too ez 3) not enough exploration. ... is a no win for developers. also, unrelated to your post, but... Balance in Single-Player CRPGs and Why POE II became unplayable for me seriously, there is rare a new topic on these boards. the exploration stuff we has seen do the pendulum thing in so many games? the suggestion that balance is pointless or that poe "failed," 'cause the obsidian developers hated the ie games? looking on the bright side, the #4 overall fan complaint for bg1 were likely regarding the underdeveloped bg1 companions, so clear the biowarians were able to glean something useful from boardie feedback and make changes which improved a subsequent title. is not all just a groundhog day situation with the end result being inevitable. HA! Good Fun!

this were the problem faced by the obsidian developers. fanbase wanted bg3, but those fans couldn't express what were essential for a bg3 'cept that anything not like the earlier games were wrong. josh would ask here or elsewhere why some aspect or ie staple were necessary and the fan bases would predictably split w/o providing any meaningful guidance. the little things added up? non specific combat issues and narrative changes were a gestalt bridge to far? not "spiritual successor" enough, even though obsidian never promised such. personal we had very specific problems with the poe narrative, but am not gonna suggest poe were lacking in the writing department compared to bg or any other ie game save perhaps ps:t, recognizing that both ps:t and poe kinda lost momentum at the end. fortress of regrets and breith eaman/sun in shadows were similarly tedious from a gameplay pov and the culmination o' the respective stories were almost anti-climactic and representative o' a common problem for near all bis/obsidian games with the conclusion being either rushed or just plain unsatisfactory. 'course we kinda beat the narrative issues o' poe and deadfire to death many times. one frequent overlooked negative o' poe writing we will address specific 'cause is so often ignored were the fact the poe companions were unnecessarily, but understandably, tasked with all kinda world building exposition. new setting for poe meant there were gonna be considerable info dumps o' world lore, and the joinable companions were an obvious vehicle for communicating such lore. were a mistake to use companions. 'cause o' the nature o' companion quests in a crpg being advanced primarily through dialogues, a player were functional compelled to endure every lore drop 'cause you never knew which new dialogue option were the one which would lead to furthering the companion quest. awkward. clumsy. yeah, the lore dumps were optional, but as a player you had no way o' knowing which dialogues were in fact optional, so the exhausting exercise o' world building exposition were carried out in large part by joinable companions which could make 'em feel dull. am gonna suggest it were a mistake to have companions do the world building exposition even if the companions were the obvious way to achieve world building and recognizing that the lore drops were in fact technical optional. however, am thinking poe achieved a major advancement with their companions... which they inexplicable abandoned in deadfire. crpg companion quests/romances is often tangential and largely insular from the main quest. doing so makes sense from a gameplay pov 'cause the developers don't know who is gonna be any individual's essential party member. by giving the player agency, the solution is to be making individual companions less integral to the story even if they is essential for some particular plot point. more than a couple kotor/kotor2 companions, for example, were integral to plot but they did less to bolster themes o' the respective games... kreia being a noteworthy exception. for poe, obsidian did different in spite o' fact what they did should be the obvious approach-- all poe companion quests/stories reinforced the core themes o' poe in spite o' fact they were largely tangential to to the main plot. all poe companions, regardless o' being functional insular, tangential and optional insofar as the core narrative were concerned, explored questions o' faith. duh. obvious. why doesn't all story-driven crpgs do as did poe? 'course you would have individual companion stories bolster the main narrative from a thematic perspective even if they is non essential to the main plot, yes? nevertheless, so few games do so. oh well, as the first title in a new ip, poe succeeded far more often than it failed... though it did fail at times. deadfire were an improvement on poe, save for writing aspects such as the narrative relegating the player to a kinda pointless observer insofar as the greater events involving the gods and eothas as well as once again including companions who contributed almost nothing useful to the core narrative. HA! Good Fun! ps so is clear, purchasers and prospective purchasers do not owe developers a detailed accounting o' why they is ok with game A but not game B. we can't explain why we prefer vanilla to chocolate ice cream, but remains true that as 'tween the two, am gonna choose good vanilla as 'posed to good chocolate. is up to obsidian to make games people buy. no doubt obsidian developers, believing they has crafted an excellent title, wonder at why their sales don't match a few other developers. would be helpful if the player feedback were a bit more constructive, but is obsidian's job to figure out the right formula success. even so, the poe feedback pre and post release were a nightmare from our pov and musta' been worse for obsidian. typical we saw a comical polarized torrent o' support or condemnation following each obsidian suggestion, and the feedback were ordinarily devoid o' reasons or rationale as 'posed to fan feels.

our first reaction were to sneer at another vulgar (and kinda ridiculous) christmas cash grab. then we reflected 'bout what is perhaps our favorite christmas album. not on same album, but is making our top 5 o' christmas tunes. so 'pon reflection is tough for us to chide lucas arts or disney or whomever were responsible for releasing your shared title. clear would be hypocritical to aim scorn at star wars if am ok with peanuts, eh? HA! Good Fun! ps added greensleeves 'cause fantasia on greensleeves is also among our top five christmas music tunes and am thinking the vince guaraldi bit is fantastic regardless o' how we feel 'bout jazz.

next wednesday, eh? admitted am not interested in being part o' the alpha, but am gonna be positive 'bout the milestone occurring earlier than we had anticipated. sure, we saw at twitter the alpha were gonna begin before end o' the year, but am nevertheless a smidge surprised. does owlcat enforce a hardcore nda for alpha testers? if not perhaps shady (if he does alpha) shares feedback. HA! Good Fun!

am pretty sure the "stupid stuff" were intentional and such ham-fisted additions were a result o' fans not getting the first movie. raiders of the lost ark was s'posed to be b movie fare, but with aaa production values... plus enough overt classic movie homage to have even the most hardcore movie fan chuckle a bit. unfortunately what @Amentep, lucas, spielberg and kasdan saw as the point o' the indy films is not necessarily what audiences liked 'bout raiders, so particular in temple of doom, and crystal skull, the makers o' the film were a smidge less subtle(<-- sarcastic hyperbole) and went all-in on what inspired them to make the movies in the first place. everybody in raiders is playing it serious as they deal with over-the-top nazis and improbable events-- stupid stuff. 'course the raiders audiences were treated to a john williams score, incredible sets as well as great performances and fantastic camera work, so audiences understandable took the film more serious than were intended. is just a guess, but am thinking temple o' doom were an effort o' the film makers to course correct, so audiences would be able to enjoy the indiana jones films the way lucas and spielberg enjoyed flash gordon and similar fare. unfortunately, temple of doom kinda underwhelmed or confused audiences, so there were a return to formula with last crusade. keyrock is clear a fan o' the temple of doom kinda material, which is hardly a shock. the thing is, am thinking lucas, spielberg and kasdan, 'mong others, were wrong to try to accentuate and rehabilitate the stupid stuff. the old flash gordon, buck rodgers, and spy smasher serials weren't intended to be stupid at the time they were made. we look at such films today and smile approvingly at the b fare, but is not as if the makers o' spy smasher saw themselves as purveyors o' ridiculous. am gonna suggest temple of doom and crystal skull unnecessarily wanted audiences to realize the indiana jones films is b movie fare by pushing the "stupid stuff" a bit too hard. HA! Good Fun! ps am gonna observe just how difficult it is to hit the right balance o' serious v. "stupid stuff." those familiar with the fallout franchise o' crpgs will recognize just how contentious has been fan response following every fallout title release subsequent to the original. is a not insignificant % o' fans who are extreme serious 'bout fallout. personal we saw fallout as overt camp, but Gromnir pov is so not how the game were viewed at nma.

end result is same, but much sounds different. for example, we got a serious tax advantage for capital gains in the US, but it don't cover real property save for your personal residence and even then there is a limit. US capital gains is nevertheless a factor, but only in a tangential way and is likely not a root cause o' our current rental crisis. is also a mistake to generalize as a US issue given each state and city is gonna have laws, rules and ordinances which change the equation more than a little. most other western nations tends towards a bit more uniformity regarding such stuff as taxes. for example, prop 13 has a significant impact on your personal suffering as a california resident, 'cause compared to most states, property taxes is low, and is lower for people who has owned their property a long time. might come as a shock, but regular people tend to move every decade or so on average... 8 years is the number am recollecting. is more motivation for would-be robber barons to hold onto their income generating property than is for the case o' real people who likely need move at some point for jobs and the like. 'course as hurl is no doubt painful aware, the bay area is not the same as the rest o' the country or even much o' california. rental problems have been an issue for decades in the bay area and is magnified and different compared to parma, ohio or hillsborough, tennessee. however, regardless o' the state or city, depreciation and maintenance cost deductions as well as the ability to carry tax losses forward to subsequent tax years means that owners o' rental properties rare lose in the long run. am s'posing being the owner o' rental property is a bit like being the house in vegas. the biggest single cause o' our current US rental crisis were a result o' the great recession which predictable saw more property end up in fewer hands. covid made the issue worse and if we enter a full blown recession next year, then chances are the property ownership number is gonna shift even more in favor o' the haves and the have-nots will find it more difficult to rent... or buy for that matter. is no ez fixes though 'cause if you are a landlord and your costs sudden increase, then chances are you end up passing on the pain to your tenants, no? would be swell to blame IT ( "it" being whatever you believe the root cause to be) on the fat cats and wall street folks, but the problem is the people most likely immediate f'd by any meaningful solution is the poor and young. HA! Good Fun!