BruceVC

I can't imagine an outcome where the US and Israel stop attacking Iran and then Iran continues there attacks or continues to block Hormuz Anything is possible but it seems very unlikely?

I completed Atomfall after about 50 hours I really enjoyed it and I hope they make an Atomfall 2 and because the game exceeded sales expectations this is possible I ended up choosing the Dr Holder ending, I wont go into details because of spoilers but I was happy with the end result I have already mentioned what I liked about the game, the shortfalls dont detract from all the positive aspects of it So in summary its a well done open-world game lots of different quests and several different endings that motivate exploration Quests tips and updates are provided by notes you find and its a good way to progress without making objectives too easy clever mechanics like the barter system, skills advancement and metal collector as a way to find resources a good survival balance of having to find resources and how you find those resources. Its challenging but not frustrating Combat is fun and different skills and weapons matter A good and realistic fast travel system, you can use a rapid travel network which is basically an underground train that only takes you to a single location on each map. So it saves time but you still need to walk to specific locations on each map I decided to play the DLC Red Strain in the middle of the main narrative. You have to play the DLC like this because the game ends once you choose a final option. Red Strain is a worthwhile DLC with new weapons and a whole new map that ties into the main narrative around Oberon Defintely recommend this game and it scores a 70/100 on the highly respected " BruceVC game rating system "

Trump will want to end this latest conflict where he can claim a win which is why he isnt committed to regime change because that is unrealistic and would require massive US ground resources So a " win " to him I predict will be in 5-6 weeks where he can say they have destroyed\degraded much of Irans military infrastructure Iran will obviously accept any ceasefire because they fighting a defensive battle What it will mean in the long-term is Iran will be able to rearm and rebuild because the current regime is still in place with the same fundamentalist views Thats why these latest US objectives have always been nebulous and unconvincing, you can achieve an objective of ending Iran's nuclear objectives because the IAEA can monitor this agreement but how do achieve " Iran wont be a threat to the region " or other similar rhetoric And this confusion exists because the US has allowed itself to be influenced by the Israeli objectives

https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/crude-oil The oil price is back in the 80's range. This is to be expected because the oil price volatility is only because of risk sentiment , speculation and supply chain issues because of Irans actions to try to deliberately cause economic chaos because they have no other effective military strategy against the US or Israel Its cowardly but also predictable The main point Im highlighting is the oil price will return to levels before this latest conflict because the fundamentals of global oil supply and demand haven't changed As I mentioned before I think we will see the US ending its military campaign in 5-6 weeks so this type of better oil price is good news while we wait " WTI crude futures held below $85 per barrel on Wednesday, holding a sharp decline from the previous session after reports that the International Energy Agency proposed the largest release of oil reserves in its history, surpassing the 182 million barrels the group released in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Oil markets remained volatile amid mounting uncertainty surrounding the Iran war and shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz. After Trump said that the conflict could end soon, US officials indicated that military operations were intensifying and the chances for diplomatic talks remained slim. Energy Secretary Chris Wright also mistakenly posted a message claiming that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the narrow waterway near Iran, before the White House later clarified that no such operation had taken place. Major Middle Eastern producers have collectively reduced output by more than 6 million barrels a day as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut. "

That also happened to me, Woljif left my party and I never found him again Its a known bug that some people experience

Every war in the ME and event that causes instability causes a temporary increase in the oil price and then once the war is over the oil prices stabilizes and drops This happens every single time because of risk sentiment, speculation and supply chain issues like Iran closing the Straits of Hormuz The oil price doubled during the First Gulf War Here is a link that highlights the most significant events in the ME that create this oil price increase. This will only benefit Russia temporarily because the current oil price levels will drop back to levels before this latest conflict because the fundamentals of oil supply and demand havent changed InvestopediaHistory of Oil PricesA history of the major moves in oil prices including the Arab oil embargo, First Gulf War, 2008 financial crisis, and 2020 crisis. " First Gulf War In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, sending the price of oil soaring from about $65 per barrel to over $90 by the next month. After a U.S.-led military coalition succeeded in removing Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces from Kuwait in early 1991, the price fell to about $44.94 Macrotrends. "Crude Oil Prices - 70 Year Historical Chart."

The one game that I have played that truly provides an evil path is the Czech RPG Inquisitor You can decide to align with the demonic forces, end up fighting the Archangel Gabriel as the end boss and plunging the entire world into eternal darkness Of course I didnt follow that path but there are various dialogue options that align with the evil path you can follow That game had the darkest narrative of any game I have ever played. Its really worth playing, you just need to accept the terrible combat mechanics

Thats always my problem, I just cant make the evil choices. I always feel guilty So I generally stick to my favorite RPG archetype, a Conan personality Never say no to a damsel in distress, chase money and wealth but I have a sense of honor and a moral code of things I wont do

Im about 15 hours into Atomfall and its time for my first review Its a great game, really fun with some excellent design mechanics It doesn't have the vast narrative choices, game world size or factions of Fallout or the horror and survival excitement of STALKER or METRO but it delivers in other ways. It obviously had a limited budget so the developers worked with what they could which is fine The best part of the game is the exploration mechanics, you find notes and general advice around quests and then you have to explore which I love I have avoided using almost any gaming guides or tips because the maps are not that vast where you cant put the effort in So for example one quest was about finding a missing soldier and you end up tracking his notes between 3 maps and you find him because they mention a location, like " he was heading to this Manor X" The combat is simple but fun, you cant block or dodge in melee but you can kick to stun enemies Guns are well done and the physics work, you cant just blast every enemy because ammunition is scarce . So I have ended up using a bow and cricket bat as much as possible. There are only a few enemy types but its fine because combat is always strategic and engaging so you never get bored by "quick wins " I have fought 2 robots and it requires a specific strategy to defeat them which is never easy And then they have implemented a very good skill system, you need to find books\manuals to learn skills and to advance skills so you always motivated to explore or you can buy certain skills but they very expensive The barter system is also clever and unusual, you dont have money but you trade goods and the merchant has a scale so you can see when they will accept your offer. So again you have to explore and find things if you want to trade You also have limited space in your inventory so Im constantly aware of what I need to keep, drop or trade. You cant hoard items Overall, a really positive experience and the game definitely delivers on no quest hand holding and open world design. You can go anywhere on any map you want I will do another review after 30 hours or so

Yes, thats my point Israel knows that killing leaders of these groups wont change the ideological views of these groups Thats not why they do it So I doubt they would now think killing the Iranian leadership is going to suddenly change things in Iran like in Venezuela

You could be right but it wouldn't be a very good assessment of Iran and Israel is typically aware of how these things unfold Irans anti-US sentiment is decades long, the hardliners have created an entire culture and ideology that is deeply influenced by resistance to " US imperialism", And they dislike Israel even more By killing the Iranian leadership it doesnt seem likely they would now end up like Venezuela by immediately starting to reverse Maduros failed policies The ME and its various fundamentalist and extremist groups don't generally operate or think like that. How many times has Israel killed Hamas or Hezbollah top leaders and they still have the same views? So if the US and Israel did believe that it doesn't support the reality and history

Yes, some GOP politicians do think a ground invasion makes sense. But thats normal in the US, politicians have different opinions Thats not going to happen because that would mean the US becomes involved in a protracted war and Trump wants to avoid that, this latest military campaign is already deeply unpopular and he wants a "quick win " using airstrikes And I definitely dont believe the US would sink one of its own carriers to try to justify conventional war But if Iran does that it would be a different story

Because if they sink a US Carrier then the US would be "justified " to unleash its full military might Imagine the headlines " thousands of US sailors killed ", even the Dems would back full military action\declaration of war after this and the Iranian hardliners want to survive Its safer for Iran to continue to target Israel and Gulf States that dont have proper defenses because the objective is you create enough chaos, interruption and global economic harm with the hope that this will put pressure on the US to end its military campaign Its a much better strategy than a conventional war with the USA

Interesting clarification from Rubio, the US military objectives are not about regime change but that would be ideal if the Iranians themselves could do that ( not sure how they could but anyway ) The US military objectives are about destroying Irans ability to launch missiles, drones and get nukes. I'm also not sure how you can achieve this, I assume by bombing every Iranian military site? Rubio says US launched strikes against Iran because of pl...Top diplomat says US understood its assets would be hit by Iran in retaliation for a preemptive Israeli strike, even though Jerusalem seen as unlikely to have acted without Trump's blessing "Asked whether regime change was a goal in Iran, as US President Donald Trump has indicated in the past, Rubio said the US would love to see it happen, but it is not among the aims of the current military operation. “Our mission and our focus is the destruction of missiles and the ability to manufacture them, as well as their naval capabilities,” Rubio said. The remarks caused further confusion, as Trump earlier Monday listed two other aims for Operation Epic Fury: ensuring Iran cannot support proxy militia groups or obtain a nuclear weapon. “That said, we hope that the Iranian people can overthrow this government,” Rubio said. “Whoever runs the regime, the goal is to ensure that they don’t have missiles and drones to threaten us,” he said, seemingly adding another war aim — neutralizing the Iranian drone threat."

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/03/us-strikes-destroy-irans-main-naval-assets/ The US has destroyed much of Iran's navy, this is relevant because it will limit Irans ability to close the Straits of Hormuz and launch drones and missiles " U.S. Central Command confirmed the destruction of the Shahid Bagheri, Iran’s recently commissioned drone and helicopter carrier, during strikes on March 2. The vessel, which had only entered service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy on February 6, 2025, represented a major investment in Iran’s naval power projection capabilities. Converted from a 240-meter container ship over two years, the 40,000-ton carrier featured a 180-meter ski-jump runway and could operate for up to a year at sea without refuelling, according to Iranian naval officials."