I think they need to change the MitB rules. Get rid of the cash-in any time gimmick, because it really makes the holder of the case look like a goof if they don't win the belt. Instead, the holder gets to challenge for any belt. They can choose the time, place, and type of match. They have to give at least 24-hours notice.
This still give the winner an advantage, but without the current issues.
Yesterday was the follow up installment of Vince McMahon is a monster, where one of the ladies who had signed an NDA filed suit against Vince and the details are worse than I would have imagined. If true, Vince is a disgusting individual.
My original plans for this week were board game meetup tomorrow afternoon, followed by the Royal Rumble. I'm not sure if I am still watching the Rumble.
It was also a nice contrast to Dredge, which I played right before IIRC. Completely opposite takes on the fish catching theme with some similar gameplay elements, though also a lot of differences.
My sole Autumn Sale purchase was Return to Monkey Island. I was excited when I heard about this, but it took me a while to get around to buying it. I was playing other (lengthy) games, and I didn't want to buy it and never play it. I finally decided to get it and start it right away. I'm playing with the controller on the Steam Deck, and it works well. I think I am about halfway through, and I have enjoyed my time so far.
The Monkey Island humor is still there, but the world has changed a bit. It looks different, since it moved away from the pixelated graphics of yore. It was a controversial move, leading Ron Gilbert to stop sharing updates after online abuse from "fans." I like the look, and it's definitely better than the abominable 3D from Escape (which I never played). Not only has the appearance changed, but Melee Island has seen the ravages of time, and it is not quite the place we remember.
The puzzles (so far) have not been nearly as obtuse as some of the originals. There is a lot more real world logic and less adventure game logic. It also includes a built in hint system that starts with a general nudge and gets more explicit as you go, reminiscent of the guides at uhs-hints.com. It will point you in the right direction without immediately spoiling the solution.
I am not sure if the game would be attractive to people unfamiliar with the series (do people even play point-and-click adventure games anymore?), but it's been enjoyable to revisit.
Digging around earlier, I found an article from last year that about his work digging wells in Camroon. He was working with what appears to be a local nonprofit, CDTVA. I can't speak for any other places, but this suggests he might not just be running renegade and doing whatever he wants.
Sure, but Mr. Beast cannot establish a liberal democracy in African Nations (and I imagine he'd get a lot more criticism if he tried). He can pay for wells, though.
In the playthrough with my wife and me, I have Astarion and she had Shadowheart until we got the Tiefling barbarian whose name I cannot remember. I didn't get the intereactions with Shadowheart, other than what I overheard from her Steam Deck. I didn't recall Astarion being particularly unpleasant, other than being a bit snobby. We missed rescuing Lae'zel, so I don't know about her.
It is weird how many DnD players seem to think evil characters are compelled to do evil all the time, including stabbing their teammates in the back. I prefer intelligent evil. Your companions are useful, so you take care of them. If you play your cards right, maybe you can corrupt them. Get them to see the advantage of taking short cuts that aren't that bad. If it comes down to "them or me," it's obviously them getting sacrificed, but there is no advantage to making bad things happen to the people who work with me.
As far as my own gaming, my wife and I started playing Super Mario Wonder. We found it quite enjoyable, and I appreciate the return to 2D. I also got Armored Core VI last night. I only played through the first mission, and it took me way too many tries to kill the first boss. It just throughs you in with no tutorial other than a few tool tips. Actual tutorials unlock after that. At first I thought "I suck at this game if it takes me this many times to beat the first boss," but I looked online, and it seems to be a common issue. Some people have refunded the game over it.
I have also been playing through Diablo IV's Season 2, which has been a lot of fun. It feels less grindy than before, and the vampire powers are fun to experiment with.
Last Saturday I was supposed to go to a board game meetup. I had missed the last couple for assorted reasons, so I was looking forward to it. I woke up that morning feeling crappy. I thought it might have been a migraine or sinus headache, so I took some medicine. A few hours later, I was feeling worse, not better, so I decided to bail on the meetup. Almost a week later, I still feel bad. I think it's RSV. I stayed home from work Mon and Tue, but I didn't want to burn up a week of PTO, so I went back to the office. Hopefully I don't get my co-workers sick.
My plans for this weekend involve not doing much at all. Just resting, unless I start to feel better.
Maybe next weekend I will be able to play board games again.
Board game meetup tomorrow. Trying out Mind MGMT, a hidden movement game based on the comic book about psychic secret agents. Better finish reading the instructions and learning to play before then.
I have assorted odds and ends around the house that I need to take care of. I have been letting my to-do list grow, so I need to work on tackling that. It will probably be how I spend a good chunk of Sunday.
I got QUBE the other day too, though I didn't think I would try it. Maybe I will now.
Currently playing Stellaris and Starfield. I got Stellaris a few years back, dabbled a little, but never really sank my teeth into it. I finally decided to really give it a good go, and I am approaching the end-game for the first time. This would be my first time reaching the end game in any Paradox strategy title. I might revisit Crusader King 2, after seeing how well this plays on the Steam Deck.
In Starfield, I have been going through the Free Star quest line. I am on the final mission, then I will probably go back to the main quest.
I'm getting ready for a few days of bachelor life. My wife leaves for a conference Sunday morning and returns on Wednesday. What does that mean? I have no idea, other than cooking for one instead of two, and maybe ordering from the Thai place she doesn't really like. Oh, and having to go home on lunch breaks to take care of animals. I guess bachelor life isn't all that great, really.
I have not played Formula D, but I have seen some discussion on Boardgame Geek. If I am not mistaken, Formula D takes a little longer to play. I think it might also lean a little more to the simulation side where Heat leans a little more toward the game side, but I don't think there is a wide gulf between the 2.
My newest acquisition that I have been able to get to the table at our game meetup is Heat: Pedal to the Metal. It's a car racing game driven by cards. Each player has their own deck with cards that they play to determine their speed. The car's gear determines how many cards they must play. You want to go fast on the straightaway, but if you take a corner too fast, you might spin out.
The unique mechanic with this game is the Heat mechanism. Your player mat has a spot representing the engine, and it starts with a certain number of heat cards. When you push your car to do something, such as taking a corner too fast or skipping a gear when shifting, you pay heat, moving it from the engine to the discard pile. Eventually, the heat ends up in your hand, reducing your options, until you are able to use cooldown to put it back to the engine (where it can be spent again.
The game is about managing heat to get the best position coming out of corners to stay ahead of everybody else. There is also a bit of a push-you-luck mechanism in the form of stress cards that give a random speed. The games I have played so far have been pretty close, and it's entirely possible for somebody who falls behind to catch up and take the lead. There are some advanced mechanics, such as weather and a garage that lets you draft upgrade cards, but I am saving those for when I play with a group that has all played at least once.
I also got Boooop, which is a Halloween themed version of Boop. It's a two-player game about placing kittens on a bed, trying to get three in a row to graduate them to cats, and ultimately get three cats in a row. The problem is, whenever you put down a kitten or cat, the ones adjacent to it get booped away one space, which can also knock them off of the bed. It's a cute game with simple rules, but it really requires you to think. I got it to play with my wife, though we don't normally do a lot of competitive games, but she had fun.
I saw that, but if my memory serves me, the game was widely panned. In which case, $4 might not be much, but my time is valuable, so I'm not interested.
For me, third time was the charm, and I was not even looking. I had not sworn off dating or marriage, but I was not trying to find it either. My job had transferred me to Houston, and there was a lady in the lab, and things just clicked. We had really connected well before we ever went on a date, and I debated asking her out for a while. Work relationships can be awkward, especially when your location has only five people in it. Ultimately, I realized there was something there whether we went out or not, and it would get awkward if we didn't resolve it one way or another.
We kept it to ourselves, figuring it was nobody's business, and knowing if things didn't work out, it would be easier if nobody knew. That was almost 9 years ago. We have been married almost 8. The contrast between a good marriage and a bad one is stark. I had also grown up a lot. If we had met a few years earlier, I am not sure things would have worked.
My dating advice? Hope you get lucky, I guess, and work on yourself to be somebody who can be in a relationship so you don't mess up the opportunity when it gets there.
As to this weekend, no major plans. A few chores to do. Probably some BG3 with my wife and some Starfield by myself. I need to finish putting the decals on my ZZ Gundam, and if I finish that, I will probably start on another. I'll probably try to watch a movie or two. Overall, just playing it by ear.
I wonder the same. I was still in Florida when it happened. It was a big deal, but I was more worried about what it meant regarding follow up attacks and whether or not we would end up in a long-term war. Now, it is not something I give a lot of thought to beyond noticing the date and thinking "oh, yeah, that happened." I think for people in NY, it is much more personal because it happened in their home, and there is a good chance they know somebody who died or was involved in the rescue and cleanup, making it much more "real" to them.
"How is allowing rural hospitals to close in anyone’s interest? "
Well, you do not have a 12-hour emergency room wait if there is no ER because the hospital closed.
I preordered starfield, but I didn't pay the extra to start early, so I won't get to dip in until Thursday. I might have time to make a character before I have to leave for work.
In BG:EE, I am in the catacombs. My playing has slowed a bit, because in the evening when I had been playing BG:EE by myself, I have been mostly playing BG3 with my wife. Together, we have reached the Underdark and started working on some tasks for the denizens there. Playing together is fun, but frustrating at times. I try to avoid quarterbacking the whole thing, which means I spend a lot of time in my head going "why is she doing that?" I suspect she has the similar moments in her head, too.
I'll probably end up diving into that one, but I need to finish up Baldur's Gate EE first. I have returned to Candlekeep (and I still have the TotSC content to play through), so I am too close to the end to get distracted by something like Starfield.
Also, looks like it runs poorly on Steam Deck, which is not surprising, but it will limit how much I play.
Most of my gaming has been BG3 with my wife, though we didn't really get to it this weekend. Many nights we can play for about an hour or so, but that can be a frustrating amount of time to play, especially if you get slaughtered in decent sized fight.
Solo, I have been playing Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition. I need to clear the Iron Throne Fight, then I will probably move to the expansion content. I have also been playing Titan Quest. Seeing the announcement that TQ2 was coming gave me the itch to play, so I bought the new expansions and started a new character. I haven't spent much time on it, though. If my wife is still working when I get home, I have been playing while I keep her company. When I finish Baldur's Gate, I might make it my primary game.
The yard needs mowed, so hopefully I can get up early to mow before it gets too hot. I also have some window trim that needs to be primed and then I need to paint that and the siding panels that were put up to replace some rotten stuff. Again, need to get this done early before it gets too hot, which is a pretty narrow window at the moment.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “Weekend Plans Post: The Royal Rumble”
I think they need to change the MitB rules. Get rid of the cash-in any time gimmick, because it really makes the holder of the case look like a goof if they don't win the belt. Instead, the holder gets to challenge for any belt. They can choose the time, place, and type of match. They have to give at least 24-hours notice.
This still give the winner an advantage, but without the current issues.
"
Yesterday was the follow up installment of Vince McMahon is a monster, where one of the ladies who had signed an NDA filed suit against Vince and the details are worse than I would have imagined. If true, Vince is a disgusting individual.
My original plans for this week were board game meetup tomorrow afternoon, followed by the Royal Rumble. I'm not sure if I am still watching the Rumble.
On “Colorado Supreme Court Disqualifies Trump From 2024 Primary Ballot”
Yeah, snark aside, it definitely seems pretty flimsy to this non-lawyer.
"
Unfortunately, not likely to be upheld. Clarence Thomas has a family to feed.
On “Saturday Morning Gaming: Dave the Diver”
Looks they will be crossing over: https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/game-awards-tga/23992943/dredge-dave-the-diver-crossover-2023
"
It was also a nice contrast to Dredge, which I played right before IIRC. Completely opposite takes on the fish catching theme with some similar gameplay elements, though also a lot of differences.
"
Glad you enjoyed it!
My sole Autumn Sale purchase was Return to Monkey Island. I was excited when I heard about this, but it took me a while to get around to buying it. I was playing other (lengthy) games, and I didn't want to buy it and never play it. I finally decided to get it and start it right away. I'm playing with the controller on the Steam Deck, and it works well. I think I am about halfway through, and I have enjoyed my time so far.
The Monkey Island humor is still there, but the world has changed a bit. It looks different, since it moved away from the pixelated graphics of yore. It was a controversial move, leading Ron Gilbert to stop sharing updates after online abuse from "fans." I like the look, and it's definitely better than the abominable 3D from Escape (which I never played). Not only has the appearance changed, but Melee Island has seen the ravages of time, and it is not quite the place we remember.
The puzzles (so far) have not been nearly as obtuse as some of the originals. There is a lot more real world logic and less adventure game logic. It also includes a built in hint system that starts with a general nudge and gets more explicit as you go, reminiscent of the guides at uhs-hints.com. It will point you in the right direction without immediately spoiling the solution.
I am not sure if the game would be attractive to people unfamiliar with the series (do people even play point-and-click adventure games anymore?), but it's been enjoyable to revisit.
On “Well, Well, Well. MrBeast is in the News again.”
Digging around earlier, I found an article from last year that about his work digging wells in Camroon. He was working with what appears to be a local nonprofit, CDTVA. I can't speak for any other places, but this suggests he might not just be running renegade and doing whatever he wants.
https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/mrbeast-new-charity-project-cameroon-1829188/
"
Sure, but Mr. Beast cannot establish a liberal democracy in African Nations (and I imagine he'd get a lot more criticism if he tried). He can pay for wells, though.
"
Maybe some of the smaller NGO's who cannot afford to drill new wells could take on the tasks of helping maintain the wells.
On “Baldur’s Gate III: On Evil Making Things Less Fun”
In the playthrough with my wife and me, I have Astarion and she had Shadowheart until we got the Tiefling barbarian whose name I cannot remember. I didn't get the intereactions with Shadowheart, other than what I overheard from her Steam Deck. I didn't recall Astarion being particularly unpleasant, other than being a bit snobby. We missed rescuing Lae'zel, so I don't know about her.
It is weird how many DnD players seem to think evil characters are compelled to do evil all the time, including stabbing their teammates in the back. I prefer intelligent evil. Your companions are useful, so you take care of them. If you play your cards right, maybe you can corrupt them. Get them to see the advantage of taking short cuts that aren't that bad. If it comes down to "them or me," it's obviously them getting sacrificed, but there is no advantage to making bad things happen to the people who work with me.
As far as my own gaming, my wife and I started playing Super Mario Wonder. We found it quite enjoyable, and I appreciate the return to 2D. I also got Armored Core VI last night. I only played through the first mission, and it took me way too many tries to kill the first boss. It just throughs you in with no tutorial other than a few tool tips. Actual tutorials unlock after that. At first I thought "I suck at this game if it takes me this many times to beat the first boss," but I looked online, and it seems to be a common issue. Some people have refunded the game over it.
I have also been playing through Diablo IV's Season 2, which has been a lot of fun. It feels less grindy than before, and the vampire powers are fun to experiment with.
On “Weekend Plans Post: The Return to the Office”
Last Saturday I was supposed to go to a board game meetup. I had missed the last couple for assorted reasons, so I was looking forward to it. I woke up that morning feeling crappy. I thought it might have been a migraine or sinus headache, so I took some medicine. A few hours later, I was feeling worse, not better, so I decided to bail on the meetup. Almost a week later, I still feel bad. I think it's RSV. I stayed home from work Mon and Tue, but I didn't want to burn up a week of PTO, so I went back to the office. Hopefully I don't get my co-workers sick.
My plans for this weekend involve not doing much at all. Just resting, unless I start to feel better.
Maybe next weekend I will be able to play board games again.
On “Weekend Plans Post: They Have Stopped Making My Preferred Detergent”
Board game meetup tomorrow. Trying out Mind MGMT, a hidden movement game based on the comic book about psychic secret agents. Better finish reading the instructions and learning to play before then.
I have assorted odds and ends around the house that I need to take care of. I have been letting my to-do list grow, so I need to work on tackling that. It will probably be how I spend a good chunk of Sunday.
On “Saturday Morning Gaming: Q.U.B.E.”
I got QUBE the other day too, though I didn't think I would try it. Maybe I will now.
Currently playing Stellaris and Starfield. I got Stellaris a few years back, dabbled a little, but never really sank my teeth into it. I finally decided to really give it a good go, and I am approaching the end-game for the first time. This would be my first time reaching the end game in any Paradox strategy title. I might revisit Crusader King 2, after seeing how well this plays on the Steam Deck.
In Starfield, I have been going through the Free Star quest line. I am on the final mission, then I will probably go back to the main quest.
On “Weekend Plans Post: Crossing the Finish Line”
I'm getting ready for a few days of bachelor life. My wife leaves for a conference Sunday morning and returns on Wednesday. What does that mean? I have no idea, other than cooking for one instead of two, and maybe ordering from the Thai place she doesn't really like. Oh, and having to go home on lunch breaks to take care of animals. I guess bachelor life isn't all that great, really.
On “Saturday Morning Gaming: Roll Through The Ages”
I have not played Formula D, but I have seen some discussion on Boardgame Geek. If I am not mistaken, Formula D takes a little longer to play. I think it might also lean a little more to the simulation side where Heat leans a little more toward the game side, but I don't think there is a wide gulf between the 2.
"
My newest acquisition that I have been able to get to the table at our game meetup is Heat: Pedal to the Metal. It's a car racing game driven by cards. Each player has their own deck with cards that they play to determine their speed. The car's gear determines how many cards they must play. You want to go fast on the straightaway, but if you take a corner too fast, you might spin out.
The unique mechanic with this game is the Heat mechanism. Your player mat has a spot representing the engine, and it starts with a certain number of heat cards. When you push your car to do something, such as taking a corner too fast or skipping a gear when shifting, you pay heat, moving it from the engine to the discard pile. Eventually, the heat ends up in your hand, reducing your options, until you are able to use cooldown to put it back to the engine (where it can be spent again.
The game is about managing heat to get the best position coming out of corners to stay ahead of everybody else. There is also a bit of a push-you-luck mechanism in the form of stress cards that give a random speed. The games I have played so far have been pretty close, and it's entirely possible for somebody who falls behind to catch up and take the lead. There are some advanced mechanics, such as weather and a garage that lets you draft upgrade cards, but I am saving those for when I play with a group that has all played at least once.
I also got Boooop, which is a Halloween themed version of Boop. It's a two-player game about placing kittens on a bed, trying to get three in a row to graduate them to cats, and ultimately get three cats in a row. The problem is, whenever you put down a kitten or cat, the ones adjacent to it get booped away one space, which can also knock them off of the bed. It's a cute game with simple rules, but it really requires you to think. I got it to play with my wife, though we don't normally do a lot of competitive games, but she had fun.
On “Saturday Morning Gaming: The Dad Rock of Starfield”
I saw that, but if my memory serves me, the game was widely panned. In which case, $4 might not be much, but my time is valuable, so I'm not interested.
On “Weekend Plans Post: On Giving Dating Advice”
For me, third time was the charm, and I was not even looking. I had not sworn off dating or marriage, but I was not trying to find it either. My job had transferred me to Houston, and there was a lady in the lab, and things just clicked. We had really connected well before we ever went on a date, and I debated asking her out for a while. Work relationships can be awkward, especially when your location has only five people in it. Ultimately, I realized there was something there whether we went out or not, and it would get awkward if we didn't resolve it one way or another.
We kept it to ourselves, figuring it was nobody's business, and knowing if things didn't work out, it would be easier if nobody knew. That was almost 9 years ago. We have been married almost 8. The contrast between a good marriage and a bad one is stark. I had also grown up a lot. If we had met a few years earlier, I am not sure things would have worked.
My dating advice? Hope you get lucky, I guess, and work on yourself to be somebody who can be in a relationship so you don't mess up the opportunity when it gets there.
As to this weekend, no major plans. A few chores to do. Probably some BG3 with my wife and some Starfield by myself. I need to finish putting the decals on my ZZ Gundam, and if I finish that, I will probably start on another. I'll probably try to watch a movie or two. Overall, just playing it by ear.
On “9/11 at 22: Are We Forgetting?”
I wonder the same. I was still in Florida when it happened. It was a big deal, but I was more worried about what it meant regarding follow up attacks and whether or not we would end up in a long-term war. Now, it is not something I give a lot of thought to beyond noticing the date and thinking "oh, yeah, that happened." I think for people in NY, it is much more personal because it happened in their home, and there is a good chance they know somebody who died or was involved in the rescue and cleanup, making it much more "real" to them.
On “The Brand is the Point: Voting Against Your Interests to Stay in Your Tribe”
"How is allowing rural hospitals to close in anyone’s interest? "
Well, you do not have a 12-hour emergency room wait if there is no ER because the hospital closed.
On “Saturday Morning Gaming: Starfield”
I preordered starfield, but I didn't pay the extra to start early, so I won't get to dip in until Thursday. I might have time to make a character before I have to leave for work.
In BG:EE, I am in the catacombs. My playing has slowed a bit, because in the evening when I had been playing BG:EE by myself, I have been mostly playing BG3 with my wife. Together, we have reached the Underdark and started working on some tasks for the denizens there. Playing together is fun, but frustrating at times. I try to avoid quarterbacking the whole thing, which means I spend a lot of time in my head going "why is she doing that?" I suspect she has the similar moments in her head, too.
On “Weekend Plans Post: Doing the Fair”
I'll probably end up diving into that one, but I need to finish up Baldur's Gate EE first. I have returned to Candlekeep (and I still have the TotSC content to play through), so I am too close to the end to get distracted by something like Starfield.
Also, looks like it runs poorly on Steam Deck, which is not surprising, but it will limit how much I play.
On “Saturday Morning Gaming: Stone Age”
Most of my gaming has been BG3 with my wife, though we didn't really get to it this weekend. Many nights we can play for about an hour or so, but that can be a frustrating amount of time to play, especially if you get slaughtered in decent sized fight.
Solo, I have been playing Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition. I need to clear the Iron Throne Fight, then I will probably move to the expansion content. I have also been playing Titan Quest. Seeing the announcement that TQ2 was coming gave me the itch to play, so I bought the new expansions and started a new character. I haven't spent much time on it, though. If my wife is still working when I get home, I have been playing while I keep her company. When I finish Baldur's Gate, I might make it my primary game.
On “Weekend Plans Post: Winding Down”
The yard needs mowed, so hopefully I can get up early to mow before it gets too hot. I also have some window trim that needs to be primed and then I need to paint that and the siding panels that were put up to replace some rotten stuff. Again, need to get this done early before it gets too hot, which is a pretty narrow window at the moment.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.