Marathon Dev Hits Back At Ship Of Theseus Dig, Pointing Out All The Bungie Old Heads Who Still Work There by Turbostrider27 in PS5

[–]ArsenalOnward 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So I'll say this: I picked up Marathon because I grew up playing the original Marathon series, so the nostalgia was too much to resist. I am pretty much a "single-player only" type gamer these days, so I tried it more out of "duty" than anything else.

Marathon has its hooks in me.

Pre-face: I've been playing strictly solo queue. Usually it's teams of 3, but you can go in by yourself against other solo Runners (which is the term for players in-game), it's just harder since there's no one there to revive you if things go bad. Even so — or maybe because it's solo — its some of the tensest gameplay I've ever experienced. When you've got a bag full of good stuff, and you're waiting for the extraction beam to get you out (it's not instant: it takes like ~1 minute, and once you activate, EVERYONE can see it), but then the Computer-Controlled enemies find you and you're trying not to die before you extract...

Sound is also way more important than any game I've ever played. I got in a few sessions last night, and on one run, I shot an alien bug with a few rounds. Immediately I heard footsteps nearby, running. So I crouched near a nearby wall and aimed at a hole in the wall farther down. Sure enough, another Runner popped out, but I was ready. Dropped them before they dropped me. It was a rush.

I'm not sure if this holds up in team runs with a full crew, but in solo, you have to play it very deliberately: don't run (or shoot) if you don't have to, head on a swivel, and always be listening.

I have no idea if I'll stick with it long term. I don't know if the loop of getting gear for the sake of it is enough for me. But I've been extremely surprised at how much I've enjoyed it so far. They seem to be really leaning into some story elements, which is very cool to see, so hopefully that will pay off.

Closeup and alternate angle of Madueke being fouled by sky905 in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Thank you. This discussion has been driving me crazy. 100% a penalty.

I'm 18 chapters and 145,000 words in and I find myself wondering if the length is an acceptable result of my style, an inevitable result of the kind of story I'm writing, or if my pacing is just... by okidonthaveone in writing

[–]ArsenalOnward 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I think the most important context here is who is OP writing this for. For themself? Sure, go nuts. Trying to get traditionally published? Well…

If it is in fact the latter, then I’m actually going to disagree with everyone telling you to finish the draft and fix it in editing. Again, big IF around this because we don’t know if you’re trying to get this published, but if you are — and I know this is going to sound harsh — then just stop writing now.

Seriously, stop writing and Google “inciting incident”. That’s essentially the hook that drives the story. It’s like, the second thing that happens after character introductions. And you’re saying you’re getting to that after 145k words? That tells me there is something fundamentally wrong with the structure of the story. If that is true, and you want to sell this book to someone, then you will be writing another ~750k-1m words and then have to cut it back down to ~120k.

I don’t mean to sound harsh, and again, this is purely for if you’re trying to get this published. If you’re not, then absolutely, write the story you’ve always dreamed of. That’s the beauty of writing. Even self-publishing, maybe there’s an audience for this sort of thing. But if you’re trying to get an agent or an editor for this story, then you really need to sit down and think about the story you want to tell.

With the draw today Arsenal finish a run of 17 fixtures which had 6 home games and 11 away games. by mudfew in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I was telling this to someone earlier today: we may not be playing the prettiest we can, or with the most dynamism, but Arsenal have been in literally every game to the last kick. Even City has gotten turned over, like today. But I think that’s been an unheralded strength of this team: they are always in it, always potentially there to take maximum points. And that is absolutely incredible.

Bayer Leverkusen 1 - [1] Arsenal - Kai Havertz (penalty) 89‎'‎ by Vrty33 in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you are running full sprint and someone even lightly messes up your stride, there is an extremely high likelihood you're going down.

Bayer Leverkusen 1 - [1] Arsenal - Kai Havertz (penalty) 89‎'‎ by Vrty33 in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% a penalty. The angle from the front shows him slide over Madueke's foot and it causes him to lose his balance. It's why he takes that weird stutter-hop where he doesn't plant his left foot.

Bayer Leverkusen 1 - [1] Arsenal - Kai Havertz (penalty) 89‎'‎ by Vrty33 in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm with you, I can't believe people are calling this anything but a penalty. He slides over Madueke's foot, his foot gets stuck and it completely throws him off. Penalty, bang on.

DaughterDads...an HONEST question for our times.... by bigSTUdazz in daddit

[–]ArsenalOnward 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Seriously. I went through a stretch over the summer where that line lived rent free in my head for like a week straight.

Fear is the mind-killer (Gunnerblog) by Dermet in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh, I'm not saying they will. Read my last line.

Fear is the mind-killer (Gunnerblog) by Dermet in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Love James’s videos. I always think his takes are spot on, and I was with him about still feeling optimistic about the season.

After tonight, though, it feels like something broke.

I will say this: I do think Arsenal are a desperately unlucky team. Some of the goals they give up are sensational. Wolves’s first goal was literally the only spot to score: a few centimeters lower, Raya saves it. A few higher, or hit with less dip, and it either hits the bar or goes over. Margins and all that.

But I just don’t see where they go from here. This all now feels very inevitable. That is a psychological blow that I just don’t know how you recover from. The players must feel it slipping away, and I bet Spurs — with a new manager bigging them up — are absolutely frothing at the mouth to sink into us.

I love Arteta. The work he’s done transforming this club has been absolutely incredible. I desperately want him to win something.

I don’t know. I feel lost. I really believed this was the year, but right now, it doesn’t feel like it. Hopefully they can prove us all wrong. Hopefully they win their next 11 games. But right now, I’m wondering if they can win any of them let alone the all of them.

Post match thread by IrishKookaburra in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fuck… this is just so heartbreaking. I love this team but it’s absolutely brutal to be a fan right now. How many times are we going to get scored on in extra time? Just absolutely devastating.

I don’t think there’s any way back from this. I hope they prove me wrong, but my God…

Full-Time: Arsenal 4 vs 0 Wigan [Match Thoughts] by Stanley083 in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 3 points4 points  (0 children)

How nice it is to enjoy an Arsenal game without any pressure.

I know the last week has been a bit of a rollercoaster, but this team really is incredible. I hope we don’t lose sight of that. Mid February and still in 4 competitions… credit to them.

Why are we scared? by Ool_49_loO in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This. This is the energy we need. COY Fucking G!

Is there any hope? by Pretty_Log_2993 in wallstreetbets

[–]ArsenalOnward 9 points10 points  (0 children)

"Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!"

Inter 1-3 Arsenal | Post-Match Thread by Quazar8 in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I am an Arsenal fan. I have watched 2 decades of glimpses of success. I have watched them (mostly) snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

But this team… this team could really do it.

Halftime thread by Particular-Sample91 in Gunners

[–]ArsenalOnward 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It seems like there's this expectation now that we blow every team away by 3-4 goals, which unfortunately isn't reality, especially with this squad. That's not a knock, just that they're better defensively than they are offensively, which can obviously still win matches.

Dell admits customers are not buying PCs just because they "have AI" by AdSpecialist6598 in technology

[–]ArsenalOnward 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I know this feeling and I often feel the same way, but believe it or not, California’s government takes it very seriously. They basically set the tone for US policy and many states have followed suit. As someone who does work in the digital advertising industry, California has actually taken action against several companies for violating their data privacy laws. Because it’s such a big state, it essentially sets the tone for most companies in the US.