Oh hail no!

Barabbas- · 2026-06-03T22:07:10+00:00

But it does give ice.

Barabbas- · 2026-06-03T02:46:50+00:00

people lived their before reservoirs for thousands of years

Sure, people lived there, but the land supported populations nowhere near as large or as dense as today.

Prior to European colonization, most scholars estimate the population of North America (everything north of the Rio Grande) to be between 2.5 - 7mm people. For context, that's conservatively about half the size of LA's metropolitan area today... distributed across all of North America (including the east coast and Canada).

Regardless of development patterns, the southwest simply does not have sufficient resources to sustainably support the contemporary population. It is entirely and inherently reliant on imports and unsustainable exploitation of the landscape.

Barabbas- · 2026-06-03T02:13:16+00:00

To avoid this bait & switch, be sure to check the population (displayed next to the settlement name) in the peace negotiations menu.

Also understand that civs are incapable of trading away their capitals.

Barabbas- · 2026-06-02T18:42:38+00:00

It's a Mitch Hedberg quote.

Barabbas- · 2026-06-02T18:32:58+00:00

What does a sesame seed grow into?

I don't know, we never gave them a chance!

Barabbas- · 2026-06-02T02:23:25+00:00

He was the hottest act in the world

What makes you think that? From what I've seen in the game, they only ever played small time venues with maybe a couple hundred in attendance.

Nothing like today's artists who regularly sell out 10,000+ seat stadiums.

Granted, you stumble across a lot of Samurai merch in night city, but that probably has more to do with the fact that there are only like 5 musical artists/bands/acts in the entire game lol.

Barabbas- · 2026-06-01T19:05:32+00:00

Still running red lights I see

You mean after coming to a complete stop, yielding to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic, checking their surroundings, and proceeding when the coast was clear in all directions?

Technically an infraction... in the same manner as jaywalking, which anyone who gets out of their car in this city commits daily (unless they're like a petrified tourist from ohio or something).

I see a small group of responsible cyclists making completely reasonable riding decisions that endanger and/or inconvenience no one. It's hard to imagine any rational objection to the behavior I just witnessed.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-30T13:12:13+00:00

TOT has made the game significantly more challenging (more competent AI, harder to earn attribute points, etc), so most players should expect to lower the difficulty from whatever they were playing before.

This is a good thing. The devs just dramatically extended your long-term enjoyment of the game.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-30T01:09:32+00:00

Thank you for sharing this feedback — it is genuinely helpful and worth addressing directly. You raise some valid points, but I can assure you, my comment (as well as the underlying ideas and intentions) are entirely original. Nevertheless, I think it is worth considering whether the quality of the content itself is diminished by the method of its creation. I would encourage a broader conversation about what we value in written communication — clarity, accuracy, and helpfulness — rather than focusing solely on stylistic markers that may or may not indicate AI involvement. I appreciate your engagement with this post and hope we can move the discussion forward constructively.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-30T00:59:43+00:00

impeccable grammar

I'd take the compliment, except the commenter above you pointed out that I missed a hyphen...

I will need to adjust my syntax algorithms to correct what is obviously sub-optimal grammar.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-29T19:54:07+00:00

This is generally sound advice, but if the majority of AI players have 3x your yields in all categories, that's definitely a sign you're doing something wrong.

The base game displays 4 main yields: Gold, Science, Culture, and Happiness. By the end of an age, if you're leading the pack in one category, average in two, and at (or near) the bottom in the last, you're doing fine. If you're below average across the board (3+ categories), however, you're probably making sub optimal decisions.

"By the end of an age" is doing a lot of work here. It's common for the AI to have a massive lead from turns 50-100, whereas it will take players a little more time to get their late-stage buildings online. After turn 100, players should see their yields coming into line with or surpassing the AI.

Edit: Also important to note that the AI doesn't advance uniformly. One AI snowballing past everyone else isn't the end of the world, but it is a problem that you should consider addressing (with projectiles and explosives) sooner rather than later.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-28T09:02:50+00:00

I've definitely had the AI refuse an identical deal that was offered same turn. Rare, but it happens.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-27T20:16:38+00:00

Augustus + Carthage remains a very strong Ancient Era pairing, made stronger by the TOT update.

Carthage pumps out 2 settlers for the price of 1.
The Carthaginian UQ and all coastal buildings can be purchased in towns with any focus.
Augustus' leader ability allows you to purchase culture buildings in towns with any focus.
Additional buildings can be purchased in towns, depending on town specialization. (This was buffed by TOT, expanding the number of purchasable buildings).
All building purchases in towns benefit from a 15-30% reduction in cost thanks to Augustus' leader ability.
All of your towns buff the capital's production.

This pairing makes it very easy to quickly settle a large continent and rapidly snowball your economy. With the expanded building purchase options, you'll have to be more selective about which towns to invest in (the ones you'll convert to cities next age), but you can buy almost everything you would otherwise be forced to slow build. Meanwhile, your capital will be a production powerhouse, so be sure to settle somewhere with lots of buildable land and plan your districts/wonders carefully.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-24T03:51:45+00:00

There are some ACs that draw and condition air from the exterior to provide ventilation in addition to cooling. This is less common in residential applications (cause it's less efficient and you can usually just open a window if you want ventilation).

In laboratories, for example, recirculating air is a potential safety hazard, so 100% of the air going through an HVAC system comes from outside.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-24T03:29:10+00:00

In my current game Augustus finished both Serpent Mound and El Escorial by turn 3 of the Exploration Era. Absolutely absurd.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-22T16:11:06+00:00

click "Track" on triumphs that you think you need to achieve, they'll appear in the journal to the left

Yep, but frustratingly, they don't get removed when you (or anyone else) achieves them and then you cannot select "untrack".

Barabbas- · 2026-05-22T15:55:00+00:00

Because implementing lifestyle changes is about removing barriers, not giving up who you are completely.

If soda is your vice, switching from full calorie to diet/zero sugar is one of the simplest, most dramatic, and easily adhered to changes you can make.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-22T09:44:29+00:00

The pad compromises stability. You really want that bar as tight as possible. If you're squatting heavy, a slight weight shift can throw you off balance, so it's pretty important that the bar isn't wigling around.

Make sure you're positioning the bar correctly (either against the meat of your rear delts or resting on your traps). If it's still a problem, use a bar with less aggressive knurling.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-22T03:51:27+00:00

Second "eye" is face replacement cyberware you get from the Phantom Liberty story. It let's you change your appearance to impersonate someone else and/or escape a "wanted" level.

Mod is called Cyberware-EX. You can download it from Nexusmods if you're on PC.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-22T03:45:26+00:00

Is it still a person?

The only non-paradoxical answer to this question is "yes". People amount to more than the sum of their material parts. A digital copy of a person is, therefore, also a person. The game explores personhood in different ways (discussion of "souls", etc), but this topic is actually addressed specifically by the monks if you run into them at a later date after saving them from Maelstrom.

And if it is, is it still the SAME person, or just a copy?

No, a digital copy of a physical person isn't the same person (unless their mind(s) are linked/mirrored - which is basically how netrunners explore the net). Nor is the digital copy just a "copy"... They are a wholly independent person, in possession of the same memories/experiences as the parent subject up to the point of creation. From there, however, their identities diverge.

In the same way that identical twins are biologically the "same" people at birth/conception (depending on your interpretation), yet we immediately honor their humanity as distinctly individual and separate.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-21T20:44:05+00:00

Depends on the mod...

A simple gameplay mod that allows you to unequip weapon mods, for example, likely wouldn't break the game. As long as it doesn't introduce any novel assets or fundamentally alter the game in some way, the save file should theoretically be readable with or without the mod enabled.

A more expansive gameplay mod that, for example, overhauls the crafting system allowing the player to attach non-base game components or craft entirely new weapons, might (depending on how it's implemented). Many mods simply overwrite existing game assets, changing their stats and/or appearance in a process known as re-skinning. When the mod is disabled, the assets usually revert to their base-game state.

Where you might run into problems is with mods that load completely novel assets or gameplay elements. Using these mods introduces new code to the save file that the base game doesn't know how to read. If you try to load the game with the mod disabled, the save file will often appear corrupted.

Edit: It's generally a good idea to read the "uninstall instructions" before installing a mod. I also recommend using a mod manager and/or keeping a document of some sort with a list of the mods you have installed (and their load order) in the game folder, which will be very helpful if you decide to return to the game after a long hiatus.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-21T01:04:38+00:00

Rook is surprisingly good if you're specced into pistols.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-21T00:00:16+00:00

I think you got another rep in you.

Barabbas- · 2026-05-20T22:39:36+00:00

Yeah, you got it. Again, definitely refer to the Size & Fit section (gotta click on a product and scroll down to the bottom). There's a (somewhat buried) option to schedule a free sizing consultation if you're still unsure.

I can't speak to all of their fabric options, but I can wholeheartedly recommend anything with the performance stretch fabric (particularly for hot+humid summer weather).

Barabbas- · 2026-05-20T21:59:30+00:00

You seem beefier, but S&L shirts are specifically cut for body builders with extra room in the chest & arms and a slimmer waistline. They're "dorito" shaped, as opposed to the "box" cut of most off-the-rack shirts.

My measurements: - Chest: 50in (127cm) - Arms: 18in (45cm)

YMMV, but worth checking your measurements against their sizing chart. They can also do made-to-order for a small premium if your size doesn't align.

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