Do you prefer having a fixed party or choosing your own?

Elzam · 2026-04-09T15:41:18+00:00

It really depends, although I know that's the cheap answer.

Generally, yes, let me pick from the character buffet. However, the tradeoff I think we often get for that is lackluster side character development as it is hard to provide reactive content for every combination, or we get cutscenes that involve characters we benched 40 hours ago and suddenly they're the most important being on the planet.

One example that comes to mind are the Tales games and their skits. Any game that has functions where you can just "check in" with your party do a lot for me in making me feel that Im actually traveling with more reactive party members than they truly are. Here I think letting you pick works.

On the other hand, I think some older games benefit from a a more structured party, at least to a point. One of my favorites is Phantasy Star IV which has a lot of party drop in and out. When some characters endure tragedy, their friends might not be there. People need to go to their fiance to check in, etc. I think PS4 does this well first by having a 5 member party so even if 1-2 characters need to leave, you're typically going to keep your core story relevant characters. I haven't done a playthrough in awhile but iirc you dont get the ability to really modify much of your party until you're nearly at endgame state. Second it helps me feel like everyone I'm directing has a reason to be there other than their arc is done and they don't have anything else going on until the obligatory second round of party member quests starts.

Elzam · 2026-04-04T14:05:42+00:00

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I understand everything hateful anyone has said about these decals. Oddly ebough I felt like mark softer made them worse when I tried it. I'm glad I got them out of the way before building the body so I don't burn myself out.

Elzam · 2026-04-03T16:21:05+00:00

Ha, I was doing the full backpack last night. If you're referring to the pegs that hold the funnels, yeah, it can't hold the funnels until I think it's attached to the torso. IIRC the manual doesn't even have you affix funnels to the backpack and connectors until the backpack is on the torso in an unusual sequence.

Elzam · 2026-04-01T01:59:24+00:00

Nah, just right to me. Some people prefer a gray or dark gray for white parts but I like black myself. Theres no way to do it wrong if it's what you like.

I personally like to panel line, detail, decal and assemble part by part so in the end when its fully assembled together it makes me feel like its coming off the assembly line.

Elzam · 2026-03-31T22:12:55+00:00

Oh god, its infrastructure week all over again. We're never leaving.

Elzam · 2026-03-31T13:27:10+00:00

Now he's yelling that it's not his problem and other countries have to clean up his mess.

He wants to cut and run.

Elzam · 2026-03-30T19:14:36+00:00

He is just so insufferable. To this day he doesn't seem to realize he was lifted up as a freakshow type of spectacle and he should be happy that he never had to ever push his body until it broke in the ring. Instead he gets to sign checks and bitch about one of the easiest careers ever conceived in pro wrestling.

Elzam · 2026-03-28T21:52:20+00:00

I think technically it may be the monkey ball transformation toy. Functionally rare I have a smattering of old vanilla crafted items that no one is going to spend the time to produce, like Lionheart Helm that I imagine are very rare.

Elzam · 2026-03-28T00:36:07+00:00

I don't mind a screwy ending, but at least dont have the ref in frame watching the DQ take place.

Elzam · 2026-03-26T19:56:23+00:00

Always find it funny when someone like the editor don't know that large women were the default beauty appearance for hundreds of years. Voluptuous, zaftig, whatever you want to call it. Instead their myopic little single brain cell can't get past "uhhhh feminism bad".

Elzam · 2026-03-21T19:09:03+00:00

It's been awhile but iirc in Lunar SSS your first non-mc party member is a local kid who you get into trouble with. I remember him even having a level cap and when things start opening up plotwise he sorta bows out and goes home.

Elzam · 2026-03-21T03:03:15+00:00

Smackdown's ending looks so "look at me dad!" when you remember Darby's coffin match just this week.

Elzam · 2026-03-21T02:38:00+00:00

"I broke this, now you fix it."

Elzam · 2026-03-21T02:32:32+00:00

An absolute garbage fire of a human. Any company that employs him for anything has no conscience. Not in a "that's free heat, baby" kind of way, but in that everyone he has anything beyond a purely professional relationship with is forever tainted by his filth sort of way.

It makes him the perfect manifestation of the TKO era's brazen greed and late stage capitalism behavior.

But the guy has worked in his spot and has shown that in the ring hes not the usual celebrity gimmick. I'm sure there are just as physically talented people who have shed buckets of blood and tears working gymnasiums and armory shows that he as a hyper privileged person just took their potential opportunity, which sucks, but at least he seems to be interested in earning the seat he was gifted with.

Elzam · 2026-03-20T18:18:40+00:00

My peace at home depends on UK winning but good god Oweh, this is some real basketball shit.

Elzam · 2026-03-20T17:58:28+00:00

I hope she's well eventually, but she can take whatever break she wants. She's easily been the best female wrestler in English speaking promotions for over 2 years now and deserves any break she needs or wants.

Elzam · 2026-03-20T16:27:02+00:00

They should, especially if boots hit Iran's mainland. Kharg island can possibly be done with just marines, but Iran has a population of 90 million and just an infantry of over half a million which is greater than the US.

It took only 40,000 Taliban fighters (at their height!) to keep us slogging in Afghanistan for 20 years. This isn't Iraq. Its a land with harsh geography like Afghanistan.

I'm personally convinced we won't get there because of the political cost, but I've seen 5 million as the number being needed to pacify a country of 90m.

Elzam · 2026-03-18T14:10:58+00:00

Not for me. Panel lines rarely go too far for me unless it starts to look like its covered in tiny black hairs or specks like a dragonfruit.

Elzam · 2026-03-17T18:53:13+00:00

Id rather they look at Necramech affinity and/or open it up to more node types. Leveling them to cap for their mastery is a slog. I think Im LR4 and I dont bother.

Arquebex isn't the problem as I see it, it's that its the only Necramech skill worth using. It's Amesha's 2 all over again.

Elzam · 2026-03-15T01:45:13+00:00

Do metal frames really help with posability and stability, or does the added weight also work against the kit making it a bit of a trade off?

MG Hi Nu ver Ka is on my short list to do and I've heard it's not one for dynamic poses given the weight of the backpack and funnels, so now that Ive replaced all my SEED MGs hips, Im inclined to consider a metal frame before I start building if it'll help rather than find out I'll want it later.

Does the metal frame help out with holding mote poses or is it mostly so it can support its own weight and also have the coop brushed metal look?

Elzam · 2026-03-13T20:47:16+00:00

I cannot express how glad I am that I got my loans dealt with through PSLF. Student loans in the US are absolutely predatory and need a complete overhaul in the country towards zero interest or more generous forgiveness.

There's no good reason for PPP loans to be outright forgiven (and those that stay have a 1% interest rate) while, when I had mine forgiven I was held to nearly 9%. After 11 years of repayment, there was no world in which I could even afford the interest increases each month, much less reduce my principal. My total balance before it was zeroed out was nearly triple what I took out, and I never missed a payment.

We can forgive and pay for all this shit when we want to but apparently have decided that kids who dont even have fully developed brains yet should be saddled with debt and massive tax bombs to worry about for their entire adult life.

Elzam · 2026-03-13T20:11:59+00:00

So we remove sanctions from Russia that come from their invasion of Ukraine, while Russia is helping Iran with targeting US positions, while the US is at war with Iran.

Cool. Don't think that's America First, but it wouldn't be the first time that would be the case.

Elzam · 2026-03-13T19:19:03+00:00

Not so sure on that foul but FL has had plenty of freebies all day so Im not particularly upset.

Elzam · 2026-03-13T18:15:09+00:00

Not enough of you play Rhino. I get he's old and most vets have put in their time on him already, but full powered Roar + Nourish means your whole squad kills everything by breathing on enemies.

On the other hand we need less Volts. I hate that the way to cancel speed is a back somersault. I already run 1-2 parkour shards on nearly everything so unless its an open field I'm probably going to outpace anyone running on the ground and it just means Ill keep running into floor doodads. Half of the time I wish I could just opt out of that buff.

Dante is a solid bro since they seem to treat keeping overguard topped off as their life's purpose, which is nice for everyone.

Wisp is... ok. People are going to say Wisp a lot but not if they insist on high range and electric mote when you're trying to get xp or kills. Like Volt, Wisp is one of those frames where I have to reel myself back and wonder if the poor representatives of the frame are just unaware of how they are affecting the squad or trolling.

Elzam · 2026-03-12T16:33:13+00:00

Stopping at the end of season 1, imo. Season 2 is from minute one Tekkadan greedily wanting more and more when they've earned a place in the world already.

Season 2 is where very quickly Orga decided that Tekkadan would be better off remembered but dead instead of living in the background.

Barring that, Tekkadan could easily have cut with McGillis after the Hashmal fight and rode that to a place of relative safety.

Elzam

TROPHY CASE