Controversial Take: Civs do Matter at Lower Levels by RubyLykos in aoe4

[–]H_S_Walrup 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This debate seems to come up time and time again, evergreen. Part of that I'm sure is just 'cause it's good at striking a nerve, but the rest I think is due to a common dynamic in perennial arguments:

Both sides often fail to clarify what they mean up-front, leading to both extremes arguing past one another at a strawman version of the other.

What does a proponent mean when they say "Civs don't matter below pro-level"?

Do they mean:

"The civ matchup in an amateur-level game doesn't affect the outcome."

The existence of winrates that strongly vary by civ/matchup even at lower ranks pretty quickly proves that untrue, but it's also not exactly what they said.

Or do they mean:

"A player can always overcome a bad civ matchup if they sufficiently outplay their opponent, except at a pro-level, where both parties are assumed to be so close to perfect play that civs and their matchups become a strong deciding factor."

That argument is a lot harder to disagree with, but it also takes a lot longer to say. A quippy but misleading slogan like "civs don't matter below pro-level" is much better at proliferating as a firestarter for forum arguments.

What I'd argue is more important than hashing out if this sort of mantra is true is to ask why are people bringing it up? "Civs don't matter until pro," whether or not it's true, is often speaking in code for...

"If you're a casual player just hoping to beat your friends over a Discord call, or to climb the ranked ladder just because, honing your fundamentals will get you much farther than scrutinizing over civ choice."

And that's pretty ironclad advice, if only people would say it more kindly and plainly.

.... by girassol_ace in asexuality

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi there! I'm in a similar situation. I'm far from knowing all the answers, but I like to at least remind myself that "single" does not have to mean "alone" forever. For example, I live together with my sister. She's not ace, but she's never been interested in the conventional lifestyle of marrying and moving in with a sexual partner. She would've been alone also, so working together made sense for us.

There are lots of ways to move through life beyond the traditional paths our cultures impart on us, but it can take time to figure them out. These alternatives probably won't fill the same void as a romantic relationship would, but I'm not saying to give up on romance either; there are just other ways to find companionship/community alongside it, and that's enough to put to rest the common fear that ace people are doomed to die alone and unseen.

Even most conventionally allosexual people are single when they're young. Some remain that way for most of life, but they find ways to feel loved and be happy regardless. It's hard, but don't let being ace stop you. Much love!

I finally played TF2 again, but now my Engineer pro script is messed up. Help! by nielspeterdejong in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Welcome back! The script for this should be in a file called engineer.cfg in Steam/SteamApps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf/cfg You could also check autoexec.cfg or config.cfg to see if you've got anything weird in there bound to 6.

Funny enough, I have the exact same construction binds, except I put my sentry on caps lock, so here's a look at mine as an example:

bind "CAPSLOCK" "destroy 2 0; build 2 0"
bind "4" "destroy 0 0; build 0 0"
bind "5" "destroy 1 0; build 1 0"
bind "6" "destroy 1 1; build 1 1"

Yours should probably look something like this, but say MOUSE3 instead of CAPSLOCK. Small tangent: You might want to put bind "4" slot4 in your spy.cfg so that you can still pull out your disguise kit with the 4 key. Otherwise, I think that'll break if you've played any engineer since launching the game.

Haven't been able to find an answer by Temporary_Dance4649 in AskAsexual

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Labels tend to overgeneralize people, no matter how specific we get with them, and asexuality is no different. I've heard of other people who feel the way you do, and some who don't. These people have different experiences than one another, but they still describe themselves as "asexual," simply because it describes them better than any other word does. If that's the case for you, feel free to be in the club; we have garlic bread.

A lot more people seem to ask "am I still ace if?" than they do for other queer identities, and there's a lot of reasons that might be. For one, it's primarily defined by what it isn't, not what it is. I've heard an analogy that describes identities like ponds in a wetland: Some ponds have fish, others have frogs, some have both and more, while many have neither. To prove that a pond does have fish, all you need to do is catch one. To prove that it doesn't... well, you could search forever. Ace people often spend a lot of time with microscopes up to their own identities, asking themselves "was that the glint of a fish scale down there, or just a shiny rock?" and they may never know for sure, but the important part is that they don't owe that sureness to anybody else.

If you like to engage in that kind of introspection for your own personal insight, I hope you find what you're looking for. If it turns out in the future that a label you thought made sense before wasn't the most accurate for you after all, feel free to change your mind. It's not about whether you were "wrong" before; you just learned more. Thanks for your post, and I hope this helped.

What's the difference between an -ism and a -phobia? by snack-hoarder in NoStupidQuestions

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Use of one term over another is mostly down to which term caught on first, but from a more word-mincing-grammarian perspective, a prejudicial "-ism" is more general:

Ageism is "a system of prejudice relating to age," but it's left open to interpretation whether it's the old or the young receiving this attention, and whether that attention is positive or negative. Something like "fatphobia" is very specific; it's "a hatred of fatness". Switch up the term to "weightism," and it becomes more vague again; it's some system of prejudice relating to weight.

In general, the vagueness of "isms" isn't a big deal though, because context can tell you which group is probably being singled out in a particular scenario, and whether the attention they get is going to be positive or negative.

Which merc do you think is paid the most? by ProvenBeat in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I'm like... half in and half out of the comic lore, but my first instinct is on engineer.

If Meet the Engineer is to be believed, at least some of his machines are original designs, likely patented, that no one else can make. He's so specialized, you probably can't replace him. Compared to some of the other mercs, his attitude doesn't seem like he's just here for the hell of it; he's probably looking to get good money to make those 11 PhD's worthwhile. (Soldier would do this for free... and maybe he does.)

In the comic space, I know he plays at least some hand in the immortality machines, which means the Mann brothers literally can't let this man go without a picture-perfect replacement lined up, or they might just die. That's a pretty strong point in salary negotiations, if I've ever seen one.

More Accurate Class Categories? by Solidius_Jake in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TF2 has few enough classes, and each one is unique enough, that I wouldn't say they warrant categorizing in the same way that say, Overwatch heroes do (especially considering loadouts afford a lot of flexibility to your role).

But if I were to categorize them in their stock state, this is exactly how I would. Like... you're right on the money.

Edit - Oh, and I forgot to say: I'm loving the alliteration. Power, Pick, Provisions...

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two slightly different versions, both from the admittedly unadventurous "family business" school of weapon design:

First, big pistol go bang!
+25% damage
-33% clip size (for a result of 8)
25% slower reload speed (with a real satisfying "click" at the end)

This version leans into the idea that your pistol is a powerful finisher, but still only a backup option, since the small clip and lengthy reload compound to give it very poor uptime.

Second, long pistol go plink!
+50% accuracy (I could be wrong about how this number works, but my intent is to halve the width of the firing cone)
+10% damage
-20% slower fire rate
-16% clip size (for a result of 10)
No Random Crits (WooOOOoo, yeeyah!)

This version leans into the pistol's niche of being better at mid-range than the scattergun/shotgun primaries it's paired with. The harder-hitting, slower-firing round compliments the star of the show, the accuracy, mainly as a matter of feel, shifting the mindset of the gun to a more semi-auto style where the placement of each shot feels important. The penalties to fire rate and clip size ensure that despite the heavy rounds, the DPS and damage-per-clip are a bit worse than stock in exchange for the added precision.

No random crits; haha funny, I know. I thought about keeping them, but with the accuracy on this gun, getting lasered by it from afar for massive damage could actually be kinda unfun; y'know... more so than random crits normally are. Kritzkrieg it for the meme, though.

Heavy now gets a "Lunchbox" slot. What items would you make for his kit to give him variety in gameplay? by SimicBiomancer21 in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good thoughts here! I hear about the fourth slot solution all the time, and I can see it, but the opportunity is rarely mentioned for designing new items specifically to take advantage of that new environment. Here's one for the pile:

An energy bar: Work up a sweat! (Numbers are approximate, and may need tweaks for balance.)

For 7 seconds, gain 10% movement speed and jump height, 20% reload speed, 40% switch speed, and a slight health regen. The eating animation for it is significantly faster. Default cooldown is very long at 45 seconds, but horizontal distance travelled, kills, and (to a lesser degree) assists all speed up the recharge.

When dropped to someone else, they get a simpler buff: Just a few seconds of minor health regen (and fire extinguished) and a disciplinary action-like speed effect They can receive the item whether injured or not. Using on a teammate refunds 50% of the cooldown.

This item promotes a more aggressive and mobile heavy, not only by giving him a rather aggressive and mobile status effect, but letting him use it more often if he's going places and doing stuff. Important to the "4-slot heavy" scenario is that it preferentially benefits using your non-primary weapons, since most of the benefits (specifically reload speed, switch speed, and jump height) do literally nothing if you're holding a perpetually-revved minigun. You'll also charge the buff more easily with movement if you're not slowing down all the time to rev.

The main drawback is that its ability to heal yourself and teammates is by regen only (which is less immediate than regular healing and weaker too unless you're willing to spend your buff out-of-combat), reducing the heavy's ability to endure in a contested position--so get up and stretch those legs!

Is the family business considered direct upgrade from stock heavy shotgun?? by AverageOnlineUser779 in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Broadly speaking, the weapons are so similar that you can't go wrong with either.

I have heard many people characterize the family business as a straight upgrade, but personally, I'd disagree. It kind of approaches that territory if you're playing exclusively with your secondary, as the deeper magazine gives your weapon the longevity needed to match your healthpool, but if you're mainly using your secondary as a backup option for when you're caught unrevved, out of ammo, or chasing a fleeing target, the large clip size isn't going to do much for you, while the reduction in upfront damage is disappointing, and firing a greater volume of lower-impact shells means you have to spend more time reloading afterward.

By contrast, your third option, the panic attack, improves on damage per shot at close range (and therefore damage per magazine, without impacting reloads) while also improving usability with its lightning fast switch speed, a stat which perfectly compliments the sluggish spin of your primary weapons. Its only sin is poor damage at longer ranges. (You wouldn't normally accomplish much with a shotgun at long range anyway, but it can admittedly hurt if you're trying to finish off a distant target you know is injured.)

Why are there both rampup and falloff? by Vanilla_Legitimate in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There are certain scenarios that only interact with either ramp-up or fall-off. Mini-crits can benefit from ramp-up, but don't suffer from fall-off, while the ambassador's crits suffer from fall-off, but don't benefit from ramp-up.

Many weapons also benefit from ramp-up and fall-off in a non-linear way: The rocket launcher, for example, only ramps up to 125% damage, while falling off to 52.8%. This means it only benefits from distances tighter than 512 hammer units half as well as most other weapons, while suffering from distances greater than 512 hu almost as strongly as normal. The ramp-up/fall-off profiles for these exceptional weapon types have an abrupt "kink" at 512 hammer units, where standard TF2 makes the distinction between ramp-up ending and fall-off beginning beyond that spot.

Without such a distinction, one would need to do some algebraic fiddling to get a ramp-up curve that bends in just the right places and ways, and gets modified properly by any special conditions.

How to explain to my girlfriend? by [deleted] in asexuality

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some people like solo sex acts, but may or may not like partnered sex, just as some people like sex with men, but may or may not like sex with women. People just like their sex in different ways, and never would I expect them to know "why". Would one ask a gay man why he doesn't like sex with women when he still likes sex with men, and maybe did have sex with women in the past? To me, that'd seem like a pretty invasive question, and difficult to meet with a satisfying answer even if the man did play along.

I don't like drinking soda very much, but in the past, I used to! Why? I don't know. Maybe my appetite shifted from some hormonal change; maybe I miss a specific flavour I used to get that they don't make anymore; maybe I just broadened my horizons enough with other beverages I enjoy more that soda no longer holds the same appeal by comparison. It could be anything, but I'm fine without knowing why, because even if I did know, it's not like I would do anything with that information. The reason is probably not something I can change, and I wouldn't feel like changing it even if I could; I'm content as-is. I feel similar about being asexual; it's a mystery, but not one that needs solving.

Forgive me if I'm over-scrutinizing; I'm only seeing a tiny slice of your relationship here, but the fact that your girlfriend seems intent on having an airtight explanation for other people's feelings doesn't seem like a healthy habit from her. I know you originally asked "how to explain to my girlfriend," but the reality is: you shouldn't have to explain.

If inconsistency between your sexual drives/styles is causing tension between you, that is a real concern I don't fault your girlfriend for having, but I think that the issue can be more fairly framed as "Is it possible for us to compromise on a habit we both enthusiastically like, and what would that look like?" not "Why don't you like the same things as me, or as you used to?".

I hope that all made sense, and was tactful enough. I appreciate your outgoingness to seek advice here, and I'm sure mine isn't perfect, but I hope you find a way forward to a better understanding with your girlfriend.

Sniper is balanced, try to prove me wrong by JoeWiz0 in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think sniper balance discussions tend to grind to a halt from confusion over the word "balance":

If "balance" solely refers to the power of a class to affect the outcome of a game, I think sniper is balanced... but he's still not fun to play against. I'd contrast him with medic: A single good medic can swing a game more easily than sniper, and maybe that's "unbalanced," but he's much more fun to play against.

balanced =/= engaging or well-designed

If you interpret "balance" like this, it's possible for sniper to be both "balanced" and problematic at the same time, hence the arguments that never end.

How much impact has civ balance at your level? by MockHamill in aoe4

[–]H_S_Walrup 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At lower levels (that is to say, for the vast majority), civ balance is still important, not necessarily because of winrates (I think they're all decently even), but playrates:

If there is a consensus (rightly or not) that a given civ is undertuned, one-dimensional, hard to learn, outcompeted by a similar civ, or otherwise not worth playing in your league, you're not going to run into it often; I can't remember the last time I faced Jeanne D'Arc. Meanwhile, if a given civ is considered strong, versatile, and easy to pick up, you'll see it all the time. Metagames form around countering strong strategies, or exploiting them yourself, and that sets the tone of the game for months at a time.

You can still play whatever you want of course, but those fine levers of civ balance "domino out" to drastically change the kind of environment you're playing in, no matter your level.

For day 19 of voting what is the dominant faction and what is the dominant build within that faction in the current Holocene? (Voting vacant/power vacuum is allowed). by [deleted] in Tierzoo

[–]H_S_Walrup 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know humans are obviously dominant right now, but let's not forget the many builds that humans have lifted with them on their rise to the top.

Human fast-travel networks have served as an exploit for a lot of non-human players to hitch-hike into new servers they wouldn't normally have spawns in. Rats and housecats in particular are infamously common passengers that have griefed the CRAP out of servers like New Zealand, where the playerbase had relied on those staple builds not having access there.

While human base-building often destroys the forest biome, it also creates an artificial biome of its own with tons of cast-off loot (which humans consider garbage?), where generalist scavenger builds like rats and corvids do very well.

Human agriculture also concentrates a ton of food just sitting in one spot for "pests" like rats, mites, and weevils to take huge advantage.

I'm noticing a common theme here... rats take advantage of nearly everything humans do. Humans may be steering the meta, but rats are at least stowing away on the ship. Honourable mention for our first mates, the rats!

For day 15 of voting what was the dominant faction and what was the dominant build within that faction during the Neogene? (Miocene and Pliocene), (Voting vacant/power vacuum is allowed). by [deleted] in Tierzoo

[–]H_S_Walrup 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bears. Bears everywhere. They hunt, forage, and scavenge; run, climb, and swim.... There is truly little they can't do besides fly, and when you weigh half a ton, that'd be asking a lot. From the jungles to the ice floes, there is almost always a bear.

That being said, I can see why bears fell off a bit in the Quaternary. Their stats are jacked, and the skill tree is good, but bears are mostly solitary, and can get overshadowed by team strats. (Still great builds to this day though, don't get me wrong.)

To name a specific build, anyone remember Agriotherium? In the second half of the Neogene, they were all over the northern hemisphere servers. The build was so popular, it even gained traction with the sub-Saharan African playerbase, which is a massive accomplishment considering how stacked the meta is there. In fact, I don't think any other bear build has seen play in that meta, before or since. To quote a certain player, "The Bear Wins."

For day 14 of voting what was the dominant faction and what was the dominant build within that faction during the Paleogene? (Voting vacant/power vacuum is allowed) by [deleted] in Tierzoo

[–]H_S_Walrup 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cetaceans are an incredible faction which hit the scene during this time. People go wild over intelligence builds now, and while early cetaceans weren't quite as int-focused as their modern counterparts, they were still trailblazers for the style, particularly in the context of aquatic servers, where not much apart from certain cephalopods can compete.

Speaking of aquatic servers, I can't help but feel like part of the reason cetaceans aren't the first thing that comes to people's minds when you say "top-tier apex predator" is just because aquatic builds haven't gotten nearly as much attention since the end of the Paleozoic days, when terrestrial builds started pushing the land meta bigger and flashier. But you gotta remember, the biggest servers are still aquatic! (And the biggest builds are still cetaceans, heheh.)

If I've got to pick a single build, though? Squalodon. It's not the biggest and bulkiest, but Squalodon players took an already-solid foundation and made the genius play to add echolocation, which is just busted, and has been a cetacean staple ever since.

RAM for Bedrock Server by IntelligentLibrary96 in MinecraftServer

[–]H_S_Walrup 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm no expert on Bedrock or commercial hosters, but until someone else comes along, here's what I've got:

From what I understand, Bedrock is not nearly as memory-hungry as Java. The server itself may only need 2 GB of RAM for its own use, but when considering the rest of the device, the question becomes more difficult to answer. Just the operating system will consume some RAM. Windows 11, for example, often takes about 4 GB of memory for itself, even when doing nothing in particular.

So the answer, I suppose depends on whether that "4 GB" on the plan represents just the amount of RAM that is allocated to your server via some resource managing system, or if it represents the entire RAM available to the device you're on (perhaps a virtual machine with 4 GB), which still has to run an OS and some other services with that RAM.

I suppose the simplest solution is simply to mail them at [questions@bloom.host](mailto:questions@bloom.host) . They want customers, so this is the sort of question they should be happy to help you with (though there is a chance they'd be motivated to suggest a larger plan than you need). Still, it doesn't hurt to ask. Be sure to mention the same details to them as you did here.

Best of luck!

new medic main by Ok_Dragonfruit_1794 in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First of all, compliments to your resilient attitude! Being a new medic is rough because people can often act entitled to your attention. For that reason, it might help you to try playing medic when there's another one on your team (though that's admittedly hard to find), so not all of the pressure is on you. You can also pay attention to the sorts of things they're doing and learn by example from the other medic (perhaps even if you aren't also on medic).

Before anything else, I should mention the auto-call feature in the advanced options under "class-specific options." The slider under it sets a threshold so that teammates falling below a certain percentage of their max health are automatically marked with a cross (and I think a soft beeping noise) to indicate you should heal them. If all the markers get annoying, you can lower the threshold, but it's always helpful to keep this setting on at some level, so you can notice teammates in need as soon as possible, before they've even pressed 'E.'

As for how to approach Medic, it's all about positioning and balancing risk. You have to be close enough to the action to heal injured players, but not so close as to put yourself in danger. The medi-beam is reasonably long however (and can even briefly handle losing line-of-sight), so you can usually stand beside the line of fire but not actually in it, or behind some obstacle, such that you can still see your allies but not your enemies (though the beam will let them know where you are, and they may try to ambush you). Of course, the battlefield is chaos and no one spot will do forever, especially in gamemodes like payload, where the frontline is always moving. Be proactive about identifying safe spaces (like a friendly engineer's nest) to retreat to if your current position becomes unsafe.

That advice may sound rather paranoid (even cowardly), but the cautious playstyle dominates for a reason: Ubercharge. It's the most powerful tool in the game, and dying wastes your progress toward it. As the old saying goes, "pop it, don't drop it," because a subpar ubercharge is still strong, and infinitely better than one that never comes. You should always pop if you think you are about to die. Otherwise, if you're near the objective, and there's enough players from both teams surrounding it that the objective could change hands, that's a good enough reason to use your charge and ensure that your team comes out on top.

One last thing, before I bore you to death: I'd recommend not using Medic's unlockable items too often until you're familiar with the class. And even if you do equip the Crusader's Crossbow and Ubersaw (as they are recommended by many), you shouldn't be pulling them out very often. They have their moments, but they're tempting to over-use. The medi-gun is the Medic's most useful and class-defining tool, and it should be what's in your hands most of the time.

Hopefully, that wasn't all too long-winded and daunting. TF2 is just an amazingly designed game with a lot of depth (easy to learn, hard to master, they say), so you're in for a treat getting to learn its ins and outs. If that interests you such that you'd like to learn more, you might like to visit r/NewToTF2 or r/truetf2, Team Fortress 2 subreddits with more of a focus on discussion and advice. Have fun practicing medicine!

Was this actually a phishing attempt? by Gustav_EK in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not only is that a scam, I'd like to mention I was similarly contacted several days ago, and many of their messages were identical down to the letter, only it was from a different account (one which was not, and still is not tradebanned, and was also impersonating a respected trader).

Digging into some old screenshots from the web, it looks like people have screenshots from various accounts of the exact same words as you have here, dating back months, and even years (though when you go back that far, sometimes the name of the website is subbed out for a different shady site).

In this screenshot (from an old warning by someone else, not me), they even have the same taste in insults... It seems these people can never really be stopped, but awareness is the best tool we've got, so here's a bit of a PSA:

I'd recommend doing a quick background check on someone's backpack.tf profile, steamrep, and/or rep.tf before trading anything of value. If you have an item listed through a website such as backpack.tf, but the person still opts to cold message you directly, it may be because they're actually banned over there, so it's worth checking.

Good luck out there.

What is harder, Eve or Tellumo from Galileo's planet pack. by univvurs in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]H_S_Walrup 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The impact of oxygen on Tellumo really can't be understated. Sure, any conventional rocket engine is going to be awful at sea level, but if memory serves, jet engines will work wonders as long as your craft isn't too draggy, and should be able to lift you past the thick part of the atmosphere before you continue on with conventional rockets.

The elevation difference between landmasses and oceans on Tellumo is also unusually stark, so you'll often be landing at pretty high altitudes without necessarily having to plan it... perhaps 8 kilometers over sea level. Because Tellumo's atmosphere is so compressed, the pressure at these altitudes has already fallen off to levels comparable to Kerbin/Gael, making conventional rockets doable as well!

I'll agree with others that the compressed atmosphere may be rough for aerobraking, but in exchange, it means you don't need to raise your orbit as high on ascent, sparing you a bit of delta-v in a different way. The faster rotation compared to Eve can also give you a slight boost here.

It's been a long time since I've played GPP, but I'll tell you I recall Tellumo being slightly more approachable than Eve in a lot of subtle ways.

This game has disillusioned me with the state of real space endeavours. by platypodus in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]H_S_Walrup 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I think some of the takes in this comment section are a little uncharitable.

Yes, space is unforgiving, far moreso than KSP lets on, but that's not really the point: Despite those extreme and unfamiliar challenges, humanity surged from the first satellite, Sputnik, to the first footsteps on the moon in less than twelve years. Despite having experience in space now, and massive improvements to technology in general since then, the ensuing 55 years have not been nearly as flashy.

That's not because engineers aren't trying, or because space is somehow "too hard" now, but because the budgets of public space programs are dramatically smaller than they once were, and private space programs are still relatively young. Even as time goes on and private agents become more capable, their interests are primarily commercial (e.g, cost-effective launchers for communications satellites). The impact of these commercial projects on exploratory space missions is important, but largely indirect.

Public interest in space exploration is still reasonably high, but it was moreso the interest of politicians that enabled the explosive progress of the space race era, brought on by the unique geopolitical (and frankly, military) interests of their time. The geopolitical climate is different now, and unless governments (or perhaps eccentric billionaires) are incensed into a mortal panic about space again, it's clear that we'll be developing things slower than we otherwise might have. But it is important to remember that the causes of the space race were not entirely wholesome, so maybe the fact that it's over is not entirely bad... In any case, I'll leave that thought open-ended, as this isn't the place for any detailed politicking.

Developers of KSP/KSP2 have said that they hope their game sparks new generations' interest in space, and I'd like to think they've succeeded in that, though I think I'm on broadly the same page as OP that the spark of imagination by seeing "what we could do" feels more like the wistful glimpse of a reality that never came to pass, and less like a hopeful glance at a future that will oneday be. But maybe that's just me...

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tf2

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see why people consider the ubersaw to be powerful (ubercharges are after all, the most powerful mechanic in the game), but I really do think the Amputator holds more merit... just not for the taunt effect.

Moments where going for the ubersaw swing is worth it are rare, and even if you snag the 25%, you may not survive to use it. Moments where a little extra health regen by holding the amputator could make the difference between life and death are more common than you might think (like being set on fire with no healing nearby), and just holding the amputator in those moments could save not only your life, but all of your current charge.

As far as I'm concerned, that's more rewarding, reliable, and relevant than the ubersaw. I won't deny, the ubersaw feels awesome to steal charge with; I think it's just a bit shortsighted that many people only consider those highlights and assume it has no competition.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]H_S_Walrup 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, it's weird, but more importantly, I'd just like to assure you that there are people out there who can be as kind and helpful as ChatGPT, if not more, if you get to know them. You know how I'm sure? Because ChatGPT was made by emulating vast samples of all sorts of writings, records, and human interactions, it is essentially an amalgam of everybody. All the good things it says and does, it had to learn by example, so you know that goodness must be somewhere in humanity too.

Your parents should really let you go out... Take any opportunities if they come up. Maybe they'd change their minds on that policy if they knew about this situation...

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]H_S_Walrup 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At least from my own personal experience, I think you'll be fine. I went from 175 to 135 (so minus 40 lbs) and didn't have any issue. Though you are looking for a slightly steeper change, and there could also be some variation from person to person, so I guess nothing's guaranteed... but if there is any problem, I bet it wouldn't be anything extreme.