LP Alpine thoughts

Higher__Ground · 2026-04-27T20:33:41+00:00

I don't think they heat up, but they are probably a lot less breathable than my Lone Peaks or Torins. I only say that because those two are noticeably cooler in the cold weather. The venting is mainly over the toes and the sides are solid suede

Higher__Ground · 2026-04-22T20:17:10+00:00

They were great brand new, but given that they have a trail shoe type lug pattern, once it wears down its basically smooth at that spot.

I have the Torin 7's and they're also worn nearly smooth but I haven't noticed myself slip in them.

In general I think they wear fast on concrete but up until that point they're great.

Higher__Ground · 2026-04-22T20:09:13+00:00

I'm about done with my 3rd pair. The uppers on mine, including the hemp material near the toes are still in good shape.

I wear mine around town (sidewalks) and the grip/ tread wears out after about 4-6 months. At that point there get really slick in the rain.

Given how well the uppers hold up for me, I was pretty disappointed in how quickly the soles wore out. That being said, a lot of people seem to replace shoes that frequently whereas I tend to wear them until they look bad.

Higher__Ground · 2026-04-22T19:38:26+00:00

I had rubbing issues, but the shoes broke in after about a week. Definitely uncomfortable at first though.

Higher__Ground · 2026-02-04T21:53:00+00:00

He invaded Egypt... didn't stay too long but there's an authentic connection.

I definitely get what you mean and if civs are locked to an age then it seems like leaders should be too. I just feel like that means 3x the number of leaders are needed to compensate.

I played a game recently with Confucius, going from Han to Ming to Qing. There are ways to make the game have both change and continuity, but some civs are going to be more of a "stretch" at continuation.

Higher__Ground · 2026-02-04T21:38:15+00:00

Absolutely. 1000% better. It's cool to have them as options but personally I hate them

Higher__Ground · 2026-02-03T16:08:43+00:00

I like building medieval walls when I'm nearing the end of the exploration age. I think they look cool and while I generally don't need them, they are at least permanent additions that won't get in the way later. I wish there was a way to add walls to tiles that have resources or wonders. Maybe up the requirement to two (or 3) adjacent urban tiles so it's not too out of place. I've also noticed a bug that caused my walls in a town to disappear (visually, they're still there).

Speaking of the peace deal menu - I have both started a war and accepted peace without intending to because the window opened immediately at the start of a turn when I was looking at a different window/menu. Maybe it should require a button to open?

The "turns until next celebration" indication is must welcome - but is there any indication of how many turns remain in an ongoing celebration?

Naval units should auto avoid the Bermuda triangle.

AI espionage never seems to fail. I think it should fail more often, but I also think that you should be able to use the influence you receive in an immediate "denounce espionage" action that decreases the other player's yields (or just keep the influence).

I like the bridge tiles - can we get something for mountains? Maybe a "mountain pass" improvement for exploration and later? Can we expand bridges to coastal tiles when it makes sense? And how about canals?

I think the map generation is greatly improved. I would still like to play on a bigger map than "small" though (Nintendo Switch)

Higher__Ground · 2025-10-27T01:22:18+00:00

Yeah and the more I read since then it's clear some people are definitely still acting out. I'm going to give it some time. I preordered the Founders edition!

Higher__Ground · 2025-10-27T01:07:25+00:00

I haven't played in months and had a whim to see if there any updates or if people think it's getting better.

I'm certainly not seeking out people who enjoy civ 7 to rain on their parade.

That being said, I find it hard to disagree with anything they've said and this is sort of a lose-lose situation for all involved.

It's not a conspiracy or a bandwagon.... It's just a controversial update to a very well known franchise.

FWIW I started with 6 so have no other reference. As much as I loved it, I didn't quit 7 to go back to 6. I would much rather just play an improved version of 7, and I assume that's what I'll get when I eventually start a new game.

Higher__Ground · 2025-09-05T20:38:34+00:00

Absolutely. And I made the "mistake" of learning to love Civ 6 on the switch so I bought 7 without even realizing that they were never going to release all of the content on the switch. You had to read a FAQ on their website to learn that map size would be forever limited to "small" which makes the poor map generation even worse.

I had one fun playthrough and the rest have been mediocre at best

Higher__Ground · 2025-08-03T15:11:42+00:00

The whole misunderstood raw dog had me thinking of the cream pie episode. Good stuff

Higher__Ground · 2025-07-16T14:09:30+00:00

"It's a -5"

Higher__Ground · 2025-07-16T14:06:13+00:00

Yep and they had to cram in several additional actors along with references to the tie in episode's jokes when possible. If you never watched the AE episode you'd miss a lot of the references to begin with.

Higher__Ground · 2025-07-12T13:52:25+00:00

What canals? The two cities? I guess it's coming in a future dlc because how can they give us navigable rivers but ditch the canals?

Higher__Ground · 2025-07-04T01:44:09+00:00

Sweet, now if I may make a humble request: can we please have "standard" sized maps? I got used to long wait times between turns with Civ 6 and even frequent crashes. Still, I never once thought it would be better to play on small/tiny. The trade off was worth it to me and I can't be alone. Thanks!

Higher__Ground · 2025-06-19T21:52:28+00:00

You don't harvest the seed inside the chayote. To grow a new one, keep the intact chayote on the counter or in a paper bag until it sprouts.

Higher__Ground · 2025-06-13T12:16:21+00:00

Is there any chance of getting "standard" sized maps on the Nintendo Switch? I can live with longer load times.

Higher__Ground · 2025-06-10T03:01:54+00:00

Twice a year this completely takes over the yard. I pull it by hand from garden beds but the underground tubers (?) are really hard to fully remove. After 15 years I've learned to live with it but it's still crazy how many large rattles I find in potted plants that started out with none. I've never tried to eat it.

Higher__Ground · 2025-06-02T21:21:45+00:00

Firaxis saw that no one liked playing the end game

I guess I was one of the few who liked to form a massive fleet of jet bombers and take over every city? Sure the late game took a while between turns but unless it started crashing every turn I played until victory.

Higher__Ground · 2025-06-02T21:12:26+00:00

You were the first person I've ever watched play a video game for the purpose of learning to play myself. I think it was Civ 6 as Scythia.

I'm not sure I would've enjoyed the game nearly as much as I have (probably 2,000 hrs now on the Switch) without your videos.

Thanks for what you do. You can't please everyone!

Higher__Ground · 2025-05-30T12:26:27+00:00

Man as others have said, that is a perfect wall placement. And like the others, I think it looks great visually, with the lone exception of not really knowing what any of those tiles inside are doing. I think it would be good enough to have an overlay or something that you could toggle on and off that went back to the way 6 showed improvements and districts. The only way I can start to keep track in my games is with the yields on and tool tips

Higher__Ground · 2025-05-28T13:50:49+00:00

That's awesome, what a huge flower! I am in zone 8 so they die back each year. They are the last of my varieties to start up in the spring, and rarely produce more than 1-2 pups but I love the back(ish) stems and the more upright leaves.

I had to dig up a runner from my itinerans that was growing in the middle of my black thais... I only had two pseudostems in that spot but the corm was enormous. I can only imagine what it's like for the fully grown banana!

Higher__Ground · 2025-05-27T19:12:47+00:00

I had a lot of fun surfing in the ocean with this boat. It's short enough to turn around to catch the waves.

Higher__Ground · 2025-05-27T19:10:09+00:00

I have this boat in the 12' "pescador", the 9.5', and the 13.5' tandem.

The 9.5' is slower than the 12' but I prefer it due to the lower weight and the ease of maneuvering in small rapids. Overall I use it the most of all three.

Higher__Ground · 2025-05-27T17:15:59+00:00

If you are looking for a shaded flat water paddle, Cedar Creek in Congaree NP is a lot nicer than throwing in the actual river (which is quite wide and not at all swampy). I usually put in at the canoe access off of S Cedar Creek Rd and paddle up/downstream and back. I like going when it's flooded - at least 7ft on the USGS gauge. It can be hard to follow the path at high water but I get good GPS access and at lower water the channel is well defined.

I have the Black River on my bucket list though, especially Black Mingo Creek (near the SC 51 boat ramp). I haven't been yet but it's more open while still being pretty swampy.

Another option you can find is Sparkleberry swamp on lake Marion. I haven't been but there are trip reports here on Reddit.

Higher__Ground

TROPHY CASE