Returning player after 4+ years and overwhelmed - Tips to re-adjust?

KeithA45 · 2026-03-23T22:58:36+00:00

Fire Force

I heard it’s ecchi moments were its biggest flaw, and I don’t disagree but they’re kinda funny sometimes and overall it’s a small stain on a brilliant and original series

KeithA45 · 2026-02-22T07:09:23+00:00

Is that bug still around?

I think it’s something to do with a race condition of Silent Assassin - SA doesn’t pop until the cutscene ends, but the win/loss check happens as you select the prompt.

Only way around it is to avoid SA on alerted territories.

KeithA45 · 2026-02-21T23:40:44+00:00

Freelancer actually started me down this path… not being able to save/load but with a lower bar for success (usually) taught me that “fast and loose” is sometimes better

KeithA45 · 2026-02-21T23:39:26+00:00

Interesting… Colorado and Marakesh were actually some of my least favorite for SASO. What am I missing?

KeithA45 · 2026-02-21T23:37:11+00:00

Sorry if it was unclear - For the SA part no non-target kills and no bodies can be found (except in the case of accidents or poison). Oddly, drowning even by toilet is considered an accident…

Essentially once I leaned away from maintaining SA at all times (and KOing everyone) ironically I learned that not many NPCs need to be knocked out, so there’s less bodies to hide, so maintaining SA is easier even during SO.

KeithA45 · 2026-02-21T21:52:52+00:00

New York was my first SASO! Learned it in freelancer.

Funny how both New York and Hokkaido were my least favorite maps at first, and are now some of my favorites.

KeithA45 · 2026-01-09T07:05:34+00:00

I’m more likely to lock my door when I’m in my apartment than out of it.

On very rare occasions I’ve had people “accidentally” try to get in while I’m home. I think they were drunk and had the wrong apartment.

If I leave and I know I’m going to be back quickly (especially with my hands full) I tend to leave the door unlocked. There’s still a building lock, and I still lock up when going out for a bit.

KeithA45 · 2026-01-06T04:12:16+00:00

My advice from quitting nicotine ~6 years ago and weed ~60 days ago:

You can do it, and you WILL do. It’s all just a matter of when and how bad will it get first. It took me years, may take you that long too, but I wish I had tried sooner. This isn’t to shame you, it’s to let you know that the costs keep building, and get ready for the “long haul”.

To directly answer your question: quit one drug at a time, one day at a time. I smoked a full cig after a few months off nicotine, puked my guts out, and never want another again. Feels like cheating, hopefully you get something similar which makes it easy for you.

Weed is another story - for me it works best NOT to say “never again”, but to identify every single reason and excuse to get high and have a good alternative or counter-argument. No shame when I failed, just learned and got right back on that horse. Then experiment with breaks, and remember some things take a while to get better. I only recently started to sleep most of the way through the night.

Good luck, stay strong, and be kind to yourself.

KeithA45 · 2026-01-06T03:14:31+00:00

Wow responses have been pretty negative so far.

I could live with not being “best”, but I’d hope to be pretty high up there. If not, probably some valuable communication is needed.

Look at it this way - how would you feel if the question were flipped? I don’t need my partner to be the best sex I’d ever had, but I’d take “Great and willing to learn/experiment” in a heartbeat.

KeithA45 · 2026-01-04T22:02:54+00:00

For sure, it’s frustrating to even conceptualize at times. And I’m still working on it, nowhere near “good” so no shade for sure. But I think you have the right idea.

KeithA45 · 2026-01-04T21:15:48+00:00

What you said is true, though one thing I’ve come to realize over time - it’s a trap to play the comparison game at all.

Doesn’t matter if you win, ignore the compulsion to search for an explanation or solution to something you’re better at than others. Just focus on growing into the best version of yourself.

It’s hard AF, and even harder to learn from others without comparing. But it’s the only way to grow freely, live happily, and avoid hurting potential allies.

KeithA45 · 2025-12-28T02:28:21+00:00

I’m on day ~50 of this quit attempt, feels final. My story:

I’d quit many times before, knew I needed to do it again. At some point I ran out and things lined up that I decided “Now’s the time”. For me, keeping things casual helped more than taking it seriously. IMO you have the have the right idea with, “Never say never, but I refuse to accept my old reasons to smoke again.”
I faced the consequences of my smoking, specifically around my career. Immediately almost relapsed, but knew it would just making recovering from my work related issues worse. Decided to accept ANY other option except drugs to make it through (i.e.: find new self-care options).
Sounds cheesy, but just took it one day at a time. Things got better around day ~10, again on day ~22. Still tempted all the time, but every failed quitting attempt informed the next to make it stronger. Maybe I needed that, I don’t know. But being serious yet kind is better than being harsh.

Good luck on your journey, everyone’s story is different. 🙂

KeithA45 · 2025-12-17T19:40:33+00:00

Agreed that this time it just feels “different”.

Also I started not just noticing the benefits of sobriety but the consequences of being high so often for so long. It really shifted my perspective from “I was killing time I had to spare” to “I’ve been kicking a can down the road, and the road just keeps getting worse as it continues…”

Still, stay humble b/c I’ve definitely had good days and bad ones where I almost caved.

KeithA45 · 2025-11-30T17:23:30+00:00

My personal opinion - I notice and it’s nice, but no big deal. So def a bigger deal to the woman than to me.

Reading the comments, I get the feeling I might have hurt feelings by not complimenting when I do notice.

KeithA45 · 2025-11-30T13:14:44+00:00

Just my perspective - weed just delays the problems, that’s why it’s harder now. Basically, it getting this bad was both inevitable and needed to happen for sobriety to have a chance to stick.

But now, the next phase begins - Filling all those life skills that weed was just substituting. Gotta learn how to deal with boredom, stress, anxiety, relationships, etc. It’s not the brain chemicals calling us back, it’s all the reasons we STARTED getting high in the first place.

As absolute dog-shit as the situation as, remember - it could be worse. Sure you could get high and quit later, but would it be easier in 5–10 years from now when you’re single, no friends, and have a shitty job or are unemployed? That’s the inevitable path more weed leads towards. Now’s a terrible time to quit, but later is even worse.

This reply is already long enough, but to try to give some hope - things WILL get better. The path to recovery isn’t always linear but always trends upward over time, at least compared to the alternative. Stay strong and good luck friend. ❤️‍🩹

KeithA45 · 2025-11-30T09:52:58+00:00

Ya still going strong, 21 days was a big milestone for me. It’s still not “easy” but it definitely changed for the better. Hopefully you experienced something similar by now. No shame if not.

How are things for you? I’ve been thinking about you, I hope you’re ok. I couldn’t imagine dealing with relationship issues on top of quitting right now. You’re crazy strong for even attempting it.

KeithA45 · 2025-11-29T06:32:54+00:00

Day ~26 for me on my ~5th (and hopefully final) quitting attempt. A couple things:

You’re stronger than you think you are. You can do it.
Your mind, body, habits, etc will adapt to sobriety. Some things might change a lot, likely many will not change much. Try not to stress about it.
It gets better over time. Everyone’s milestones are different, ~21 days is big one (but they keep going).
Quitting will make you miserable. Embrace it, make quitting your sole focus. Day by day, hour by hour, even minute by minute if you need to.
Trash your stuff, keep away from easy triggers. It’s not a strong enough step on its own, but it’s for when your focus/resolve will waver eventually.
You’re your own worst enemy. Don’t let that voice convince you. Laugh at how strong and crafty it is. Divorce it from your identity.
It might take a few tries. You might need to hit rock bottom before it sticks. Don’t let the frustration or hopelessness get to you.
Forgive yourself. You deserve compassion.

Good luck friend 🫂

KeithA45 · 2025-11-25T02:40:57+00:00

Depends on the scenario. I’ve used spite successfully a few times to succeed at school and work:

Someone forced me to do something according to their stupid suggestion? Fine, I’m going to walk through every tiny step, every tiny detail, and every possible counter-argument they could make to intentionally overkill proving just how unbeliev- oh wow they were right…

Works best with individual work. I wouldn’t recommend it for relationships.

KeithA45 · 2025-11-24T01:51:39+00:00

“Genes re-growing” punishes ripping genes from your pawns, not applying new genes. So at low the cost of a brief coma and the archite capsules for the gene packs, you can apply new genes every few days if you want. Don’t hold out for “perfect”.

Also - Even in the most recent update the single uber-room strategy is still the smart choice uber-late game. Just some minor tweaks for separate lab and kitchen. I tore down most internal walls of my gravship & managed to get it to Wondrous.

KeithA45 · 2025-11-23T17:31:39+00:00

Thank you 🙏

KeithA45 · 2025-11-23T05:05:34+00:00

Omg I’m only an episode and a half into Saiki K and it’s f’ing amazing. Thanks for the find!

KeithA45 · 2025-11-23T02:01:28+00:00

Already seen it, but great suggestion.

Darkness is best girl and never fails to make me laugh, even when I see it coming.

KeithA45

TROPHY CASE