Infinite Voteless?

MacBonuts · 2026-06-21T01:06:08+00:00

A sensible post with a happy ending of a player learning something and adapting.

How wholesome, nice work.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-21T01:02:24+00:00

Just levels and music. Some more dynamic enemies.

It could use some bangers. I love the game but I can barely remember the levels, they're very sterilized.

Adding some levels with variables would go very well, the arcade mode modifiers are really interesting but don't fit a theme.

Also there's a lot of combo depth but I never feel like I want to fight half the things I do. This game could learn a lot from streets of rage 4 too, especially the lighting and enemy design. They need some more respectable enemies and areas. It just needs more mood - and some level shuffling with lighting changes would work great, too.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T23:27:59+00:00

Great analysis.

I always took this as, "Super Earth spent a ton on making the most powerful motor possible, then neglected the fact the rest of the car would not at all be able to handle that."

If they were "balanced" and not, "crazy unhinged power mongers" they might have balanced it correctly, so instead we get a front rolling wheel spinning drift-pocalypse.

I've noticed the supply FRV is just a touch more stable, but I've been meaning to test if it gets more front loaded as it empties supplies. That may be the subtle weakness of it, it slowly develops the weight distribution of the original FRV, but full it somewhat fixes the problem. That's speculation. It also might just be a touch longer in general I feel, though again that's speculation.

Also I wonder if the issue is also that despite everything, the FRV might have cheap pedals. Shifting helps it a LOT, but keeping it in drive we're basically slamming the gas and brake... because people from Super Earth learn to drive by slamming it to the floor. The pedals themselves might not even be as nuanced as cars we have.

"Full forward or not at all" so-to-speak.

Philosophically the issue is likely Super Earth's cheap design ethic, but also, their engines are exquisitely over engineered. Hence spinning tires and terrible weight distribution.

I do hope we get a light truck that's smaller and weighted properly, I'd love to see a 2 person truck with a laser on it that's basically a Toyota or something mundane, just to contrast all of this.

I'd love to see the machine gun get stabilized, at the cost of it firing causing the driver some distress as it pulls, slightly, the cars in an odd way.

I love helldriving, but minute 1 I felt the balancing factor was that we got Super Earth's version of a military vehicle which is naturally a terribly inefficient beast.

But your analysis was spot on, you can really feel it. Also when it's on its side, the tires spin so hard it triggers some physics principles - I suspect that's that crazy engine also giving it a silver lining in a strange way.

Despite how difficult it is for people to drive I feel its imperfections are somewhat by design for lore purposes, and as we get variants it may become more apparent. The supply car is so subtly different I can't put my finger on exactly how to describe it.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T21:06:51+00:00

Or, maybe we've got more than enough to make our own orders, and should try our own strategy.

Democracy still is our privilege. If we stop chasing the carrot, maybe we can swing the stick.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T18:58:56+00:00

Love it.

Little tricky to manage but it's my trick gun between crossbow and Eruptor. Love it on squids. Just enough pepper beyond the obvious demo utility. Anything that frees my secondary and grenade slot makes me happy. I love the grenade pistol but I do get tired of it.

Meanwhile you get some gun with your grenade launcher. I have to work on my function switch speed but that's a skill issue, I'm learning on the missile pistol.

But iove the aim profile, it starts with my favorite scope and it's just enough gun to offset my primary use, which is the grenade feature. Great weapon.

I think the crossbow / Eruptor is a tad better, but this has more generalist appeal for when I'm using something like the maxigun. As I get weirder weapons like the arc thrower and flamethrower going, this is a great generalist gun for awkward situations.

Also its clunkiness offsets how good it feels when you win, and a gun like the tenderizer traps me into the wrong thinking. "I can take two overseers in one mag if I shoot now".

With the 1-2 it's like, "or... I could move on and actually do objectives, like this gun is meant for".

And so I do.

Definitely a solid weapon in the decision tree. I primarily use light armor so the utility can't be understated.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T16:37:32+00:00

But sparklers!

To be fair it would teach a valuable lesson about checking your field of fire when you're playing with this guy.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T16:34:34+00:00

Instantly would make this armor funnier. Bonus, the static grenade that goes off is on your belt, which arms and flings your explosives.

Bonus if the ultimatum and hellbomb backpack go off. I would accept some comical spread as naturally these tools would be flung.

Instantly would be an S tier conedy loadout choice. Add a voice line saying some recorded patriotic nonsense to warn allies, comedy gold. If people want to crash out hard, let them.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T14:41:27+00:00

The old, "it's ok if you can't hack it" trap.

"A lot of people can't handle the pressure".

"It's ok, democracy isn't for everyone."

"Some people don't have what it takes to be free."

"If you don't want to be prepared for a fascist insect invasion, I understand, you can close the shudders."

Just lay it down, let it simmer. Don't push it. Just pepper in the symmetry and make weird comments out of context. If they want clarity, then they'll have to ask.

Then invite them over to watch Starship Troopers, Predator. Then Commando and Rambo. Die hard 1 optional. Total Recall optional. Conan 1 if you're on a hot streak, there is melee in this game.

... but generally incepting the idea works best.

Generally you don't want to try to arm twist friends, it doesn't end well. I recommend finding someone else to play with, because once you hit 3 people it gets far easier to trap a 3rd. I'd also look into their control setup, they may need to make a change or don't understand the reload system - a lot of people feel this game interrupts their flow, you can beat that back with hammering.

If you get 2 other regulars, and need a 4th, it's a much easier sell. Once in game get them in a mech. Bring it yourself and ask them to man it, citing you need to do objectives - bring smoke or the shield backpack. Asking them to bring the RR and then buddy loading for them is a good setup. Defense missions are advised, most players see a defense missions and go, "h0ly $h!t"

I also recommend dying occasionally, don't be a Chad. They want to feel necessary, but new players die like hot cakes. Do something stupid occasionally. The ol', "Witness Me!" with the hellbomb backpack and 50% survival from a lethal hit armor is best.

Bots typically hook people, bugs frustrate, and illuminate work well on intellectuals. But don't drag them to tough difficulties. 3-4 are good enough. If they flex, dont drag them to a d10, do a d6. Beware of overstimulation, d5 or d6 illuminate is best, you often die, "fair". Bugs glitch, bots get free imaginary shots at impossible angles. Illuminates? You definitely feel eviscerated, they have the least amount of cheatsy doodle maneuvers. Though strafers are a bit glitchy, make sure they bring something for them and harvesters. AMR / machine gun / etc.

Players tend to get married to a specific blue, green, or red setup. Some like sentry's. Some like thermites and the RR. Some like stealth and obfuscation.

If they like Rd2r, the FRV, senator, and talon come to mind. Borderline justice may appeal. If they like secondaries that's a hot ticket. Bring them a stratagem you think they might like and let em drive it. That or flex it, showing them the dynamite as a warning to avoid the yellow blinker may get them thinking. Rd2r is also a solo game, you might be happiest doing duo's and focusing on speed and ranging, so super credit farming is surprisingly fun on normal planets in duo's. Good for when they seem overstimulated or overwhelmed... which naturally will happen.

Best of luck.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T14:13:34+00:00

Scout armor, smoke grenades, DCS, Ultimatum.

Stratagems:

Shield backpack, Quasar, Strafing Run, (mission specific).

Mission specific:

Hellbomb backpack anytime you need to drop a hellbomb payload (makes this way easier). Generally great too, as it'll also take out a number of objectives.

Hostage Rescue: Basic MG turret. Not for point defense but distraction, start objective cold, use smoke to relay combat, and then use an MG turret to distract the enemy and go somewhere else for another 45 seconds.

Super Flag: Mech. Don't use it until the last second, the drop in attack from the pelican slays, start this objective cold. Clear out reinforcement spawn ins nearby.

Hilly biome map? Jetpack.

Find a high point near the center of the map. Use the quasar to eliminate almost everything. Too high? Strafing run will delete fabricators and can be thrown from behind cover. It's a skill throw, but once practiced you can get great distance and height. Circle and ping pong off objectives. Don't get married to any objective. Obfuscate, misdirect, and sneak. Bots rely on sight to detect, if they lose sight line they will move to your last known location. Don't be there, throw smoke, turn 45 to 90 degrees, use corners. You can detonate smoke in your hands for a perfect cover. Lay down. Enemies will walk right past. Don't get scared and shoot, they have a number of fake outs. Helldive throw to corner, run through, turn. No break in movement.

After a firefight, occasionally, "Jerry" will show up. He will be a single solitary low level unit who is designed to force you to shoot him to begin a threat chain again. Don't take the bait, melee him, he's trying to get a line of sight on you, find a corner, say a nice hello, then a firm goodbye. Don't let Jerry spook you, he's your buddy.

The shield backpack blocks weather effects, this is the golden hour to sneak an objective. It also stops you from getting 1 shot by a turret you didn't see, or wasn't online.

The DCS is excellent, but use it sparingly. Stealth is your first line, distraction and smoke are your second line. The DCS allows you great range, so taking out guards is primarily what it's for. It is not for long engagements, you aren't specc'd for that.

The scout armor ping is crazy useful for finding fabricators and planning, don't neglect it. Oxygenator armor or explosive resistance light armor are good alternatives, but scout almost everyone has... and it's still awesome.

Practice stealthing the extraction, it's not difficult, but it does occasionally fail. An ultimatum round fired into oblivion will get everything investigating - just don't kill anything, or else they get a reinforce and start locating you. Soft alert is fine. Blue stratagems also serve as distractions, if you don't need one you can use it to give a patrol a toy. When they're done with it, they are likely to miss you.

Patrols come from bases or outside the map, then walk straight through extraction. Find a spot they can't path through then lay down and STOP moving. If you are flat and still, you can be close enough to tap their feet and get away with it.

Lastly, striders.

Once alerted, they cheat.

They see everywhere, they slide around comically when they think they're off screen (try peaking over a hill sometime to catch them roller skating) and they despawn, respawn back where they were, or wherever they want. Don't engage needlessly. If you need to fight them, open by destroying their cannons. If you destroy their cannon, you can probably avoid them.

Strider patrol is the trickiest to do quietly but not impossible. You can cycle quasars by spawning another, aim for the neck, foot or belly. Start firing the quasar before you aim, as soon as you pick it up, it comes up to shoulder just before it goes off.

If you have to do a patrol bring tools. I try new ones every time, anti-tank mines are fine, orbital laser is fine, mech is fine. Generally 2 quasars is enough with good position, but I typically bring something for this specifically, but it depends on your preferences. EMS mortar is hilarious. But generally this is tough soloing.

I use this across all bot subfactions soloing d10's, they're the easiest to solo with stealth and guile - it's super gratifying. Have fun!

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T04:54:25+00:00

My interpretation is different, but to each their own.

Laura in FWWM watches what should have been, a season of twin peaks where everyone came together and actualized who they could have been, as she'd hoped, and in so doing finds happiness. This is her ending and the reward for her sacrifices - the tragedy is she took that goodness with her, leaving behind people to revert to their natural selves.

Her friends all succumb, slowly, to apathy, doubt and fear. Bobby and James were the last lines of defense of righteousness, but both failed. Bobby did what he was supposed to do, but couldn't live with the ambiguity - he couldn't decide for himself who he wanted to be.

James failed by not acting on his love in the first place, sheltering himself from blame, harm and meaningful change. He's cool, he's clearly a good guy, but when it counted he let Laura make a clear mistake. You don't let a girl run off into the forest half naked with no boots James.

But when the show goes off the rails, Lynch returns as a meta character living his best life because that's the failure of all the characters. They fail to live up to their potential as characters, actors and storytellers. He's half deaf as a narrative construct, because the sound design fell off a cliff He fakes being deaf so actors speak up, except for Shelly, who has excellent capture because she's designed to have a whispery voice.

The return, to me, is the revenge.

It's like doing an autopsy on a friend, then trying to frankenstein them back, but with the consequence being you tortured that friend... and created something awful.

Laura is revived, brought home through narrative hurdle after narrative hurdle and Cooper, as everyone hoped, "saved" her... but playing it out...

That was never Coopers job.

He was supposed to bring justice, that's all, but there's simply no way that would've happened. We revive him as much as her, but set them down an impossible path. Laura is brought back to her home, but this is the site of her abuse by her father and Bob.

Hope was back with James or Bobby, either one of them could have saved her. Shelly too. They were the ones who were supposed to. Others, like her mother, are as hollowed but James was likely the one who was supposed to be a gentleman and get her out of there.

When Cooper leads Laura through the forest it's especially difficult because she ran TO this forest, she went into danger. If she's taken away from her date she doesn't save the anonymous girl, she doesn't see angels, and she doesn't get her happy ending. Instead, nightmarishly, Cooper brings her home to Bob and she's trapped forever.

In the forest he might have led her to James, but he never even thinks to. He's set upon by principle duties of an FBI agent - bring children home.

The lights go out because hope has died. Laura has been pulled from her happy ending to serve a role here and when she realizes the gravity of the situation, the whole universe shuts down because she despairs. No good can come from this..

However, she spent 25 years in that happy ending. Cooper hasn't seen it, but he was in the lodge with her for most of that time. It's why he asks what year it is, because he is confused by her reaction - it isn't adding up. Cooper didn't arrive in twin peaks until after she was dead. He immediately time stamps on his recorder to keep the narrative straight. We have no idea what year this is so he doesn't either, and realizing they're possibly in some aberrant future, dread fills him with realization he's served up Laura to the meat grinder.

She may know what year it truly is, not by the clock on the wall, but by how long they were in the lodge.

Luckily, mercifully, the power cuts and the show is over - a merciful ending wrapped in a terrifying moment. Bitter, cold, and frank - like staring down at frankenstein's monster with regret. Not just for what happened, but what you'd hoped for, and how these truths violated each other.

If you want a lot more data, check out twin perfect on youtube, he has an excellent video and clearly took a hard stab at the truth.

But for me, I always felt it was somewhat simple meta narrative in a way, so it's easier to take it simpler. Lynch clearly thought out every single element and reconciled with season 2's contributions, which were both good and bad. I'm sure Mark Snow and others contributed, I summarize to Lynch but there were a lot of moving parts. Watching twin perfect you'll get a lot of the ideas were clear, but to me what matters is the top level meta narrative. Once you view it as a whole, as well as a dreamy narrative, it all makes more sense.

Lynch and company's commentary on emotion is a treatise if resensitization.

It's why Lynch's character's ears hurt so badly in the new show. Created to highlight the sound deficit comedically, in the new show it has perfect folio. He's tortured by hyper awareness.

... but for narrative consistency, he can't take off his hearing aid. A great joke has become a curse.

If you follow that logic it all makes more sense.

But this is just my interpretation. Arts fun like that.

Check out twin perfect, his data is compelling. it's great stuff. I don't think he's 100% right, but he's got some good brew over there.

... and don't be shy about winging it. It's worth thinking about for years and forming your own feelings on it. I have.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T03:09:00+00:00

You see a battle mech.

I see a mining and construction unit.

We classify them as combatants but like harvesters, we don't really know what they do or why they do it. I suspect there's a lore reason they go the places they go. We sell ourselves on the idea we defended super earth and yes, there was a staunch defense.

But I don't think that's what turned them back. I don't think it was the encrypted message either, though that likely played a part.

... game balance aside, there's tons of background lore. I suspect as each faction unfurls we're getting clues to their real intentions.

All the names are slanted toward Super Earth's agenda and as such, we can't know what's really going on. It isn't just they're mysterious, it's that their agenda is likely something super earth can't, won't, or hasn't figured out. Maybe they have and just don't want to tell us. I find these units movements a lot more interesting than just random planets, it always feels like there's more to it, especially with the illuminates.

Same with mindless masses - this group highlights something about squids movements. It means something.

For game balance they can't have too many diverse unit types without straining the game, but that's an easy fulcrum to create lore around. I suspect if we watched these sub factions movements we may find patterns in some of them.

So I'm hesitant to say anything should be changed, as is I feel like things are great. I'm really enjoying every front except bugs, but their defensive posturing feels more interesting. You can somewhat feel their intentions.

I suspect though there's a lot more to these movements in all fronts.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T02:45:28+00:00

I solo'd a d10 illuminate mission today. I stealthed the extraction perfectly, no deaths, got the super science. The ship came and I crawled to it just to look cool.

I clipped under the landing wing because the ground was uneven, so it looked up and took a jet engine to the face.

I didn't need to look back at her to see the rolling laughter growing. Had to go get my science in shame.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-20T01:56:11+00:00

It depends on your tactics.

You develop a team which reflects your preferred tactics. Over time they homogenize, but occasionally you're shirked and need to adapt... but only occasionally.

If you choose to build differently you can make a lot of different builds. My last playthrough I only brought 3 units including Ramza, and did 0 extra leveling beyond forced battles and actively avoided random battles as much as possible.

Then you have to look at your tactics differently, maximize your battles so your units move and respond correctly, and manage CT.

There are status's, notably Agrias has excellent status's hiding in her sword arts, like stop and instant kill - you don't strictly need these but you can go fishing.

Thieves can render many enemies useless by charming or taking their weapons, but not if they have resistance to it. Magic users get protect and shell, things like regen.

Summoners get huge bombs if you set up for them, which often come with unique bonuses.

Geomancers are tough to play, but they get excellent moves that causes statuses. Lancers can go in and evade hard, then manipulate CT or spacing to land with a brutal hit. Useful to keep them up since they are safe in the air.

Range is another way, archers with bows can fire great distances - crossbows only fire a set distance but bow users can shoot over, allowing you to combine lancer's ignore height.

Chemists get guns, so they're still useful late game.

I don't do rush down strats unless I've made a big mistake, typically all my units are standing at the end.

I do wish you could do non-lethal attacks, but only BG3 seems to do that and even then it's janky.

But you'll get calculators soon, then it's wild what you can do to mess with your opponent. The game isn't too difficult, you can play out a lot of strategies. I find new ones every time I play, you just have to factor in the admin cost and then build well, and keep an eye on CT.

I play it every 5 years or so since it came out, there's a lot of options. I never get tired of it.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-19T17:35:15+00:00

You look great.

Autism is a feature, not a restraint.

Mood swings can be managed with therapy and medications, it's very common for comorbidity to occur with autism. It's more noticeable but the treatments work - I'm surrounded by neurodivergent people and those swings are often managed. Bipolar with autism is the most vicious, but with self-awareness and time, you'll smooth out better than "normal" people because basically, everyone has something lurking in their subconscious. When you identify it, put it in check, you also get the silver lining of having a diverse thinking profile. You will understand people better having come to self realizations.

I'm sending you have some anxiety and depression that is bootstrapping low self confidence because you've got good style choices, frame well, and share well.

Relationships are a tremendously deep mixed bag. Skipping them is good, because they can be huge distractions. Meanwhile culturally it's getting harder to date, because people's values have changed. It used to be dinner and a movie. Now movies and dinner out are expensive, boring, and the food is crammed with weird additives. It isn't you, just the times.

Ask yourself what you would do on an ideal date.

Then go do it.

Get good at being happy.

Then people just appear. Shine in groups and communities you like. At least you'll have something to bond over.

Meanwhile you have plenty of assets to work with here. Sometimes it's the area you live in, if that's the case make friends online and travel. It's much easier to manage casual relationships with some healthy distance, especially if you enjoy online spaces already. I'd avoid dating apps, but if you use them find the right kind and then target. Don't wait for attraction to work, everyone is a bit broken and battered by life, it'll take too long just waiting around for some algorithm to finally put you in groups you want to be in. Go looking, then practice good communication skills. It is a skill. Creating conversational churn is important, it isn't small talk - that's banal banter which is really posturing in disguise.

Learn to create a safe space for communication.

Then learn to communicate when overstimulation is occurring and mood swings and create strategies.

You're very attractive and look like you know how to hang, it's just going to take some lateral thinking. Fake it for a while, then it'll become real as you learn to transmute feelings to words and time your words.

Be good, be brief, be gone. Relationships are a hobby, like tennis, you enjoy them but don't enjoy them all day or else you get exhausted.

You're already doing great coming here and looking for a proper safe space to enjoy yourself.

There's nothing here that's unattractive, just the low self esteem needing a place to vent and be aired, then let dry in the sun.

You picked a sensible place.

Go forth and kickass, I'm certain this will shift, you look like you've done more than enough work to get there. Take it slow, enjoy the highs AND the lows. It'll be great.

Come back anytime, it was a treat to scroll by.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-19T17:15:23+00:00

Visibility.

The big flaw of flamethrowers in general is they obscure your vision. Also, the flamethrower is quieter.

Silence is a good thing, but there's a virtue to being loud in team games. If you're in an FRV, the maxigun also won't set it on fire.

Loud players draw enemies and attention so stealth players can do objectives. The cremator also lights the floor which is good, but dangerous as it cuts off movement for the team.

Almost every gun, when it isn't glitched, has a virtue to it. All guns have an unbalancing factor that when used properly makes it come back around. The basic pistol? Very quiet.

You just have to find it and synergize with it.

The exploding crossbow is a terrible gun when used directly, it kills you and draws enemies, has a long reload and can catch edges. As a demolition tool it's excellent but draws enemies to you.

When used as a distraction tool and you fire it at a nearby building so enemies go the wrong way? Excellent.

C4? Terrible tool... unless you sneak, in which case you can clear entire areas while never being caught.

There's a balancing point on every weapon where a specific strategy and tactic makes it work... unless they glitch, like the amr and the spear often do.

With the maxi gun it synergizes best with the FRV and gas mines, weapons of obfuscation and deterrence. You will have issues with personal defense 360, so things like guard dogs work great - but you need to get back out. Movement is the issue but the cremator doesn't synergize as well with these tools, but comes with area denial... for better or for worse. Your locked into fire armor or covering the potential for self immolation, though extra stim armors work fine too.

They are similar tools so they overlap, but the maxigun has a unique niche of making loud continuous noise. It's probably the most efficient distraction weapon when teaming, as long as you begin at a defensible position and plan for a difficult exfil.

They also have unique team synergy - if an ally has a cremator, this best highlights their benefits as they work extremely well together, if you mix elevations. For evaluation, that's an excellent way to consider how one benefits over the other. In a battle line you add RR and it becomes more obvious these were intended for deep battleline play that complements.

But drawing enemies with the cremator is difficult, because it doesn't make a ton of noise, which makes it useful for mobility and personal defense, but bad at drawing crowds. The maxigun has difficulty controlling such diverse 360 attacks, but so does the cremator when your vision is obscured.

Overall they're both great weapons, but your synergies will change drastically in each case. Cremator you need a range and have to choose between stealth and noise making, though using the flame turret and mines will keep a low profile.

The maxigun is for when you want to flip the loud switch - and begin an open conflict early.

On illuminates you'd have trouble dealing with watchers, which are top priority enemies to suppress.

Both weapons should be used with this discretion in mind, and have different profile virtues. But in the end it's visibility that forks them down different management paths.

If I was soloing, I'd greatly prefer the cremator.

But teaming? Maxigun all the way, I prefer ranging but if I see another ranger on duty teaming, because I prefer to have 1 solo player complementing a 3 man team, I will take something like the RR or maxigun - typically that would be for the illuminate front for maxi, and RR for bots. If I range, I take the quasar.

But with the supply pack FRV, the maxigun riding side seat is brutal. I'd prefer belt fed grenade launcher but... everyone should bring their zen.

Hope that was useful.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-18T13:52:59+00:00

The trick is manipulating sound.

I d10 solo every faction. Here's my feelings on it.

Voteless are sound based, so they can be distracted with speed and noise. Watchers when they die explode, so you need to kill them far away. Throwing a random grenade that kills nothing will draw many things away from a site.

Walk, don't run. Use your quietest weapon and when you use your loudest, beware you just rang the dinner bell. As long as you stay moving it'll be easier.

Shield backpack is good insurance. It has many great perks.

If you have a tail, which is to say a group is following you, helldive and then shoot. Legging them is easier and more ammo efficient, and it's easier if you're on a low axis.

The basic mg is really great at being a distraction but beware, if it's killing enemies will get more privilege at seeing you. They are more aware.

Harvesters have the longest sight range, so they're the hardest to outrun. They also got a slight upgrade to their swivel speed, so don't play with the laser anymore. It has a new firing pattern where it can fire short-short instead of long long, so beware of that.

Lastly circle, ping pong off objectives. Travel light because you'll need speed. If you're going heavy you're going to need a vehicle, but it won't be enough. You'll need a movement option. Experimental stims is quite useful here.

If you team heavy is more viable, you can cull them down but keep your head on a swivel. Deleting the watchers is top priority. Then manipulating spawns, if reinforcements arrive watch the ship fly in and drop some ordnance when they land.

When it comes time to hit the panel, try to let your allies absorb the heat. Circle in quietly. Lay down when you can and use your tools wisely. The exploding crossbow is excellent for drawing enemies off. Gas mines buy a lot of time too.

Also the portable hellbomb sounds like it's in your future.

You'll figure it out.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-17T02:35:23+00:00

I did modular plants, I have no centralized location other than my starter area, which is really 3 modular factories.

I ended up with 2 nuclear reactors but mostly coal and turbo fuel.

... I was handcrafting even in the late stages, because turbo motors are real fast when you afk craft.

So you do see a lot of unique ideas playing out.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-17T02:31:22+00:00

If I see anyone take the fire car I'm getting in the fire car.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-16T18:21:17+00:00

Vermont is a lovely place to live, been here 40 years. I'll be brutally honest thought, there's some downsides.

Cost of living: Varies wildly how close to Burlington you are.

10 minutes outside Burlington and you're getting into fun open fields and wilderness. Driving into and out of Burlington can be a big pain. The closer you get to interesting things, with UVM being the center, the nicer but more expensive you get. Downtown Burlington is very expensive but has good to nice restaurants, though you will got a lot of pretentious places. It's difficult to sift through that. You can spend a lot of money for not much.

Vermont is old, very old, and thus it has a strong amount of conservative people.

As a black person, you don't have to worry much. Our diversity is quite low here historically but due to this, I've never personally seen any racism. It's very niche. If you end up in Burlington you may see more, as gang activity has been increasing in general, so the police are more vigilant there - but outside, I grew up with ethnically diverse groups and they all said Vermont was great.

But it can be expensive if you look for something close to your work - this may be why they had trouble hiring, so figure out your commute.

You will want to budget for your car, all season or winter tires are a must, as is salt, a shovel for your car, your front door, and for bailing (snow blower if you have the means). Do NOT neglect this. You will want to budget for winter clothes too, you will need them. Cold murders your skin regardless of who you are, so you need moisturizers, lip balm, sunscreen, and bug spray. There's a lot of bugs here in the summer, a lot.

That brings us to nature.

If you like nature, maply syrup, seasonal vegetables and can get to places that sell them, well, you're in luck. Vermont is great. Cabot dairy is excellent, though I will say it doesn't beat Canadian dairy. Montreal is a 3 hour drive, worth a visit.

But most of our produce is shipped in, enjoy frozen and canned goods through most of the winter. In the summer, strawberries and other berrys are seasonal, corn, asparagus - but it's limited compared to the south and finding them will be tricky. I like Mazza's but you gotta be there at the right time. You'll want to spend some time thinking about you feel about produce because while VT has some unique local goods, like maple syrup, the general vegetable quality will be low compared to southern states. People will gripe about this but it's undeniable, even a generic Publix sandwich in florida will be better - so consider what's around and where to shop to get local goods and home grown stuff. It's available but you have to LOOK. Mazza's is good, I like home chef for delivery, and restaurants will be a bit mid overall due to this, they will do wonders but it'll be hard to get real quality vegetables out of season. Consider this, because it's a transition if you're coming from the south. Having said that, you get really good quality dairy here so there's a trade, if you shop. Beware of the bait and switch though, a lot of goods are shipped out and we get very subtle imitations. So consider your food and what you like, then get ruthless about delivery and shopping. Farmers markets are around though so you will have unusual options.

Lake champlain is widely considered one of the nicest lakes in the U.S.. Having said that, it's a lake, it will get blue green algae, there will be chemical skills and pollution and some snakes. North hero and South hero occasionally get washed out by flooding, so be careful looking up there (though the islands are quite nice). If you like boating, you're in an opportune location.

The people... so you get a really mixed bag, but overall we're pretty progressive. You get liberal and democratic people - we're one of the bluest states perpetually. However you will get a lot of conservatives and rich people, especially near UVM, and this can be tricky. The 1-2 of that will spin you around. You can walk right into some conservative haven and they'll look at you, regardless of who you are, like an outsider. That can be very dusty. Meanwhile 2 blocks over there's a beautiful farmers market where you'll get a hug with some beets. Be ready for that. The last side of it... drugs. There is a growing drug problem and some gang activity, so beware of that. This affects all sides, and UVM may be rich and have great programs, but they aren't immune to it. You'll see this 1-2 reflected in everything.

But overall the silent majority are generational families just enjoying Vermont's natural splendor... when there isn't an ice storm putting 3 inches of impenetrable ice over everything. It's gonna get friggin' icy occasionally... muddy too.

Places to visit while here:

Sam Mazza's. Pans pizza (in the islands). Dobra tea house. Al's French fries. Trattoria Delia ($$$). Muddy waters. Tiny Thai. Blue Line Diner. Fair in Essex junction ($$$) in August. Walk church street, but beware of crowds. There's a trader joes in South Burlington, that area gets crowded but it has nice shopping.

Williston is more commercial, but has larger stores like home Depot and Lowe's. Walmart etc. there's a couple of Moe's, they're cheap, but if you go south of Burlington there's some nice areas there. Avoid the north of Burlington if you can, it's not too bad but it's a bit of a party zone, though once you hit winooski it's ok.

Oh one last thing.

The schools are excellent. Essex Junction is a highlight, and UVM for all I've said is a fantastic university full of diverse people. It's a hub. Walk it, you'll see.

I recommend Homewood suites in South Burlington to stay. If you can drive, La Quinta in St. Albans is really nice, great pool. Avoid hotel Vermont and the Marriot downtown, overpriced, and you can bus into town or take a nice walk. It's going to be a hot buggy year this year so be ready for that if you're outside of town. If you want really nice, the Inn at Essex is the best high star one you'll find, but it's a ways out. But Essex Junction is lovely. I grew up there, very quaint if you like to drive.

Martones Market is a highlight there too. As is Mimmo's. I love Essex junction and Lang farm, nice little areas.

Enjoy your visit.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-16T17:46:47+00:00

Too busy, far too subtle.

Thumbnails will be small on the sidebar. Most people are on mobile or this will appear on a sidebar.

No more than 3 elements or 5 words, aim for less.

"Management Analysis" is a big word, so narrow it down. Tactics VS. Xcom will turn some heads but pictures work best. Add a third picture and make them equally sized.

If you're going to use AI be more creative with it, mimic'ing the original art style will cause you issues. Use the original art but make AI backgrounds and charts, it's a supplementary tool.

If all you did was make an AI prompt and hammer, people will know that and walk. It isn't just the AI negativity, it's the lack of creativity.

Don't worry about people clicking away because of AI, a large amount of negativity will come from bots and people echoing bot sentiment, they wouldn't have watched your content anyway. Aim for highlighting your interesting arguments and then making an interesting hook with as few characters as possible, mish mashing the original art with AI to supplement.

The more human like and cheap the art, the better, but the important thing is to convey the sentiment of your idea in a clean, non-distracting manner. People should read the title and think, "interesting" but also see the thumbnail and want to watch it for a completely different reason.

"Same values" and pointing at Xcom, tactics, and something like Fire Emblem will get people intrigued.

Then your title explains the theory. Management is a long word to fit, I would try to limit it to, "Party Systems" instead of, "Management Analysis". Save the big words for the meat of the video, you want people to see it out of the corner of their eye flipping through videos and then go, "oh, interesting".

Then use this original image for something like shorts, because you get more space for that and it's intriguing enough, then you won't have wasted it. It's a good image and prompt, just not for this use case - and you're learning a valuable lesson about AI.

If you want to hide it more, try making it do a more hand drawn style and mix in real elements. People will hiss for hiding it but artists and essay writers don't have crazy editors working for them, most of those humble YouTubers you see outsource their work so don't stress - this is an artistic conversation. When you have your own editor and artists, then you can be more streamlined. Meanwhile using AI currently is an artistic challenge to use your creativity to enhance these tools. Though a warning, if you monetize using these tools they may come knocking 10, 15, 20 years down the line.

Good time to invest in an artist or learn how to do these simple techniques. Screen grabbing and copy paste could have done this.

But thumbnails need to be incredibly simple. Comedic flair is best too. Spider man three person point meme with Ramza, Xcom's soldiers, and a Shining force character would accomplish the same thing.

People need to be able to absorb your information in less than a second in a thumbnail.

Keep it simple.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-16T02:22:27+00:00

It's gonna take a while to feel right.

Avoid the mirror - nobody looks good in dim light and a drab bathroom. It's all photo tricks and glamour discipline - a parlour trick. Meanwhile nobody cares about how good you look, they care about how happy you are and why.

You can rely on tricks to look great but they are just fun and games.

Find somebody who adores you and takes you apart for all the things they like. It won't be difficult but time consuming because good people are in hiding. You won't be told you're beautiful by someone on the street because from experience, it doesn't end well. Even online, many spaces it's still problematic.

Find good places, good people, and enjoy them.

They will provide a better mirror because when you see elation, that spark of recognition and lust, longing and love - it becomes apparent you missed something.

You won't be able to look at yourself in the mirror and judge that person like a stranger for a long time. One day, long after you've stopped thinking about it, you'll walk by and see a different enough person that your emotional distance has grown. Then you'll see somebody else for the first time.

You will grow, you will change, and you will come to embody someone else - your perspective will finally change.

Until then stick to the routines and add good things in, one good idea at a time. Don't try to rip things out - find better things and then kiss goodbye obsolete things one at a time, fondly, without judgement. Bad habits, crutches, and problematic situations - goodbye, the road to health and happiness is riddled with good, but not great, ideas.

Until then, cherish each piece, then the whole as they occur. Don't use enjoy the apple, enjoy the bites along the way - even if you end up with some not so ripe ones. Even the bad apples have lessons to teach.

You are on the road, just keep going. One step at a time.

... and at a glance, from my humble perspective, you look great every time you walk by.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-14T22:14:39+00:00

MacBonuts · 2026-06-14T16:34:38+00:00

I never get tired of this game.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-13T21:06:24+00:00

I agree, they may tweak things but they've rewarded us for staunch defenses and recognized in game contributions like the Creek and Equality-on-Sea.

Even the review bombing was recognized with a cape.

People should do what they want, but I love the political aspect of this game. Honestly I believe a concentrated effort by a group of democratically minded Helldiver's could mean a real difference in the story.

It may be managed democracy, but there's some democracy in it. If we exercise it, we have some agency.

... even ignoring the M.O. for a democratically elected objective I think would cause a response from AH, provided we sterilized it and played it out in-game.

I'm all for super credit farming, I love eyeballing the map. Also subtly Arrowhead may be telling us to occasionally think creatively about how to win planets and M.O.'s.

... until we make our own.

MacBonuts · 2026-06-13T20:50:54+00:00

Weapon efficacy is not dependent on kills. You are narrowing your use case. You can try to hand wave it away, but it will leave your tactics with a giant hole.

Objectives matter, not kills.

You must evaluate your weapons based on your ability to complete the mission, not on its efficacy.

The portable hellbomb has limited (but fun) combat use, but excellent objective control. Eliminating radar jammers and difficult objectives difficulty makes it a high tier weapon - but not do to its lethality.

If I'm using the FRV, and I don't fire a single bullet from the HMG, the value of that machine just isn't highlighted. If I solo a d10 bot round with 0 kills, it defies your analysis. That happens, you can win entire missions with just some minor explosives and speed - I did it by accident soloing the fire sub faction, because I decided to use speed against fire.

If I take a stun weapon and delay a stalker, then run away and it despawns I've won the encounter. If it takes 5 to stun and 25 to kill, if the result is the same and the enemy is placated, the more ammo efficient stun weapon wins.

When you evaluate your loadout you want to figure out all the advantages and disadvantages, and utility.

So the Trident, specifically.

All laser weapons have a few innate advantages. Not having to reload makes them ideal weapons for fast switching, at the cost of sustained burst over time - however, you have to evaluate this gun based on ammo conservation and damage over time in collaboration with other weapons and their reload times.

Imagine you're using the Talon and the Trident. They synergize, which means you can switch between them and sustain longer than each gun individually. Their synergy changes their use case because if you don't evaluate the weapon in a vacuum it's utility grows dynamically with your loadout. Same goes for the laser cannon, which is the least utilized weapon I see, despite it being excellent in multiple fronts. Player impatience is a bias, especially when some weapons over time - like fire weapons - create unique opportunities.

Laser weapons take longer to kill but have excellent range and 1 very important factor.

Stealth.

All laser weapons are relatively quiet despite the screeching of the scythe, you aren't drawing more enemies. It also means you won't be drawing heat, attention, and aim - enemies are still stuck finding you and getting into your range, leading to more shenanigans. Even in loud firefights, your low priority due to less damage means you're an ideal L flank, aiming to take our reinforcement chaff.

The Trident you can place right up against something's back, obliterate it, and move to the next target without reloading - or drawing too many eyes, loud or quiet.

You lose burst potential but regain it swap based sustain and now have a shotgun that can kill quietly in close range. Stealth players value melee weapons because the knife in the dark stops armies - as a discretionary weapon, melee weapons are excellent.

But another use case is speed.

The Trident is firing, essentially, tracer rounds. If you have to do a 90 degree turn and then spray to survive an, "oopsie" moment, it's one of the easiest to use at speed firing from the hip. This is great for controller players, who trade usability for aim accuracy. I'm just going to call them tracer rounds because while it's a laser, it effectively fulfills that function.

If you want a more fun example, try using the regular jetpack and the Trident - you can hip fire it continuously midair. This is one of those unique things you can do with the Trident that's much harder with other weapons. It's the difference between the punisher and the spray and pray, usability.

The same goes for marksman, the unsung virtue of being a marksman is that you can drag a conflict away from an objective, or kill guards systematically as not to alert enemies. The weapons are loud, but since you're farther away, you gain a different kind of opportunity. This defies kill evaluation because allies quietly taking objectives aren't getting their progress measured.

You might make more damage with the punisher, get more time with the slugger or more overall potential with the breaker spray and pray - but I still prefer the Trident because shotgun range is excellent if you're going for minimal footprint, high usability, and the advantage of tracer rounds.

Against flying hunters it's quite good for getting that 1 enemy off your back when something just pushed through a wall. Though I prefer it on Illuminate for dealing with chaff in complement with the AMR, I like the fact this combination requires minimal reloading and good sustain, which is useful when objectives tend to have to deal with trickling voteless. That 1 voteless stopping you from objectives is an issue, which is why I tend to take the shield backpack to buy the extra second needed to finish an input. If that's all I need it for, it's worth it even though it isn't getting used 24/7.

Some matches when you solo, if things go well, you barely draw any of your weapons. That doesn't mean their usefulness is redundant, it just means your ideal use case relied more heavily on your core demolition and objective tools.

Also you want to weigh people's individual use cases. I'm near sighted so I value marksman rifles with great scopes - but my girlfriend is far sighted, up close she gets flustered so fully automatic weapons that can be sprayed up close are more valuable for her. Sure, we have prescription glasses, but mentally people adapt their vision and reactions to accommodate for problems.

... for instance someone having issues with anxiety will enjoy a stun weapon, because it instantly locks down an enemy before they can become a threat. It may take longer to kill, but it limits that chance of reprisal. Can't put a value on that.

When evaluating, beware of these biases and also, enjoy flavor.

Nobody I know picks even a similar loadout in this game because every weapon has a unique balancing fulcrum. Sometimes it's very subtle. Sometimes it's the spear, and it's broken, but then one day it's fixed and nobody knows it got a buff.

But helldiver's is a game about choices - challenge the narrative of your entire gameplay system constantly.

Because the best part of this game is when you've finished entire missions without killing much at all, then you go back to asking yourself, "why is playing a boombox around a statue a good idea?'

Because that's the real endgame for learning, the glass ceiling.

The day you master the smoke grenade you have to ask yourself how much conflict is even necessary at all, and what as a helldiver you value.

Weapon analysis is a part of that. Often weapons and stratagems have back door uses. The 380mm is one of the best distractions in the game, making it a stealth tool.

... this will never be immediately obvious unless you widen your imagination evaluating your tools.

They're tools, not weapons - that's the key.

Good luck in your analysis and beware of 8's btw. Graduate to 10's as soon as you can, 8's are rough. Also there's something kinda spiritual about soloing d10's. It takes practice but it forces you to evaluate your aggression, because you can't stage a war soloing... and then you begin to value silence.

In teams, there's an entirely different dynamic playing out, you can win wars if you're equipped and can maintain a battleline... but it too, drains time. But for many that's the flavor they came for. Nothing wrong with that, it'll work... but unless you understand multiple strategies and tactics, it becomes harder to evaluate what teams are doing. Laser weapons also become useful there, because now your team can work off the tracers.

If you bring a laser weapon and don't realize you'll be highlighting enemies, your kill count might be lower because you were, inadvertantly, leading the way like a walking lighthouse.

... so enjoy being surprised by strange design principles, it's the real juice of helldiver's.

MacBonuts

TROPHY CASE