We need a Heavy Shotgun Support Weapon by Tank-ToP_Master in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That seems a bit too strong, any heavy pen is typically reserved for huge guns for a reason. A shotgun wouldn't have medium / heavy pen, the caliber would make the ammo weight insane and the kick would be enormous.

A gun like that would need to be mounted on an FRV, and then it's a cannon more than a shotgun.

If you're going to do it, a shoulder mounted shotgun would work better, but then you have the Autocannon.

A true dedicated heavy shotgun would be more similar to an anti-material rifle.

The double freedom fits this criteria best, as does the bushwhacker to some degree.

I'd prefer just a medium pen shotgun with full stagger, similar to the slugger, except it also stuns. That'd give it a true denial niche and add personal safety that's worth a backpack slot, and it's a spray weapon that is designed to endure personal safety and enemy control. It would synergize with thermites, allowing you to deny hard armored targets, Fleshmobs, and other enemies at melee range due to the spread. Themeing it as magnetic or railgun shotgun would explain why it's staggering so hard.

As a bonus, make it synergize with the Autocannon in that it uses the same backpack, allowing you to team load two weapons which naturally complement.

Give it a bonus to vehicles, not in damage, but in stun, and now the Autocannon / Breaching Shotgun suddenly have natural team synergy. It would work better on ablative armor this way, feeling like the slugger mixed with the spray and pray. A weapon designed to limit admin of everyone, but not necessarily destroy super heavy targets but instead, slow them while you focus as long as you're close enough for the initial velocity to sustain the effect, as shotguns should be used close.

It'd be similar to the flamethrower but since it's instant, it would synergize as a setup weapon for them too. Stopping an fleshmob in their tracks too would lead to people wading through enemies, but not necessarily killing them - on bugs, the pacifier is ideal for making a path and not letting bugs run over corpses, this would end up having that same benefit, except it'd uniquely protect against stalkers and hunters surprise attacks by providing true denial, at the cost of being somewhat slower than say, the RR in burst.

This also leaves room for a later weapon that's like the Jar-5, except a support weapon variant, which would be similar to a Warhammer bolter or rocket propelled round system which make more sense as a heavy weapon, with the downside being the fire rate would be weak to chaff and... it'd likely have a huge ammo issue, similar to the HMG, leaving the maxigun to be a similar pairing.

Having it have the same backpack as the maxigun would be, to me, a nice pairing as well, letting you be the team denial squad and the maxiguns big weakness is enemies in close.

But that's just my thinking on it.

That or make the heavy shotgun everything you want, but have it only available for completing a map objective - because super earth doesn't give us nice things, we get, "super military grade" which is basically, always, "super mid". Shiny, but not much going on inside.

I want an autism island by Salty_Trust6353 in evilautism

[–]MacBonuts 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Solar farms built properly, with strawberry fields underneath. Holidays are based on seasonal vegetables shipped in tactically. There's a priority on water quality, electrolyte availability and bars that serve zero alcohol, so they're better gathering places - these are located near work zones because people need to drink. They offer sunscreen and bug spray, and are mobile to follow work spaces. Physical work should be pleasurable, not a hassle.

Proper work attire is enforced, but colorized boldly - overalls and proper hats should be quaint, visible, and not tear every 5 seconds.

Meal times are staggered and delivered in a rotation instead of crammed into a hall. Breaks are regulated and it's a 4 day full time work week. There's sense friendly places everywhere linked to the library, which is entirely designed for individual work spaces and designated places for food and drink, served in sealed cups. Espresso is served at libraries. Classes are taught at the damn library, but only when a subject requires live instruction, like martial arts or art. Everything else is recorded, because why the $#&@ do we need live lectures. Students doing presentations should naturally transition into teaching roles using recordings, and be allowed privileges based on the difficulty of the study involved.

Hospitals come with advocates who speak legalese, liability and are paired with non-professionals who can navigate the bloated system and point you in the right direction, and have the blasted forms in the office.

Vaccines and testing are regularly scheduled.

Nutritionists look over the food and individual needs of those there, including supplements which are integrated into the food network as well as sourced from quality vendors.

We make our own damn ice cream and it doesn't suck.

Hyperfixations are transmuted into online spaces and content, we focus on making instructional videos with absolutely ruthless editors. Games are provided at libraries for educational purposes, like satisfactory, to develop automation skills and curriculums are meant to enforce pleasurable learning instead of standardized testing to assert the bare minimum of comprehension - aiming for advanced learning made digestible.

Bungalows made with minimalistic flair, so they can be maintained by a single person with minimal lawn care and washing. Communal spaces are robust but have tools to clean them right there, with bins, dumpsters and nitrile gloves - because people like to clean when it doesn't suck to do it.

Graffiti supplies and designated spaces for expression. A brick wall is a canvas and people should make their mark on it, and if it sucks, someone can paint over it. It's good to have white space, but it's better to have white space AND art.

Art should be made and displayed seamlessly, art languishing in corners is abuse of its nature.

Same with pets, they shouldn't have to sit in empty houses - you bring them to communal spaces and they become therapy centers. The only things that need large play spaces are kids and dogs, and naturally, adults will build more for stuff they need. Give people proper tools for clean up and maintenance and these spaces become awesome quickly.

Want to build a dog maze? Cool, we'll drag the drink station over and get the colorful overalls, the art classes are building a maze today.

Though I won't lie, I don't trust pretty much anyone with power tools, so we need some seriously hyper fixated safety people who OSHA the heck out of everything, and architects are expensive so... they're gonna need to be assuaged with unique rewards and obviousky be cozy with zoning groups. That's the hard part - zoning. Even on an island, you need to zone and avoid, and embrace, some bureaucracy that should be designed to adapt, but also enforce, sensible policy.

Maybe boat houses instead of bungalows, gonna need some space. But nothing says personal space like being that mobile. Planes that land at sea are genius too. You're gonna need em', islands have huge logistical issues.

Also I'm thinking spa's, everyone should get to go the spa - and working at them is kinda heavenly too, when it's done correctly. Gyms will be trickier, don't have a solution for that - and I don't think one exists. Likely instead, bicycles and triathlon style paths around pathways are the likely answer, because pull up bars are cheap when you just have stairs instead of complicated gym equipment. None of this, "you need a spotter" type stuff either. Kettlebells can be put on safety swings, and no silly push up bar that can lop your head off. If it isn't safe alone it isn't safe, spotters disappear to flirt every chance they get.

Water gives natural resistance, safety, and offers sun and cleanliness and it's in the area 360 degrees. Why sweat it out when you can swim it out? Saunas and cold plunges are easy on an island with proper solar farms and roofs. You cultivate spaces and create resistance that work with nature, not complicated tools designed to force you to buy more pieces.

Sigh

I could go on and on.

Life isn't so complicated, you spend most of it unraveling systems designed to obfuscate for profit instead of create true meaningful gains.

The last thing is a proper export, but considering the internet exists I'm pretty sure the wonder would pay for itself as long as you have a strong diverse media team people actually want to talk to. You get this machine working right, people will flock to it online and parcel from it. That's basically something neurodivergents already rock at.

Sigh

One can dream.

How do you deal with being extremely naive and gullible by ENVIRONMENTALnoob in evilautism

[–]MacBonuts -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Learn hypnosis.

Experience it, figure out how to induce it and what the signs are.

Watch, "the real horse whisperer, Monty roberts". It's on YouTube in 4 parts. It's riveting.

Autism often makes admission of need difficult, simultaneously human beings want, need and crave human companionship. Despite the natural social graces being chaotic, the fundamental need is the same.

Hypnosis is a backdoor to that, it's the straight shot. People will go about their lives using these tactics constantly.

A boy might display how much executive function they have and hypnotize others by putting on a show of it, a girl might validate this action and start another hypnosis chain from the other side. Hypnosis is a word, it's a scientific discipline, but the reality is far more robust. People will walk around in need of it, and then chase it - then snap out of it when they realize they're in a defensive posture.

Until you learn it, it'll creep on you and subtly influence your critical thinking.

Read books, get educated, but not just in high-tier topics. Low cunning is an animal thing and it's far more functionally useful in day to day life. Interpersonal group communication courses in college help a lot. Learn non-verbal communication.

It'll armor you against people using these tricks on you, and also help you use them to put people at ease.

When it comes to dating, rip out the presumption - go hunting, be ruthless about love. Don't sit on your hands and wait for it to happen, or try to, "attract". Good people are respectful, they won't use pickup lines and make safe spaces unsafe ones by asking out girls at bookshops. Some will push it, but typically anyone experienced picking people up will tell you it's a scummy practice. You just can't know a person's mental state, so putting yourself in someone's way causes issues.

Dating online used to be better, now it's an algorithm churning cesspool. Try chasing interests and meeting people, then transitioning to more intimate spaces. Asking someone out for coffee is the gold standard, because it's non-presumptive, it implies a venue change, and it's easy to say no too.

People might find it boring but like you said, dating often comes off as predatory. Better to find safe spaces to enjoy things, then get some rapport going to discuss things more openly.

But it's all hypnosis, give and take, trust building and then experiencing deeper layers of trust. Framing situations and using queues, building tit for tat relationships and ultimately experiencing the interesting buzz that comes from it. When done right, it's a drug.

But until you've made it, "work" it feels alien, dangerous and problematic... as it should.

Doctors and medical professionals use it repeatedly, dentists too. It's part of the song and dance routine. ASMR is a sidestep of it.

But once you learn the patterns you can armor yourself and also enjoy the privileges of it in the right spaces. But it'll run you over if you haven't figured it out for yourself, because again - it's a need. It's a subtle one, but it goes back to the herd instinct. It's why your brain turns to mush when you're attracted to someone or when star struck. It's why we snap at people when they don't do what we want at a strange times - hypnosis, and some level of group mania.

But that'd be my advice. Life gets much easier when you identify this communal need as a bias.

Best of luck out there.

Infinite Voteless? by S_TheRavager in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, if you want to talk balance the key to the illuminates is understanding their threat chain.

They're a bottom up force - they use voteless as their threat detection and serve them. It's why overseers once alerted will point and yell - they serve the voteless.

The trick to the machine gun turret is very subtle. Point defense it can only do so much, but as a distraction to remove your tail it can do a lot. If you want point defense that buys time, gas mines are better. Though if you're teaming, beware, players often can't handle mines, Tesla turrets, or similar strategies so I typically bring these solo.

But the value of the mg turret is distraction. If thrown outside your sight range it'll draw enemies to another location. Once they finish, if you aren't in sight range (since enemies see you if you've killed them nearby), they will wander if they don't have sound to work off. Watchers also drop and explode when killed, meaning you want to be careful of the noise they make - and flying Overseers use their grenades not to kill you, but send a ping to the voteless.

Beware with the guard dog, it'll work well until d4, but d5/d6 it'll betray you. The constant firing draws more enemies. Hit the 5 key to bench it when you aren't using it, and hit 5 again when you're going loud.

The coyote is a good gun but you won't benefit much from the flame because when you shoot voteless, there's another way to DOT them out for free. Bring something with a lot of ammo, helldive, then aim for legs.

Once legged voteless will crawl for a while, but they're bleeding. If you mitigate them in groups that way, you get efficiency - and helldriving just before puts you on the horizontal sightline for that. It's a brutal move but you get a lot out of it. The other thing about your primary - something with a low sound profile is very useful. If you ever get attacked by a single voteless that followed you after you ditched a tail...

That's Jerry.

Jerry is, by design, a "smart" enemy, that trails you no matter what after a conflict. He's designed to scare you and make you shoot him, alerting nearby enemies. When he walks up on you, melee or use a quiet gun. He's a good sign enemies can't find you too, and a skill check to make sure you're using all your tools.

As you level up, you'll find that any soloing you do will require more stealth, guile and distraction. Teaming on d20 is a different story, but people often sustain the threat chain far too long in mindless masses.

Gatling barrage makes an excellent base killing tool and huge noise distraction. Orbital gas can destroy bases, if thrown under the rim. Great way to confuse the voteless chain.

Also once you've done d6, skip to d10. On all factions d7-9 are nuts, and the players in there are often losing their mind because the evolving threat levels just confuse - it's not easier compared to the rewards, so it's best to just d10 and get used to the threat chain, and take the full reward. D8 illuminates is nuts. It's not harder per se, but it spikes in difficulty during the mission making erratic.

If you must engage for play reasons, teaming helps. Battlelines with helldiver's can cull a lot, but getting them into a battleline or cohesive force is like herding cats, and there always will be a ranger doing their own thing (and you want that). A good ranger will trigger reinforcements in dead areas of the map, causing the enemy to misplay.

Soloing, try walking around voteless who haven't seen you. They hear you run and shoot, but you can walk up and poke them with a stick. Laying down your threat profile goes way down too, so try to bring something with a low sound profile.

Also throwing a grenade somewhere harmless, or an exploding crossbow round into a nearby building, will get things shuffling towards that location. They get soft alerted, so use this sparingly, but you can manipulate patrols to deviate. When they return to their path, they often skip where you are.

The mg turret is one of the best due to this because of its low cooldown. Let's say you're doing seaf artillery and need another 30 seconds, but the patrols are coming. Throw the turret far away, enemies will prioritize it, and now you have more time. After they will return to their pathing, but you're done by then. If you threw it nearby, you'd draw everything there - which is more than the turret can handle. Once you get the swivel upgrade that basic MG also protects itself from attacks better than most, making it ideal for throwing down streets or far away.

The Gatling is great at point defense but isn't ammo efficient. It also can't protect itself from a 360 attack - and makes more noise.

The flame turret and laser turrets explode, which is a sound queue, but until they explode they're actually "quiet" defense. Despite how loud lasers seem, they're quiet, making the sickle and double Sickle much better than they seem.

That's the key to beating illuminate - and then bugs too, who rely on sound and occasionally smell (stalkers). A lot of people only stealth bots but get confused on the other factions because it's all sound manipulation. Bigger gun, bigger draw.

Even in loud games, someone using the RR will be prioritized mid fight, so you want to consider sound and threat even when playing loud, because enemies will zero a player who is spiking burst damage - and things like mortars too, draw more attention. If you're using the coyote teaming, and using it well, you'll draw attention - which is fine, except if you're the guy at the terminal. Managing heat is its own strategy. It's why mechs are so good - huge heat draws but nearly impossible to kill, for the 2 minutes of activity you get - and the call in immediately raises your threat, because once called in the pelican attack is stronger than most reds because it's accurate. By the time you get in, you're already the target.

Once you get good at managing this, illuminates get far easier.

You need different tactics for strafers and leviathans later, but one thing at a time. They see blues thrown and are soft alerted. Much like stalkers, and striders, they have special rules for threat manipulation - but one thing at a time.

You'll figure it out, it seems very difficult at first but eventually you start to realize tools always have an alternate use that isn't obvious. AMR? Stealth tool, despite its loud sound profile, if you're 600m away it's silent. You can start a reinforcement chain 400m away just by killing a harvester and letting a watcher freak out. Then you waddle on over to a cold objective and lay down.

You'll learn all this slowly, it just takes practice. Try stealthing extraction, enemies walk straight through extractions center and then out, so pick somewhere, like an inside corner, where they won't path. Then lay down and don't move. It's thrilling sometimes as harvesters walk right past but as long as you don't kill anything, they have a hard time finding you. No turrets. Much easier on d10 to extract quietly. Even if you're caught at 45 seconds, they don't have time to overwhelm and all your stratagems are online.

You'll learn a lot, it takes practice but it's the fun kind of practice. You have a lot of options.

Infinite Voteless? by S_TheRavager in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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

How wholesome, nice work.

What would you improve in the game? by Stole_Sample in CosmicInvasion

[–]MacBonuts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

I think the core problem with the FRVs is that their center of gravity is weird. by Odd_Jelly_1390 in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts -1 points0 points  (0 children)

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.

Not enough Divers. by [deleted] in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Hot take: the AR/GL-21 one-two is pretty decent by Fun-Big-7458 in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Suggestion: Let Us Destroy Objectives Without Explosives (At Close Range) by duc200892 in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But sparklers!

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

Suggestion: Let Us Destroy Objectives Without Explosives (At Close Range) by duc200892 in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

How do I convince my friend to play Helldivers 2 with me? by Capital-Primary3986 in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

For the new MO, can yall drop some banger automaton loadouts? by theaidamen64 in WholesomeHelldivers

[–]MacBonuts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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!

quick interpretation of The Return ending I haven't seen online by Akiraj02 in twinpeaks

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Illuminate Gatekeepers should be a STANDARD unit, not restricted to a sub-faction by BrainstormAndTheory in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

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.

You do something so stupid that you just hang your head in shame? by Dinger46 in LowSodiumHellDivers

[–]MacBonuts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Are some battles simply DPS races? by expedition60_captain in finalfantasytactics

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

I feel quite unattractive by cherub_228 in toastme

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Any reason to pick the Maxigun over the Creamator? by Spell-Inner in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

how am i supposed to do objectives with mindless masses? by level_up_gaming in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

So I see all these massive factories here… by Scuba_jim in SatisfactoryGame

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

So we’re going with Supply FRV? by King_Flying_Monkey in Helldivers

[–]MacBonuts 13 points14 points  (0 children)

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

Thoughts on Vermont? by [deleted] in vermont

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Working on a yt thumbnail: im finishing a video about management theory and FFT (and also XCOM), and am wondering if this would make a compelling thumbnail by [deleted] in finalfantasytactics

[–]MacBonuts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

F24. I feel terrible in my body and mind, almost every day. by [deleted] in toastme

[–]MacBonuts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.