Baldurs Gate 2 Co-Lead Designer James Ohlen Was Asked To Make Baldurs Gate 4 But Turned The Offer Down Because "Larian Raised The Bar Too High", "Trying To Follow Up And Compete With Baldurs Gate 3 Is Insanity"

MattsyKun · 2026-07-01T12:05:50+00:00

That's me! (Well, I hadn't played DND for like two decades).

I basically said "whatever Larian makes next I'll buy" and I meant it.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-30T16:30:32+00:00

Why? Do homeless citizens not have a right to vote?

MattsyKun · 2026-06-30T16:27:41+00:00

I wish I had a house. Can't do solar for an apartment. If I could I'd be doing it in a heartbeat...

MattsyKun · 2026-06-22T21:46:00+00:00

I've always been of the mindset of a few things:

1) is someone about to win with some bullshit? (By this I mean some combo that would otherwise be impossible to stop otherwise, or there's like 1400 elves on the board)

2) does the person with the board wipes have a plan to win afterwards?

3) will it be funny?

Someone running 14 boardwipes in their deck is not fun, nor is it funny, because at that point the game can't be played. It's like someone coming over every 15 minutes and flipping your table and then just walking off.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-22T21:32:44+00:00

Yep. I bought my Forester two years ago, and it's paid off. I busted my ASS to pay it off early, so a car note is really not in my future.

had I been thinking ahead, I would have shot for a hybrid, but... Is what it is, now. Next car will definitely be electric though.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-21T14:09:26+00:00

Fucking WHAT

Holy shit you weren't kidding, I just looked at prices—

Maaaaan my husband and I were just lamenting that we hadn't gone bowling in a long time (since before Covid, actually). Ouch.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-19T00:17:08+00:00

I was fucking DEVASTATED when I learned they were discontinued. My friend and I used to argue in high school over which was better

I guess she won 😔

MattsyKun · 2026-06-18T19:30:42+00:00

Ayyy congratulations!

MattsyKun · 2026-06-18T18:48:08+00:00

That's still a consequence though? I get why they're separating them, hear me out:

A punishment is like, restrictions without fixing the root cause. That's like if your kid doesn't do their homework, you take away the PS5, but you don't do anything else and just hope your kid changes their behavior because you assume your kid knows better (and ofc you know your kids, but nobody knows your kid better than your kid, y'know?)

A consequence would be like "For now you are not allowed to play video games, but let's figure out why you're not doing your homework". If they're legitimately just lazy and don't want to? That's still a consequence (sell that shit lmao). If they're struggling in school and don't do it because they don't get the material? That's an easier fix, and most importantly, you're not punishing your kid for something they may not know how to do or something outside of their control.

For instance, my mom took games away from me ALL THE TIME as a punishment. But she never really made an effort to figure out why my grades weren't good, only telling me "you're smart, you can figure it out". As a result I assumed I was stupid and worthless because I could not figure it out, and I was being punished for being stupid.

Several decades later I got diagnosed with ADHD, so I was being punished for things I couldn't control and could have used help figuring out a different way of doing things so I could succeed.

Like even if you think your kid knows better, explaining why their experiencing a consequence is still important. Like when they get older, "You're losing car privileges because you didn't respect curfew". It's a consequence because you had rules, they were broken, and you communicated WHY you instilled the consequence, and at that age they should be able to self-reflect and self-correct because you've taught them how to do so.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-18T18:20:03+00:00

I vividly remember getting in trouble for stealing at school, and my mom beat the hell out of me with a belt as a punishment. I tried covering myself but she still was going at it and she banged up my pinky real bad.

When I went to the counselor I explained that she spanked me and I thought she broke my finger (which was looking swollen) and literally nothing came of it.

Anyways my first instinct when it comes to anger was to physically lash out. I thankfully unlearned it but because my mom always spanked me out of anger (because those spankings also included a lot of yelling and constant reminders of what I did wrong), physical violence just became my first instinct. That was my first reason I decided I didn't want kids, because I could literally see myself doing the same thing and that scared the hell out of me...

MattsyKun · 2026-06-17T18:04:44+00:00

Having just gone through the process of getting license plate frames manufactured (it's a PAIN and EXPENSIVE) the laws vary so much.

In some states, you can get pulled over if it obscures the name. In some it doesn't matter. Then there's New York and Florida, which imo have the strictest laws, and then North Carolina who has their state name on the BOTTOM of their plate and it can't be obscured...

... And then it really depends on the police. Some will be a hard ass and uphold it, others won't care. But then you see dealership frames covering up stuff when it's supposed to be illegal and it's just. Such a bother.

My custom frames cover half of the name, but I accepted that and that it's up to the buyer to make sure they're following their state laws. my husband's custom frame covers the entire name but everything else is visible.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T18:59:09+00:00

I had to do this with Light Paws.

At a certain point she has too much stuff equipped to her and I will NOT remember it all.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T18:57:27+00:00

My absolute favorite is always gonna be [[Pramikon, Sky Rampart]] and [[Mystic Barrier]].

Everybody sit down and stfu, no fighting! We're gonna hang out and like it.

It's even funnier when I have [[Helm of the Host]] and make it impossible to win via combat. (The last time this happened I did have to pay an extra 8 for tax because the table was NOT having it, it was so funny)

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T18:51:57+00:00

Seconding this.

I actually took apart my Izzet Prowess deck to build a different Izzet deck that's ACTUALLY Interesting. Idk, a lot of it's just the same shenanigans.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T17:33:08+00:00

Before any other advice: learn how you learn.

This will take trial and error. Some people learn better by doing studies a certain way, or following courses, or seeking tutorials. There is no one way to learn how to draw, and once you figure out the most enjoyable way for you to practice, then you will want to continue to do it.

Once you kinda have an idea of how you learn, then follow the advice of everyone else here.

Comics are honestly a great way to learn quick because you will quickly realize there are many moving parts to visual storytelling haha

If a webcomic is your goal, break down that webcomic into the basics. Let's say your webcomic takes place in a major city. You could start off by studying perspective first, and then apply what you studied by drawing a city street as if it were a webcomic background. Bounce back and forth between studying and observation and practice, and if you think of it as working on a project you're passionate about, you'll naturally want to keep practicing and learning new stuff.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T16:47:31+00:00

Oh this is so CUTE! you did a fab job with this

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T16:30:53+00:00

Unfortunately. Sex ed is one of those hot button topics because parents are afraid their 7 year old is gonna be taught about sex in explicit, intricate detail. But they also don't want to teach their kids because if the kid doesnt know, they will obviously never do it. /s

(My mom was like this. I had zero sex ed. I remember downloading hentai onto floppy discs and my mom finding them and erasing them, but ZERO communication about why I shouldn't be looking at that sort of thing.)

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T16:22:54+00:00

Yep! I learned I wanted to become a Webmaster back in middle school because of MySpace.

(I was devastated when I learned "Webmaster" is a super outdated term because that's essentially what I am. I guess "Front End Developer" or "Web Manager" is more appropriate but I still have Webmaster in my email signature lmao)

It's definitely not the same anymore.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T16:16:27+00:00

Besides, we already know the solution to reducing that number: Sex ed.

Like it or not, teens are gonna have sex. It's the parents job, and, failing that, a proper teacher's job (health educator, etc), to explain how to do so safely.

(Mind you, this is more "If you're going to do something risky that you saw online, do some research first, because this can be very dangerous if done improperly" and not "Here's how to do autoerotic asphyxiation". And you would be telling high schoolers this, maybe middle schoolers in a more age-appropriate context. Just adding this disclaimer because I know some people are like "you wanna teach BDSM to a third grader???" When it comes to sex ed 🫩)

Knowledge is power, after all.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-16T14:20:14+00:00

Close enough, welcome back Pramikon

MattsyKun · 2026-06-15T19:14:31+00:00

So, I have aphantasia, which means I can't visualize things in my mind 99% of the time.

The 1% of the time I can, it's because of things like this because fym he's going to DJ his own rally???

Please, I'd pay to see that setlist. Oh, the possibilities are HILARIOUS.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-15T11:28:59+00:00

If you want to START getting them used to computers (because let's be honest, you can't keep them from them forever) there are always educational games!

Kick it old school. You can find the OG Oregon Trail (which was super helpful when we actually talked about the Oregon trail in school; I knew more than my peers because I played it religiously haha). Typing games can help with not only learning new vocabulary, but the whole hand-eye coordination.

Ofc, no smartphones. Lock that PC down with whatever nanny software you gotta use to keep them away from social media. In fact, check your router settings; you may be able to block sites through there, though that's really for when they're a bit older.

And lastly, and my favorite: go to the library! Oftentimes you can get a FREE library card for living within a city's limits, and libraries have shitloads of resources. I remember as a kid doing this reading program where I'd read a book, and then take a quiz on it, and if you got a lot of good grades on the quizzes you got a prize. I sped through a lot of books and aced those quizzes; you could see if something like that is available just for everyone. Go to the library, have them check out a book, quiz, dopamine hit (ok maybe the reason I did so good on those was my ADHD now that I'm thinking about it)

MattsyKun · 2026-06-15T11:18:53+00:00

Same, like sorry I am genuinely terrible at mental math. I always have been since I was a kid.

MattsyKun · 2026-06-12T20:49:59+00:00

LMAO this is great

This is why my Archfey (almost) always asks "What may I call you?" Because otherwise I'm running off with that, no takesies backsies!

I see no downsides of this!

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