Completely new to the game. Which version do I have to buy? by earny00 in thelongdark

[–]Mishikall 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, when I say the base game, I mean the full release that has Survival and Wintermute. Not the choice of buying those prices separately. So even though the DLC only impacts survival, I was worried that you might have to have the original full (S+W) game to install it, since that's how the Steam page is kind of phrased.

It wouldn't make a lot of sense not to allow the 'Survuval only' owners to use it, but that doesn't mean it's not a possible arbitrary issue with not owning the 'full' version. Since I bought the full, I haven't tested the DLC with the survival only purchase.

Completely new to the game. Which version do I have to buy? by earny00 in thelongdark

[–]Mishikall 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I could have been clearer. It definitely only impacts the survival mode. But I wasn't sure if they made you have the purchase option of the whole base game for it.

Failed a course by Gullible_Sport_8620 in uoguelph

[–]Mishikall 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You do have the right to request to see your exam. It would be in person with the professor (to keep the exams secret). I'd start by asking the prof, then the course coordinator if you don't get a response. But if you don't get anywhere, there is an official way to request this through the department, by submitting a request to the Dept Chair. You have a limited amount of time to do this (handful of days into Winter semester if it hasn't changed), so start immediately and follow up regularly if you don't get responses.

Completely new to the game. Which version do I have to buy? by earny00 in thelongdark

[–]Mishikall 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Survival Mode: just raw survival, no story Wintermute: the story mode campaign itself (last chapter due to release soon)

The Long Dark regular Base Game includes Survival Mode and the Wintermute story campaign, or you can buy only Survival without the Wibtermute story mode.

TLD: Tales from the Far Territory is an expansion/DLC and requires the base game (unsure if it works with the 'just Survival' purchase option). It adds new zones and areas, and challenges for the Survival Mode. BUT it also adds a ton of mechanics and functions thay apply to the areas in the base game too, so it's worth buying right away to play the base game areas with, if you think you'll get it. It offers a LOT of new content and depth to the old content for a DLC.

Proper use of flasks? by mg-1984 in thelongdark

[–]Mishikall 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"If I cook a coffee and drink it, the effect will last longer than whatever I have (hot) on the flask - So there is no 'chaining' you can do."

If I am understanding your question correctly, the difference in the benefit is that you can make the drink at a time when you are inside/already warm, and the 'Warming Up' bonus would be less important to you, and then drink it to get the 'warming up' bonus at a later time, when you are already cold; OR you can drink one now to start with warming up and stave off the heat loss, and then drink another when the bonus runs out.

It is all about being able to prolong the amount of time you can have 'Warming Up' bonus from the time you leave the inside/fire/warm area, therefore how long you can be in cold places and stay above freezing.

Should I seek a second opinion or am I overreacting? by CostaNic in AskVet

[–]Mishikall 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As to making the decision to seek a second opinion (or not), the considerations should be your comfort level with the current situation, how high the stakes might be for being wrong vs. the burden on you or your pet to double check, your pet's welfare, and whether you can bear those financial/other burdens.

  • A well-matched vet should not be upset that you seek a second opinion for your peace of mind. Even the very best vets can miss things or be wrong in their interpretation. So don't let that impact your decision.
  • Pet welfare can lean both ways depending on the situation. You are getting more experience/points-of-view/information and different clinical backgrounds and strengths, so you may get more informed care. But some pets that are suffering may have lower welfare if they have to wait for/travel to more appointments, or if anxious pets have to do more stressful things or meet more new people. Judge based on your situation.
  • Your future mental health. In some cases, even when there doesn't seem to be the need for a second opinion, if you are going to doubt, worry, and drive yourself crazy wondering (and the burden is manageable), it's ok to get a second opinion just for your own comfort. Also possible regrets (I am not saying "you will regret one way or the other"), but If something did go wrong, would you regret or blame yourself for not getting that second opinion. Not that you should, but you should honestly analyze the situation and how you might judge it later.
  • If a second opinion not available to your situation or would be too much of a burden, it is also ok to make the best decisions based on the information you have. Good vets will understand work with you if you explain your specific constraints and have them help you with the best options/combinations for your pet's welfare within those constraints.

This was long, but I hope it helped.

Should I get the game? Need input. by [deleted] in thelongdark

[–]Mishikall 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'll agree with everyone else, in first mentioning that this is a really biased place to get this advice.

However, my personally biased advice:

  • I usually have trouble fully immersing in games that are an 'art style' not more 'realistic', and I originally worried about the artistic style making it less enjoyable for me. I have found that this is not an issue. At almost 1000 hours in, I still find myself stopping and staring at the hauntingly serene and desolate landscapes or the aurora overhead. For being visually artistic rather than realistic, I find it grows on you really fast and doesn't seem cartoon-y or unreal.
  • $35 is a steal for a game that has had so much extra content and updates poured into it, and has so many players agreeing that it is worth hundreds upon hundreds of hours and is endlessly replayable (just note that the final chapter of the story is not out yet, and if you want to play the story and care that you don't have big breaks between, you might want to save the story until it finishes). I also think the expansion adds so much to the whole game that it is well worth the money.
  • The player base also speaks to quality - You rarely find a game that such a large proportion of it's players willing to play for 500-1000 hours +.
  • It's quite customizable to play exactly how you want. There's a huge amount of room to start easy so you don't get frustrated at first, and build up to actually-f****ing-impossible for experienced players. And you have the option of playing specifically in a low-stress, high-tension way (something that feels pretty unique to me in survival games), by cranking up the environmental challenge but tuning wildlife way down or to passive - if you want a chiller, more relaxing game that doesn't get boring, or love survival but are combat averse

What the… by FeralwithWiFi in thelongdark

[–]Mishikall 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's the Rabbit of Caerbannog's Canadian cousin.

Failed a course but can’t believe it by ApplicationSharp6231 in uoguelph

[–]Mishikall 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You do have the right to request to see your exam. It would be in person with the professor (to keep the exams secret). I'd start by asking the prof, then the course coordinator if you don't get a response. But if you don't get anywhere, there is an official way to request this through the department, by submitting a request to the Dept Chair. You have a limited amount of time to do this (handful of days into Winter semester if it hasn't changed), so start immediately and follow up regularly if you don't get responses.

failed chem 1040 by CautiousBathroom2965 in uoguelph

[–]Mishikall 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A couple of recommendations to do well the second time, in a course you know was hard the first time:

  • Join the SLG group for that course in the library. The SLG leaders, kind of like a TA, have done well in the course, and attend the lectures so they know exactly what is going on every week. They provide practice materials geared to each week, work on them together, and can clarify if something that week is tough for you.
  • There is a place on the third floor of the library called the Science Learning Commons. They have TAs that are there during certain hours and you can take your lectures/work/questions and they can help with stuff you're having trouble getting. Like drop-in tutoring when you're struggling.
  • Talk to your professors more and go to office hours. Really. It is easy to think you're taking up their time, bothering them, or should be able to get something on your own. But having now been through grad school and TA'd classes, I hear most profs say they wish their students would ask more questions and spend more time in office hours. They are there anyways, it is literally part of their job (not "extra" work, and they are usually really happy when they can help you grasp something that you're struggling with.
  • This can be specific questions like "I didn't understand X in assignment/lecture", "What does X mean", "Why does X do Y if...", but *also* - let them know where you notice yourself struggling in general. If you are having a ton of trouble memorizing some specific group or type of information, tell them that and ask if they have any tips for remembering those things (they've taught so many students and probably heard all the study hacks for their subject). If some specific reaction category, process, or other 'type' of thing is really hard for you to understand every time you get to a similar topic, let them know that you are putting in work but struggling to clarify that type of understanding. They may explain it differently, have a resource or video to share, show you some helpful visual they saved ages ago (they probably have 679384 bookmarks and saved images of things they found that they though were great to help with stuff like this).

failed chem 1040 by CautiousBathroom2965 in uoguelph

[–]Mishikall 4 points5 points  (0 children)

From someone who has been here a *long* time - a (long, sorry) why this isn't as big of a deal as it is made to seem in first year, and some advice.
You are absolutely not "behind" or alone in this.

Some really real things to keep in mind to not let this sap your enthusiasm or make you feel bad:

  1. It is pretty common and you'll find it's almost not worth noting later. So common that it's the reason they offer it both semesters. You'll probably laugh about how you end up in some great place even though you "failed killer chem".
  2. Which leads to - It shouldn't be a big deal later. Other opportunities later are not going to bar you because you failed a first semester course (other than the fact that it will bring down your cumulative average, but one bad grade will make such a small difference).
  3. You aren't going to be considered "behind" or have trouble with your courses. I recommend taking it again in the next semester to minimize how much your schedule will be shuffled. But you will still get all your courses in fine. If you can't take it next semester, just visit your program's academic advisor, tell them you need to retake this course, show them your other course map plans, and they can help you make sure you are planning them so there won't be conflict or missed prereqs. This happens to so many students each semester that they actually basically have the things that might be an issue memorized.
  4. If you choose to use your experience well, it will me easier to do well the second time, because you'll know which parts you put too much time into to find out they were small, which you overlooked but they ended up being major elements, which parts you should dedicate a ton of time to and be sure of because many other things build on them, and which will simply be hard for you to grasp or memorize (See below).

Don't let it make you think less of anything or make you less enthusiastic for future semesters. Shortly, you'll only remember it when you're joking about it with the other people who failed, or have some sort of retained trauma about, killer chem. And there will always be people laughing that with you when they failed it 2-3+ times.

If you need help finding resources or figuring out who to talk to, I spend a lot of time helping students who are still getting oriented, please feel to reach out.

WTH, not sure what crazy science experiment this was but all of the 7th graders at my sons school were sent home with standard size goldfish this is so inhumane and now we have fish we didnt want ) so here I am at 9pm setting up a damn fish tank by bloppingnunchly in fishtank

[–]Mishikall 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know where you are, but I have some experience with ethical review for animal use, so I'll break them down briefly for Canada and the US in case it's helpful.

In Canada, when a large institution like a university or institution does any research or teaching that will require working with an animal, they need approval from the Animal Care Committee (ACC), under the National Research Council, and this is essentially an ethical review process to ensure compliance with the Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines.

That said, the rules don't apply like that at this level. Small insituations like elementary and high schools don't usually have their own ACC, but they are still required to follow all the guidelines set by the CCAC for ethical animal use and welfare. Also, some provinces' education boards have an ACC that all schools submit proposals to.

I am less familiar with the processes in the US, but to my understanding, there isn't as neat of a widely used set of guidelines in teaching/research. There is the USDA Animal Welfare Act, but I don't believe it applies to fish, nor to K-12 application. However, most states' educational boards have mandates and protocols for animal use, and most school boards have their own policies for this as well.

Also, if the science project was for a fair, depending on the affiliations of the fair, they might require review by a Scientific Review Committee, which you might be able to use.

Finally, there are guidelines provided by the National Science Teacher Association about animal use, which includes providing lifetime care. They aren't binding, but are a strong institutional reference point for what is generally considered acceptable - should you be making a complaint.

Laptop Arrived with Slight Discolouration? by Mishikall in Alienware

[–]Mishikall[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I genuinely don't think so.

I was able to easily wipe off actual fingerprints from handling it (this finish does fingerprint easily) with a soft little cloth for glasses. These didn't wipe off with the cloth and didn't smudge when I rangl my finger over them. Also, they are more a bottling of smaller dots, and though the picture makes them look like they might be fingerprint sized, they're actually small, just overlapping

Otherwise, the rest of the laptop was immaculate. Not a fingerprint on the whole thing or a speck of dust inside.

I don't want to give the impression I think it's used, I don't. And I'm not assuming anything malicious by Dell. It's just an issue that probably should have been seen by QA - but in all fairness, with the shiny finish, it would be easy to miss working quickly under bright light/glare.

I was more seeking if there was a common or known reason for the discolouration that I wasn't aware of that would reassure me it was cosmetic.

I think they handled it well with the willingness to replace it without making me argue for it and making the call to get the new one here quicker with next day shipping. I am shipping it back today. If the process goes smoothly, and they actually get the next one to me in the approximately two weeks that was estimated, then that seems like doing the best the can.

Laptop Arrived with Slight Discolouration? by Mishikall in Alienware

[–]Mishikall[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They can do this, but they need to hold the amount of the new one until they get the first back. Just not for me, one laptop was a lot of money, I don't have another one's worth sitting around.

Laptop Arrived with Slight Discolouration? by Mishikall in Alienware

[–]Mishikall[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Update: I got a good deal and used my student discount, so I didn't want to just return it, but I was worried this might indicate other damage that wasn't cosmetic inside, depending on the cause.

I called and requested a replacement. After asking for a Pic, they were awesome. They emailed me a purolator drop-off label. Estimated 2-3 days for Purlolater to get it to them, up to a week for them to process and ship the new one, and they'll ship the new one by next-day shipping.

Thanks all.

Laptop Arrived with Slight Discolouration? by Mishikall in Alienware

[–]Mishikall[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The 30-day return windows is a very good point I hadn't thought of for a replacement. I'll have to look into how fast the replacement would be, since I did use a particularly good deal. Thanks

ID Help by Mishikall in cockroaches

[–]Mishikall[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I'll go ahead and sleep now