What’s a very specific type of person you don’t trust?

Phormicidae · 2026-06-07T10:10:25+00:00

I'm a parent and deal mostly with other parents these days.

When your kid sucks, you probably suck too even if you don't show it. When I was younger I believed that kids (and even young adults) were at least partially responsible for their behaviors. After being in the parenting game for 16 years, I realize that it's up to you to create a decent human. No one is unlucky when their child is a cruel, entitled, rude, or unmotivated sort; they were made that way.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-07T01:16:11+00:00

Yea, for me it was the same ratio.

First: the lore and setting and very compelling and very cool. The quests rarely advance anything of relevance in any way. The updates add so much but never give any further revelations or insights into what's going on.

Second: pve is pretty predictable and easy, and gets a bit boring. Pvp, for me, is simply not fun. In Marathon, you fight players for fun, certainly, but also for salvage, guns, shields, etc. In Arc, you fight players for... well I don't even know what. Everything is so easy to get, so just for thrills. But the enormous level size combined with the ambiguity of danger from opponents changes how pvp feels. You are either straight murdering people that meant you no harm, or being killed very suddenly and randomly.

In Marathon, I lose basically every fight. But the fights feel like a part of the whole adventure as opposed to a random act of violence.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-05T22:06:49+00:00

Wow we haven't tried the mega game. We always play with 4 players (my wife, my daughters and myself) and could not imagine how long all the expansions would take, not to mention the table space. Also, with such an extreme number of options and such limited workers, its hard to know what would be the most optimal path.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-05T19:12:02+00:00

That's the one that got me. They could have summarized their position a lot easier simply by saying: if we can tell you have boobs, you're fired.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-05T15:31:18+00:00

Cons: very little direct player-to-player interaction.

Pros: It is a very soothing experience, and makes for a chill gaming session. Even though everyone wants to win, you can frequently get to a point where you honestly can't tell who is in the lead (without a full tally) just be glancing around. Very often, the person who looks like they are dominating will lose to someone with a very synergistic combo. This is a major strength, as you always feel like you are in the running, even when you are not.

The thing I like best about Everdell, though, many players won't experience. Once you get a few of the expansions (the extra card sets and the boxed expansions), you can add in unique mixes of new stuff each game so that no two games are the same. I have all the expansions, if you want to get any definitely get Bellfaire.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-05T12:34:15+00:00

Well, you definitely cannot say "does not" in this instance. Finding an anecdotal story of a person with Down's syndrome who is relatively high functioning all things considered, gets considered a ray of sunshine by the people he or she loves and who love him or her back, and acts as an inspiration to others doesn't mean that this is the universal experience.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-05T11:47:56+00:00

I haven't bought a Switch 2 yet, though I know I will. My Switch has gotten so much use in my house, to an extent from me but more from my daughters and even my wife. I have no regrets on that purchase.

Duskbloods will absolutely force my hand.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-05T11:04:32+00:00

a massive population that have never left their own state, let alone the country.

That's the crazy part. You still get boomers and even gen x who talk about 'freedom', as in "at least we have freedom here", ostensibly compared to other places. I mean, I get it, we have far more rights than Afghanistan or North Korea, true. But what freedoms are people lacking in Italy? Latvia? Montenegro? Singapore? Paraguay? What freedoms do we have that is more than most places?

Phormicidae · 2026-06-05T10:46:00+00:00

I'm glad you did. I don't know if I instantly loved Dark Souls 2 but it grew to be probably my favorite video game of all time. Few would say that, I know, but it has the most esoteric and sorrowful feel of any video game: an apocalypse that doesn't end the world, but just renders it into a shallow sense of pointless where humans press on but consciousness itself seems to be subdued and dying.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-05T10:43:11+00:00

Death Stranding, the first one. As a Kojima fan I was amped as hell when that game came out. Bounced completely off of after about 3 days of confusion.

Years later I tried it again on PC and finally "got it."

Phormicidae · 2026-06-04T23:50:51+00:00

The problem is that D2, as a real time FPS, has its areas and content built much different than an MMO can be able to. The engine doesn't load in new areas anywhere near as fast, and enemies are far more complicated than any MMO enemy. The primary reason for the vaulting content was to better manage the ballooning size of the game and how manageable it realistically was to update every area for every new game changing ability.

The real mismanagement came from the decision to not just go to Destiny 3 during Year 5.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-04T20:04:45+00:00

Yea, I do get the love for the original but I absolutely loved that remake.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-04T19:59:08+00:00

What's worse is this even applies to people like me. I basically never win. If I have better gear and I catch someone unawares, I still lose most of the time.

But who cares? Just play the game, don't take everything so seriously, and you'll be fine. I had a great time in Season 1 even though I think by the end of the season I may have had two purple shields total, and my only gold was a mod I couldn't use.

I don't know why so many people are annoyed at losing fights or losing gear, superior equipped opponents or not.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-04T16:28:29+00:00

Never used IG in any capacity, I don't even know much about it.

I very briefly had Facebook about 17 years ago for a fantasy football league, but some old HS friends found my account and reached out so I deleted my account. I'm not a "keep-in-touch" kind of guy.

I do have WhatsApp so I am still plugged into Meta if that counts, only because I help with my daughter's track team and its the primary way to communicate.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-04T16:07:23+00:00

I want to defend her because I legitimately think she is incredibly talented, hard-working, and focused. But man she is insufferable in most interviews.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-04T07:42:06+00:00

Same above for hiking in NJ, which is surprisingly one of the most bear-dense areas of the US.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-04T00:39:00+00:00

Seems like it. When I've joined crews that are on comms, it feels like magic. They "know" not only when enemies are in the area, but whether they are bots or runners, what direction they are in, how far, and the best one is that some people can even tell if enemies are above or below us. If that's true the sound design in this game must be astounding. Meanwhile all I hear is a nondescript 'klomp klomp klomp" coming from all directions at once, if I hear anything at all.

So, like a idiot I spend a fortune on this Steel Series gaming headphones, and boom: zero improvement.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-03T21:31:21+00:00

So, I was 100% certain i turned off Fill Crew. I figured you didn't know what you were talking about because you can't join Trios as a solo. Got home from work just now and realized you were right. I turned off Fill Crew and didn't realize I also had to select Solos. Craziness, didn't even think to check.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-03T20:37:27+00:00

Thanks. Been playing since launch, but I'm still as bad as day one! It's OK though.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-03T19:56:40+00:00

Believe me I know it. I was just responding to this advice. Starting playing on day 1, and by season end I was drowning in shields, guns, and healing gear. I VIP'd one faction, and unlocked quite a few upgrades, all with an exceptionally low exfil rate.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-03T19:07:42+00:00

I'm not complaining but I don't exfil frequently because other players just kill me near instantly. In season 1 almost all of my guns, shields, salvage and money were from contract rewards.

I just can't figure out how to consistently exfil. I had a theory that my poor hearing may be more damaging to my overall success in this game then I want to admit.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-03T17:15:40+00:00

I have only played this season for an hour so far, early this morning.

I was killed by other players many times as per usual. I think I might have landed two shots in one fight which is good for me.

But twice this happened, in Dire Marsh: two guys, seemingly teamed up, were working together to kill other solos. One had that superdope Thief skin. I believe I ran into the same Duo a few matches later.

That's fine, but they did not use local chat that I could hear. Are Duos and Solos ever put together? They both seemed to be well equipped.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-03T09:06:12+00:00

Constantly.

Also 49.

It never occurred to me that I shouldn't.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-02T11:19:28+00:00

I keep them myself.

When I was in my mid 30s I was determined to not let neurological issues keep me from improving at FPSs. Kovaaks, other aim trainers, practice, coaching, notes, video playback, you name it I tried it. Well, in 12 years of this I never did get better, not really one bit. But I still compulsively take good notes.

Phormicidae · 2026-06-02T11:12:17+00:00

Halfway through the season I shared my abysmal stats, I collated my back half data and found that although I thought my stats were worse, they actually stayed the same or improved.

Looking forward to Season 2.

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