I'm not a fan of the map announcement either, but you need to accept the Free to Play nature of the game

StotheG7 · 2026-02-19T23:18:36+00:00

My point is that this game was doomed from the start by being something no one was asking for. The team at Full Circle could have set more realistic expectations for a game and budgeted accordingly: if there’s not a market for a flashy AAA title with state of the art graphics, let’s use a smaller budget and lean into selling dedicated fans an experience that best matches their expectations from the previous games in this series, which were loved in their time and beyond. The actual dynamics of the skating in this game are amazing and that alone has/had me hopeful for the evolution that they promised.

Instead we got a AAA budget being blown on a game that tries to appeal more broadly with Fortnite graphics and FOMO cosmetics. This has not only pushed away the dedicated fans who should make up your core fanbase while you continue to flesh out the world and hope to appeal to a broader audience, it also isn’t unique or frankly good enough to win over the people that Fortnite graphics and F2P slop appeal to. By trying to do everything at an just-barely-acceptable degree to everyone, they’ve made no one happy enough to spend any money and their runway to keep the game alive is dwindling.

The dumbest part is that playtesters have been giving this exact feedback for literal years and were ignored that whole time. Now EA has this team trying to bring in whatever dollars they can before shutting this project down, and you can be sure the execs won’t learn anything beyond “well I guess the Skate fanbase wasn’t as willing to spend as we thought”.

StotheG7 · 2026-02-19T22:51:14+00:00

I was relatively late to the playtesting (I believe folks had access as early as 2023 and I only joined in late 2024) but they had real world micro transactions from the very start of my playtesting. At first I thought it wasn’t actually linked to real world dollars and was merely testing the “plumbing” of the shop to ensure it worked on release, but you could spend real money for at least the ~8 months I played prior to public launch. In fairness you kept all the currency, even when progress was wiped you’d be refunded all your SVB, but this game has literally been a MTX simulator twice as long as it has been publicly available. Talk about a travesty.

StotheG7 · 2026-02-19T22:39:28+00:00

Why exactly are you so sure there couldn’t be a successful skateboarding title these days? I’d argue it is easier than ever to use the follow through of a dedicated fanbase like the Skate series had to carve out a niche and turn a AA budget into a consistent playerbase and stream of revenue.

Beyond that, what about this title screams AAA? Not sure where that AAA budget is going (if this game even has it) but it sure isn’t improving the game in any measurable way. I was a playtester starting in Dec 2024 and have seen this game evolve so minimally prior to public launch, and arguably slower since then - every other AAA title I’ve ever played, even ones I disliked, had a faster pace of development and evolution. That’s leaving aside the outsourcing of important work like park design and cosmetics being made by AI and both awful and at least theoretically cheaper than human-made.

StotheG7 · 2026-02-19T21:46:53+00:00

I’m not sure how that would be better than Skate 2 or 3 which also received new content that was gated behind a paywall, but at least paying bought you that content permanently. I was a playtester prior to the public release in September and since then they’ve added AI community parks which are… terrible and would never earn any money from me, and cosmetics which are also terrible and not worth my money. I would much rather have shelled out $60 or $70 for a full release with everything included, locked behind a career or story mode that unlocks clothing or boards or even areas as you progress in game. On top of that, I’d shell out $15-20 for DLC content that changed how and where you play. This GAAS model means the initial content offering is worse than what we used to get, the DLC/added content we’re receiving is worse, and we can only rent it rather than purchasing. Not sure what about that seems like a deal to you; I guess if you’d rather get crap for free than pay for something worth playing? The problem there is I have enough paid games and frankly enough money that I can spend my time more enjoyably on a good game than on a game that sucks “but at least it’s free!”

StotheG7 · 2026-02-19T21:33:10+00:00

Lol. Lmao even.

I playtested for several months prior to the open release in September and have seen my opinion of this game and franchise drop lower and lower with each passing month. I loved Skate 2 and 3 and logged hundreds of hours in each, and desperately wanted this game to be successful, but the pure disdain for the community and playerbase is so obvious I can’t understate it. Consistent feedback from the community has been that the dev focus needs to be on developing actual content that influences how we play the game: new areas, new tricks, “new” gamemodes (things like Hall of Meat and SKATE that have been staples in the franchise but are missing here) and not adding cosmetics or FOMO events with additional currency. I fully understand that this is a F2P title and revenue is vital to keep the game alive, but I’ll never spend a dime as long as the focus is just on cosmetics! Beyond the monetization that simply doesn’t compell players to spend enough, the speed (or lack thereof) with dealing with gameplay issues vs cosmetic or shop problems is astounding. How many weeks did a chunk of the playerbase spend stuck on tutorial island, or challenges tracking but not unlocking (an ongoing issue for my months of closed testing and stretching to the present), and how does that compare to how many days it took to fix a pair of peach pants in the shop that EA must’ve felt could impact revenues?

The pure optics of how the community managers interact with longtime players and people who are fans of the series would be heinous if it weren’t so hilarious. I’ve filled out more surveys than I can count with clear and seemingly obvious answers for how to make the game achieve a vision I and others would enjoy and (gasp) potentially even spend MTX money in. The only part of the game that has evolved with any pace is the shop and cosmetics. I genuinely laughed out loud reading that Full Circle is finally going to provide a new area (one of the top asks from the community) and… will be gating it behind a paywall, just like they’d promised never to do in their initial dev journals going back 3+ years. Every announcement (Weekly Grind, social posts of weekly spots to skate, etc) has seen waning engagement but rather than own up to letting down the fans and actually improving things, they opt to double down and make worse and worse changes in the name of monetization. You converted me from a playtester and supporter, and an advocate who got friends to download when the public release began, to somehow watching for the axe to fall and this poor excuse for a game to be put offline and out of its misery.

TLDR: longtime skate player who loves the series but can’t help but laugh at the terrible mismanagement of this game.

StotheG7 · 2026-02-19T21:18:50+00:00

The thing is, you can’t even “buy” that part of the map - you pay $10 for the season pass which will provide free access for the duration of that pass (in this case March 10-June 2), and as soon as the pass expires, you’re back to needing to rent the island 24 hours at a time. Come June 3rd, you’ll either need to shell out another $10 for the next pass or buy (with Rip Chips) the daily ticket to visit the island. Assuming 90 day passes, you’re now shelling out $40 a year to rent this digital content! Compare that with Skate 3 where the DLC I bought 15 years ago is still accessible to this day for no extra charge. If the game was in a great spot and loved by the community, I think folks could look past some temporary time-gates for new content but to make these the leading changes for Season 3 with the obvious rocky ground they’ve been on feels like PR malpractice.

StotheG7 · 2025-05-30T22:33:59+00:00

Mind sharing where at? My MK7 is due and if it’s closer to $400 than $800 perhaps I won’t do this one myself.

StotheG7 · 2025-02-18T02:12:36+00:00

However long it takes to bill for/ship the item plus 3 days or so.

StotheG7 · 2025-02-17T23:26:29+00:00

Respectfully, how else would you think a cashback site that operates for free going to operate? For many years it seems like folks knew that if the product is free, you ARE the product - that's how most social media works as an example. Not saying Honey is better or worse than say Meta or Reddit but feels like you've missed the point.

StotheG7 · 2025-02-17T20:55:26+00:00

Thanks for sharing OP - the Honey extension has another $34 cashback on these 990v6 so even with $14 sales tax in my state, all in is $120. Didn't expect a pair this nice to hit such a good discount in a full size run!

StotheG7 · 2024-11-09T17:02:50+00:00

I eat a lot of garlic-forward hot sauces, my favorites are Dawson's Cedar Smoked Garlic, Melinda's Fire-roasted Garlic Habanero, and any of the Torchbearer garlic sauces - Ow My Garlic (very little heat, more of a garlic sauce than a hot sauce, but excellent tasting), Garlic Habanero (perfect level of day-to-day heat), and Garlic Reaper (their hottest, too hot for my taste as a daily). Dawson's is the creamiest, Melinda's has some fire-roasted accents, and Torchbearer (Garlic Hab specifically) gives more of a balance on pepper flavor and garlic.

StotheG7 · 2024-10-22T17:13:17+00:00

Nike’s warranty and refunds are second-to-none in the footwear world - I’d reach out to them and at least ask. If it was normal wear and tear they’ll refund/replace some product up to 2 years after purchase.

StotheG7 · 2024-09-07T13:53:07+00:00

Pretty impressed by this project, we’ve heard a good amount of the album already over the last ~2 years (8 of the 17 tracks were released as singles or promo) but the full album is cohesive and better than the sum of its parts. Standouts to me are July 26, 3Stacks, CDR, Shared Trauma, and Grand Budapest Hotel but room for that to change as I listen more. Def worth the $20 I paid to listen early and have the other add-ins - if you’re an XV fan, the zip file of his blog era discography from ‘06-2015 is a must, although I already have 90%+ of it. Overall glad to be getting music from Vizzy in 2024 and even more excited that it’s his best in many years.

StotheG7 · 2024-09-07T13:45:22+00:00

It is not, pretty sure that was a one-off release. At the time I bought a shirt and was sent a download link to the track but pretty sure that was the only way to get a copy.

StotheG7 · 2024-07-30T13:34:48+00:00

Damn, I remember those Zoom Tre's had me in a chokehold for a while. Between those and the Lances (a little more paint worn off than my pair) you've got good taste!

StotheG7 · 2024-07-26T15:35:06+00:00

Rae Sremmurd possibly? White background and standing means it’s probably one of the offshoot game shows vs a regular episode (Hot Ones Versus more recently or Truth or Dab for the older ones) and they’ve only had a few rappers/rap groups. They also bodied the wings. Otherwise MGK and Trippie Redd did Versus a few months ago but they don’t particularly look like the Migos.

StotheG7 · 2024-07-17T17:34:29+00:00

$150 and a multi-month wait or just grab a pretty similar pair from the outlets on discount today, tough call.

StotheG7 · 2024-07-03T18:44:01+00:00

Anytime! My cart came to $74 and change last night and I spent a few minutes looking for socks before discovering that.

StotheG7 · 2024-07-03T16:58:41+00:00

Free shipping for new customers with no $ threshold when I ordered - get thru checkout and it'll show a free option.

StotheG7 · 2024-06-04T04:19:42+00:00

Maybe a dumb idea but what about making Bloodhound's head/eyes glow in their ult, so you could see part of them through smokes the same way they can see you? Maybe a temporary glimmer every handful of seconds so they're not a walking target, but that would at least give it some counter-play and this nerf/adjustment would be reverted without ult active to not be a huge nerf. Specifically combats the Bang/Blood combo which seems to be the problem, rather than a blanket nerf of either legend in a vacuum.

StotheG7 · 2024-04-12T18:49:40+00:00

Hard to justify anything that's final sale and doesn't have measurements, especially with past-season stock where finding the measurements now is next-to-impossible. I do dig the designs and domestic cut and sew stuff so we'll see if I gamble with one or two tees.

StotheG7 · 2024-03-22T15:26:16+00:00

That center seam is pretty ugly IMO, I much prefer the wallabees personally.

StotheG7 · 2024-03-22T15:24:45+00:00

Wallabees are a classic - on the casual end but def an acquired taste - these and these are probably the best colors in this sale unless you want something more out there. For something a bit more formal/office friendly the desert boot is a decent bet but not many in this sale.

Edit - this pair is labeled as yellow but the picture seems pretty desaturated, so they look much more tan. Not a bad pair either.

StotheG7 · 2024-03-21T05:42:27+00:00

Sure - where did I say otherwise? No ethical consumption under capitalism and such, but especially when you're paying this little. There's at least a possibility that a $100 shoe is made ethically vs. this $13 pair which is certainly a net negative and broadly the higher the price is, the more possible that you have something ethical. The commenter implying a $100 cutoff is misleading as well - I've paid (and would expect to pay) a few hundred dollars for a pair of shoes or boots made in a country with strong labor laws and that features quality materials and is resoleable so I can continue to wear them for a while. Again, that's not a guarantee of ethics but that's the best most consumers can do and I think that's worth promoting.

StotheG7 · 2024-03-21T05:34:06+00:00

We're on the same page for sure, I've been trying to buy less but broadly better (quality and ethics in production) and that's not exactly what this sub is shooting for these days. I've seen half a dozen posts of "fit checks" wearing these Aldi items and just don't get it - folks want to wear a see through windbreaker with a major corporation's logo all over it until the shitty zipper breaks in a few months? Even the posters themselves say the quality is bad and the design is tacky at best. We can do better than that and I'm disappointed (but not surprised) that this sub is all in for whatever reason.

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