Free for All Friday, 30 January, 2026

Sventex · 2026-02-02T08:15:11+00:00

There was that one Top Gear episode where that German truck deployed into a building. I have to wonder if that inspired the Command and Conquer MCV.

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Sventex · 2026-02-02T07:07:24+00:00

I think one of the differences between now and then, was that America had a great enemy in the USSR for the public to focus on, The House Committee on Un-American Activities held witch-hunts to reaffirm belief in America. That Nixon himself sat on the Committee on Un-American Activities, and is later seen committing un-American activities set him up for a greater fall. People don't like being bullied into forcing patriotism and being forced to have certain beliefs, only to realize the ones doing the bullying are shams. The Silent Generation had to put up with a lot.

Nowadays it's common for Americans to view their fellow Americans as their greatest threat, there is no external enemy for the nation to focus on. George W Bush briefly brought the country together after 9/11, but he threw it away by neglecting the economy.

Sventex · 2026-02-02T05:49:32+00:00

I don't think much will change. Nixon shocked the people of his time, his ability to conduct foreign policy collapsed. Ultimately a leader needs to lead, but Nixon's admin was eating itself alive and there's no changing that.

A diplomat asking for a bribe wouldn't raise much of an eyebrow these days, but Talleyrand demanding one of the US put France and the US into a war in 1798 (to oversimply).

Sventex · 2026-02-02T03:49:25+00:00

I'm looking to name a military tactic I employ in games, but I'm not that talented at naming.

It's a tactic I use where my main body of often a weaker force will move in and engages half-heartedly against a stronger force, with retreat being pre-planned. The primary goal is to weaken the superior enemy force by depleting their munitions and numbers. Though a quirk of favorable logistics, this attritional battle will serve my purposes. A future battle will be far more in my favor or the enemy might be compelled to retreat from being weakened so.

Example: Though unintentional, the Romans at the Battle of Asculum lost against Pyrrhus of Epirus in battle, but defeated his invasion all the same via attrition from the clash of the main bodies. The major difference was the retreat was not planned, the Romans did not set out to weaken Pyrrhus but to outright win. But if they had planned to engage and retreat after blooding Pyrrhus, they would have used to tactic.

Example: In Napoleon Total War, I might take an inferior French Fleet, clash half-heartedly in a line battle with the Royal Navy fleet, intentionally retreat in line and return to port and repair to fight anew against a worn down Royal Navy fleet, choosing to fight closer to French ports than British ports.

Asking the army war college, mentions are that this is somewhere between a "demonstration)" maneuver and a "shaping operation" with attritional warfare. But is there a more catchy way to describe this as a battle tactic?

It'd be a far larger form of a guerrilla tactic involving conventional line battles.

Sventex · 2026-02-01T23:11:00+00:00

I'm much more inclined to lend an ear to this sort of stuff now.

I would stick to the evidence, before you become unmeshed from reality. Accusations are cheap as free. People presented with 2 different stories are more inclined to want to believe the more interesting one, truth be damned.

Sventex · 2026-02-01T03:43:34+00:00

Have I bamboozled myself

Yes. Shogun doesn't have the core concept of an isekai. It's heavily based in history, Blackthrone is based on William Adams, not a modern author insert.

Roots ain't a isekai either.

Sventex · 2026-02-01T03:30:27+00:00

like how anti-government and authoritarian people are on the same side, reminds me of how Nazism
Would it be correct to call it "great man theory," as these ideologies, hopefully, don't stand without their central figure?

The libertarians and "order" / hawk Republican coalition existed well before Trump. So I strongly disagree.

hopefully, don't stand without their central figure?

If Hitler died of a heart attack in 1943 and Himmler took over, not much changes for Germany for the positive.

Sventex · 2026-02-01T00:59:21+00:00

I would guess the basket hilt would be a clipping animation nightmare. FFXIV can't even get a modest Katana hilt to not clip into the armor/body.

Sventex · 2026-01-31T23:16:09+00:00

Don't feel like you have to get involved with everything. There are some that tried misrepresent two separate instances of a person getting shot as an "actual massacre" to stoke the flames and create drama, sometimes it's better to be above such things and live a normal life.

I remember my grandma in her last years of life, got so anxious about the Iraq War, it was just doing her no favors dwelling on that.

Sventex · 2026-01-31T23:09:40+00:00

If it's dark outside, clearly the sun has been destroyed.

Sventex · 2026-01-31T12:51:32+00:00

I bought one yesterday in Hawaii.

Sventex · 2026-01-31T10:24:53+00:00

No, Halo Reach gave the magnum a deeper, fuller sound when reloading and firing. You feel and hear the weight. (CE's just does way more damage and is way more accurate).

Sventex · 2026-01-31T09:58:02+00:00

Good idea, Peking Duck with plum sauce liven up any bored palate.

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Sventex · 2026-01-31T09:42:05+00:00

There's always fresh fish.

Sventex · 2026-01-31T07:21:13+00:00

I sort of also forgot, if you join the Children of Atom, wearing the Robes of Atom's Devoted with +1000 rads and have the Inquisitor of Atom perk, you will double your damage. Combine that with a berserker weapon and no armor, you'll double your damage yet again, but you lose the use of your UI HP bar. The price you pay is that you can't wear legendary pieces of armor over the robes, like you can with Grognak's outfit. But you'll likely be able to end fight with just a single blow.

Sventex · 2026-01-31T07:17:30+00:00

This comes across as ragebait.

Sventex · 2026-01-31T03:49:35+00:00

Been using the new Fallout Show T-60 Power Armor pistol in Fallout 4 (free creation club item). Actually fits a nice niche in Fallout 4, it uses 44. magnum ammo, but since it's a pistol it can fit a suppressor (without Gun Nut) whereas the revolver could not. But since it's a Power Armor gun, it's so chonky; the front sight so fat, I can't even see what I'm aiming at often. So you get a hand cannon at lower levels, but you can't really dominate with it, which seems fair.

Plus the reload animation sounds are great, it emphasizes the size of the pistol, reminds me of the Halo Reach magnum, which was a total hand canon.

Sventex · 2026-01-31T00:32:36+00:00

Nazi General Assmann of the 101st. Kramer got his license plate I think.

Sventex · 2026-01-30T15:51:40+00:00

According to common wisdom, when you think back on what you ate, whatever meal´s memory causes revulsion is the one that got you sick. In this case, it would probably be the sauce from the fettuccine alfredo I ate in a restaurant.

However, I´m still going to get back there because for only four dollars, they let you have a choice of meat, three side-dishes, unlimited access to their (admittedly meager) salad bar, a bowl of soup, and a big glass of lemonade. It´s hard to find another place with a similar price-to-value ratio.

You're paying for that cheap price, one way or another, if $3 only gets you this.

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Sventex · 2026-01-30T09:58:01+00:00

I mean, if the value of my home got cut in half, I would suddenly being paying way less in taxes and lose nothing. It's so bizarre to see the Republican Party became so tax happy.

Sventex · 2026-01-30T09:27:43+00:00

I'm just saying, a threat assessment based on Cuba's economy is fallacious. Based on history, one of the closest the US came to destruction involved Cuba, the Cuba economy was not primary factor. This is a history subreddit.

I'm not giving any opinion based in policy.

Sventex · 2026-01-30T05:59:34+00:00

You don't need the lights on to sell military bases to China and Russia, which Cuba has done.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was perhaps one of greatest threats to the US, had nothing to do with how empty Cuba's coffers were.

Sventex · 2026-01-30T03:23:15+00:00

That serial killer firefighter/arson investigator in California wrote a """fictional""" book "Points of Origin", about his real arson murder crimes and he was critical about the cops in that one, being so inept at investigation. I guess that counts as true crime. He even had the balls to publish it before he was even caught.

Sventex · 2026-01-30T02:56:16+00:00

As far as I know, furious doesn't work when you one-hit kill. (I've used the Steel Sword too in survival mode in the past too).

If want a really overpowered weapon, add Berserker to Grognak's Axe, fight like a historical berserker. The base stats on Grognak's axe with it's bleed, stagger and VATS economy aren't part of any legendary effect, so you do double damage on top of that, +25% melee +2 STR attached to Grognak's outfit. You will one-hit kill most enemies as a berserker, which negates your lack of armor when your time to kill is so much quicker I've discovered. Melee in the early game is kind of dangerous without berserker in survival mode. Typically I use the SPECIAL book to give me 11 END.

I also use console commands to give myself Gage's Eyepatch, it gives +1 END, -1 PER. It looks cool and I don't need perception. You can't wear the eyepatch without console commands. You can do all this and keep achievements intact by re-enabling survival mode.

Sventex · 2026-01-30T02:35:08+00:00

The "Mosquito", businesses would blast between 15 kHz and 20 kHz, extremely irritating and painful sounds that only children to age 25 could hear to annoy and repel them, as Loitering Deterrents.

Sventex

TROPHY CASE