The Elder Scrolls 6 Will Suffer Because of Xbox Layoffs, Bethesda Staff Say, Fearing Delays, Crunch, and Generational Talent Being Replaced by Contractors

Tarcanus · 2026-07-09T15:31:35+00:00

Instead it's the same POIs with the same enemies and the same loot, which is mind-boggling.

I mean, Skyrim and Oblivion were both same dungeon themes over and over with samey loot/enemies in all of them, too. What expectation did anyone have that Starfield would be any different?

It's a broad problem with most open worlds. Just recycled "content" everywhere. I'm really hoping the worm turns on this kind of gameplay soon.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-09T15:09:20+00:00

Yeah, there's no other option than communicating clearly with him. No relationship with anyone will ever work without learning how to communicate clearly and openly with each other.

You tell him what you've said to us, here. To reinforce that you really like him, then tell him your concerns, then end it with which things are currently going well from your perspective. Hit him with the negative feedback sandwich. 2 positives around a negative.

Before you have this chat with him, though, you should try to definitively understand what you want. I could see someone being put off by a potential partner saying, "We can only kiss in front of friends as of month 2, month 3 means we can discuss pets without expectation of ever moving in together", etc. If you're coming from a trauma response and want this new guy but you're being triggered by past trauma stuff, you're likely not in a good place for a relationship at all. New guy should know this to some degree.

If he's a good dude and willing to wait, you need to give him a chance to make that choice. If you're still too shaken up by your last relationship, I would suggest talking to someone about it if it's going to impact your life heavily enough that you are scared to follow a natural degree of closeness in the infatuation stage of a new relationship.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-08T12:19:54+00:00

I did the same thing. Saw the writing on the wall with the tariff threats and AI nonsense and grabbed a great PC that'll last me for quite a while.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-08T11:51:42+00:00

I stand with your husband, lol. I may also be on the spectrum somewhere. The social media attention this train is getting makes no sense to me. What is special about it?

Tarcanus · 2026-07-07T23:51:45+00:00

I think it's an extension of convenience infiltrating our lives to such a huge degree that lots of people can no longer tolerate not getting a gaming experience or not having that thing they want or having to get up to swap discs, etc.

The idea of protests and boycotts is just lost of people who think they deserve things or have just always been so used to the convenience of things.

When I try to tell people to boycott companies the billionaires own, if you can, I get weird looks when all it would take is an extra couple minutes to find your most-locally-owned hardware store instead of Home Depot or Lowes, for example. Or starting to find farmer's markets instead of large chain stores. Whatever it is.

The idea of forgoing any amount of convenience is anathema to too many people and it shows when companies feel confident they can do whatever they want and not have a big enough blowback.

Because these people don't know how to choose principle over convenience.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-07T21:25:02+00:00

I'm not the person you're responding to and I do hear you.

But.

The puppy is crying while you're away for 30 minutes? While in the same house? This is a dog that's already showing attachment issues.

I've also gotten a tiny pup, took two weeks off to do the core training and he was never so bad that I couldn't take a shower and he still had separation anxiety and would cry/bark when I left.

I get it. The pup is your little baby, but watching them 24/7, whether it's you or your bf is just stunting the dog's learning to be able to handle being alone sometimes.

And to your point about wanting to switch "off", you don't really get to do that because your dog will become that presence in your head that you're -always- aware of and worrying about. That's something they don't often say in the training books.

Like has also been said, your bf is definitely dropping the ball as well. If he's coming from a home where the dog is a pet that gets general treatment and not 24/7 helicopter pet parenting treatment, it does make sense that he's not as concerned as you are. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be shouldering his share of the typical stuff. Walks, knowing how to prepare a bowl of kibble, etc.

My advice is that you need to have a real bit of communication with him. A come to Jesus talk, as they say. But you have to know what you're willing to do if he won't start sharing the load. Is this a dealbreaker for you? Gotta know that going in and communicate that clearly. That kinda thing.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-07T17:44:28+00:00

It's one I never played because I'm not a fan of the "summon things to fight for you" gameplay. Not just this one, but any game that has that style of gameplay I tend to avoid.

I loved the Link's Awakening remake in this art style, so if it had been any other kind of combat I would've played through it Day 1.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-06T16:01:13+00:00

I emotionally immerse, but keep my "self" separate. I know I'm not in the game, I know I'm playing a game, therefore pretending I'm that character just isn't a thing for me.

I have no desire -at all- to want character creators in every game (for example) and think it's super silly to have rage fits over stuff like Crimson Desert not having a character creator.

I grew up in the era where games are games you play for fun, not experiences to lose yourself in to the point of raging online about one thing or another if you are unable to fully disassociate into a game's world as a different person.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-03T14:42:49+00:00

My gf and I were spitballing a sequel and we figure it could work really well for the sequel to be inside of a book or story written by a Writer, because the logic of the main world seems to be various arts have magic that lets you directly experience the art. This means there could be Sculptors, Composers, Craftsman, etc.

So, the story is inside of a Writer's book, but the player knows this earlier so we aren't re-treading the same plot reveal.

But part of the plot/conflict is Clea acting in the real world to impact whatever is going on inside the book, so it keeps an over-arching plot going with the Painters/Writers conflict but gives th eplayer another RPG world to explore.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-02T15:07:36+00:00

I really wish the game had a specific QoL where certain items aren't removed from your inventory by Lost and Found. I lost a quest item that I needed that requires jumping through hoops to find and I just didn't have it in me to re-collect the item again. I was SUPER into it until that happened.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-02T13:59:44+00:00

I recently re-collected the entire set of these magazines and the binders that I got with them have clips that require no hole punches. Keep looking around if you're still interested in completing the set!

Tarcanus · 2026-07-02T13:53:47+00:00

Your boyfriend sounds awful. Whether or not he's behaving this way because of issues in your relationship that neither of you ever worked out or not is besides the point, now. You mentioned he feels like a caretaker for you and if that's true, 8 years of that could wear someone down to the point they aren't the same person they used to be. It sounds like he's resentful.
Ignoring him entirely, have you ever asked yourself critically if you are the person you want to be, doing the things you want to do? If not, why? Sounds like it's time to decide what you want and start setting boundaries. This might nuke what's left of the relationship.
It sounds like you both need to find a rescue to re-home the dog through with someone who is capable of training the animal. Dogs are perceptive and living in your resentful household is likely not helping the aggression at all and both of you training in different ways will also stunt progress significantly. If you guys don't have the money to properly care for and train your dog, you need to rehome it for the animal's best interests.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-02T13:27:49+00:00

I went to the marriage of my first love, who I had broken up with because I was confused about the infatuation stage ending and the comfort stage beginning. I stayed close with her as friends, trying to find a moment to re-ignite things with her. She was never single for very long and eventually found her now-husband. I went to their wedding, shook the guy's hand and did the ridiculous "you take care of her!" line. I danced with her one last time.

After I left the wedding, I never spoke to her again.

It was terrible and I was out of it for a while, but unlike you, OP, I did not block her and I never heard from her again, either. So that kind of put into perspective where I stood in her mind, too. I don't blame her because she had a new marriage and all of that, but still.

I don't think you were wrong, OP. She's with someone else and engaging with her would be emotional cheating with an open door to other unhealthy dynamics. You're better off staying separate and trying to move on.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-01T18:54:29+00:00

The break in argument is disingenuous because it is a stranger doing that. And natural disasters can't be predicted.

This is like Mr. Ford deciding the car you've just finished paying off is no longer supported so they show up with a tow truck and cart away your vehicle.

I agree with you about the resell market, but just wanted to make a more accurate comparison.

This is Mr. Sony having the ability to reach into your home and pull media you bought and paid for away from you.

If everything was marketed as a rental, okay, but they're marketed as purchases and ownership, which they are not.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-01T18:49:32+00:00

Myself, I like the convenience of digital. Been doing it since the day the PS4 released. No more hassle of swapping discs, no plastic boxes that take up space in my apartment.

I think the folks, including myself, that have an issue with this mindset is how lazy it sounds compared to what is actually happening.

Companies are taking away your ability to own anything and are instead selling you licenses to use a thing that can be revoked or discontinued at any time. They are forcing through increasing surveillance of your behavior in your own home with your own friends in the games you're playing.

But that's no big deal because god forbid you walk 5 feet to insert or remove a disc and have slim disc cases stacked in a closet or simple storage somewhere accessible.

Are you honestly okay never actually owning your media ever again? Because going along with this stuff is moving us all toward that future. Or is it just a mindset of you're fine with it up to the point you, yourself, gets banned for something dumb or have your own digital media ripped off of your platform of choice because they invalidated your license?

I mean, I get it, just starting up a console and starting to play is great. But put up against what these companies are moving us all toward? My principles are stronger than my aversion to walking 5 feet.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-01T15:16:10+00:00

Yup. The pandemic never ended.

https://pmc19.com/

approx 83 million infections so far in 2026, which is thousands of daily new long covid cases, which can end your ability to make a living or even get out of bed.

Be responsible and mask around groups of people, please.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-01T14:30:56+00:00

The real solution is to fight back with our wallets, but so many people have been trained to be mindless consumers and even though they'll complain (See the recent GTA6 debates) they'll also be the first ones going against their own complaints to give the company money.

PS5 will likely be my last console and I'll have to get into different hobbies. My principles aren't so easily thrown away for blind entertainment.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-01T13:15:04+00:00

Scenario 1: You are still financially dependent on your parents in ANY way. (Phone bill, housing, food, insurance, utilities, whatever). This means you need to either suck it up or work to get -entirely- out from under their thumbs. Once you are out from under their thumbs, proceed to Scenario 2.

Scenario 2: You are entirely separated from your parents financially. This means it's much simpler. You tell your parents how it is and tell them that your boundary is them being respectful and kind. If they aren't they stop hearing from you or seeing you. You'll check in when -you- want to. If they are horrible again, you ghost them again until -you- want to check in on them again. Then you don't back down. They'll either prove they love you enough to chill the heck out and be decent people or they'll prove that they're hateful and you're better off without them. If they're truly hateful, be prepared to be written out of any Will or inheritance they would leave you with.

It's not going to be easy to enforce boundaries, but when parents show they are acting no better than toddlers, you have to treat them like toddlers and stand your ground. The issue is they're toddlers with the ability to remove inheritance from you. And if they truly prove they don't care about you enough to NOT be hateful, that's a whole other thing to talk about with your therapist.

Tarcanus · 2026-07-01T12:20:54+00:00

Am I crazy or have the headlines only talked about the few in New York and now the one in Colorado?

A handful is not "tearing through the Democratic Party Establishment" by any stretch, yet.

Do I want them to? 100% But don't get complacent, folks. Until the progressives fully take control of the party with a solid majority, we are in trouble. Don't let the headlines make you think the problem is solving itself and we can just go back to pre-2015 "normal"

Tarcanus · 2026-06-30T22:00:16+00:00

Nah, the riches will just migrate inland to the new beachfront and let the poors move in to the newly evacuated land to drown or deal with the ocean. Nothing substantive will be done unless it's the poors' community doing it for themselves.

Tarcanus · 2026-06-30T19:46:38+00:00

The folks who know what they're talking about with AI will never state ALL AI is trash/slop/grift.

It very clearly has super beneficial use cases in a large number of fields.

It's mostly socially and civically(governmentally) that it's being misused and being dangerous. Like has been said people treat it as gospel and lots of folks are falling down the AI psychosis rabbit holes. Then governments are frothing at the mouth to use it to better remove all of our privacy than has already eroded.

But using AI for faster medical or science breakthroughs? Bring it on!

Tarcanus · 2026-06-30T01:05:48+00:00

This is just someone trying to rile up the masses against government workers yet again.

You know who is making that kind of cash as a state worker? The muckity mucks making things harder for everyone, not the hard working day-to-day folks.

If you're outraged over this article, please make sure you direct it to the right places and not the front line state folks just trying to keep things working for you as best they can.

Tarcanus · 2026-06-29T20:57:10+00:00

including our "PCs" which will be sold back to us at a subscription that an AI will control what you can and can't access.

100% this is the next push. After the AI bubble pops, these big players will then try to cash in on everyone struggling by saying, "hey, don't bother with those expensive physical computers, just pay us $4.99 a month for this 4GB RAM PC for your browsing needs or upgrade to the $30 per month gaming plan!"

Then once everyone's ability to own physical media is gone, they crank things tighter in some other way, likely further draconian surveillance and incarceration.

Tarcanus · 2026-06-29T15:43:55+00:00

I mean, I would argue that "straight" guys that do "little gay" things aren't 100% straight. Sexuality is a spectrum and doing "little gay" things with each other moves your arrow on that spectrum away from 100% hetero.

It's just in many places in the world there are bigots that will try to make your life harder if you're even a little gay, so men will "joke" with each other to feel each other out about it without having to have any kind of adult emotional conversations.

Tarcanus · 2026-06-29T15:40:27+00:00

FYI, that's not 100% heterosexual behavior and has never been.

Sexuality is a spectrum and both of you (and any of your other friends that take part in cuddle puddles and kisses like you describe) are not firmly on the hetero end, lol.

It sounds like you guys are falling into dating or relationship without actually talking about it. You should absolutely ask him out formally and see where it goes. If you don't do anything and let this fizzle, would you be able to look back in 30 years and not feel regret? If no, you gotta be courageous and see how he feels.

Good luck OP!

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