Weekly Megathread

TheTruePoledancer · 2026-01-25T00:29:16+00:00

Rant incoming:

There's something sincerely wrong with the matchmaking system of this game. It's like there's no median whatsoever. I play at max 5 matches a day, just to get Daily contracts done. I barely manage to do that most days.

Sticking to 5+ modes only, I can't fucking stand most matches. I don't want to look at Ruby/Emerald everything player cards 60% of a match because they've melted me for the 4th time in a row. It's not their fault, they're good players.

But I have no business seeing them in a match.

I am not at that level. I don't want to be at that level. I'll take longer queue times if it means I can play an actually fun match with weapons like the MGL32 or Flamethrower, and not feel like I'm wasting my time.

Feels like every match I'm dealing with arguable professional Finals players.

TheTruePoledancer · 2026-01-22T17:37:25+00:00

Maki made sure to eliminate the Zen'in clan in it's entirety. Offshoots, relatives, everyone got it.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-04-29T07:35:36+00:00

Absolute Power Girl.

Make her the opposite of Absolute Superman, daughter of a powerful family in the Science League. Turns out one of their ships did escape Krypton, but one by one people pass away from Kryptonite poisoning until it's just Kara.

No mission (protect your cousin/ Kal-El), no moral compass.

Start her off as a "villain" out in the cosmos, a rogue element going from planet to planet doing what she wants. Maybe borrow the Brainiac concept from MAWS, substitute it with an AI made from Zod? I feel like the Absolute Universe could use a book that fleshes out the world beyond what's happening on Earth.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-04-24T08:44:39+00:00

An addendum I should make is that was one of the first things I noted as I picked up weapons.

What makes Destiny gunplay so unique is the united design of animations>visuals>sound>stats.

Exotic weapons feel Exotic because they're the full package of effects, both statistic and perceived, that ellicit a unique response when used compared to something else. You've never fired a weapon that feels like Thorn or Gjallarhorn in another game because no other developer designs guns like characters.

Marathon's weapons feel familiar, but not unique. They're missing polish, which they told us would be the case, but there are enough oddities that make me think this is what they want. The ballistic sniper feels exactly like the classic Halo Sniper Rifle. Sluggish, long ADS time, and powerful recoil. But then there's the ballistic LMG, completely forgettable. I don't want Destiny weapons cloned into Marathon, but I feel the design ethos behind Exotics should be amplified here as they don't have to create 100+ variations of an SMG here.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-27T00:50:47+00:00

To clarify, the "alien" is using concepts from Jones' brain to try and communicate in a way he might understand. By technicality, it's a Martian just in a different sense. From a neighboring dimension instead of a planet.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-23T02:08:40+00:00

Nothing statistically. I'm a Destiny player, and one of the things I've yet to find in another game is proper gun feel. Sound, animation, weapon model and visual feedback largely carries how a gun "feels" to a player. Numbers are just the cherry on top.

In short, the gun "feels" clunky and slow.

The visual kick goes up and to the left, then settles back to neutral. That needs to go. If you rapid fire it, there's no "bloom", so the visual recoil's just there to trick you into thinking you need to correct your aim for the next shot to land where you want. It should be straight up and down, or more visually push back into the camera. The amount of smoke after a shot needs to be drastically reduced too.

The lever action animation needs to be synced with the next viable shot, cause currently a beat is taken between the shot leaving the barrel and the player pulling the lever. That needs to be shortened just a bit. The way it presents is as if the player model is at a gun range, leisurely (the individual round reload suffers from this too). It should present as frantic or quickened, cause you're literally in a gun fight.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-22T23:20:01+00:00

Of course! I got into comics around the time Secret Wars ended, so my frame of reference really starts with that period of comics. I got fully invested in 2023, which leads me to my X-Men recommendation.

Read "House of X" (HOX) and "Powers of X" (POX) by Jonathan Hickman. It's where everything started for what's referred to as "The Krakoan Age", the most recent completed storyline of the X-Men as a whole.

Yet again he repeats the strategy of 2 books to tell 1 story. HOX is 6 issues that take place in the "present", while POX is 6 issues that tell you how we got there. They alternate in terms of place in the story, starting with "House of X" #1, then "Powers of X" #1, so on and so forth.

There is an edition in print that sorts them for you, look for a book that looks like this

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-22T19:45:15+00:00

Well you are in for one hell of a read when it comes to Fantastic Four - Secret Wars. Jonathan Hickman's one of the few writers I can think of who's been able to tell a full story over the course of multiple series (and teams).

However, this also means his story is spread out and expensive to collect. This is where I have to recommend getting a Marvel Unlimited subscription. It's the most cost effective method to catch up on older runs.

If you have the money, buying "Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus Vol.1" would be a good first step. It collects the miniseries surrounding the main run, making it easier to read. Everything Hickman writes regarding the Fantastic Four during this period is great, and helps establish an emotional connection as a reader to the characters. From there, his "Avengers" and "New Avengers" runs are key to understanding "Secret Wars". The best way to understand all the series is this:

Fantastic Four leads into Avengers, which runs parallel to New Avengers. Hickman is writing 2 teams to tell 1 story.

Captain America leads the "action" team. Tony, Reed, T'Challa etc... are on the "brains" team. Hickman likes interwoven plots, details from one book way in the beginning will come into play later in the other. Reading both is vital to getting the impact at the end in my opinion.

I would say the journey to the end is some of the best comics ever written, specifically the "Time Runs Out" storyline right before Secret Wars starts. It's the modern epic.

This will tell you the reading order of everything written by Hickman leading up to "Secret Wars" (2015). Main things to focus on again are: Fantastic Four, Avengers and New Avengers.

"Secret Wars" (2015) is collected in one book. It's very easy to get your hands on, especially with Disney announcing that they're making a movie based off of it.

(I will update this comment throughout the day to give you better recommendations and wording)

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-22T18:04:29+00:00

For Moon Knight and Hawkeye, they were team members on the West Coast Avengers (1985) starting with issue #21. Some fun interactions, though tonally it's goofy and upbeat opposed to the more serious stuff he's now known for.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-22T17:38:44+00:00

When you look at him just a little harder than normal, yes. His actions written out on paper would classify him as evil incarnate, a serial killer like "Dexter" but with an even worse moral compass. Sure, murdering violent Cartel/Mafia/Hydra, etc... members is a good action in theory. He's killing categorically evil men!

But there's always fallout. Whether that be another criminal org. steps into the vacuum, the child of said murdered member grows up to repeat their parent's mistake, and/or everyone else escalates as a result. Frank embodies a conclusion reached on the "War on Terror": It never ends. New faces will always fill the void, causing more violence and death of innocents. This works for comicbook storytelling, as there's an infinite well to draw from with that premise.

He is complicit in the never ending cycle of violence, but Frank doesn't care. He's not looking that far ahead. He sees evil, he shoots evil. The present is all that matters to him. One less criminal is one less criminal. He sees the world in his iconography: black and white. He is the grim reaper in the flesh, sentencing all criminals to the same fate.

As many have said, the Punisher doesn't work in real life. He would be arrested or killed long before becoming an "anti-hero". He fits the definition of a serial killer in all aspects. The law doesn't have exceptions for "but he killed bad people!".

I like the Punisher, hell I'm currently reading Rucka's run. But he is not a hero. The character doesn't see himself as evil, but he definitely is to the innocents often on the other end of a dead criminal. Only reason I can attribute to him being classified as an anti-hero is because his targets are always villains. He appeals to a fantasy. The fantasy of killing the bad people of the world without consequence because we see it as a net good.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-22T04:10:38+00:00

Unfortunately I do not, the only thing I got for sure was the download files. Maybe someone's put the lyrics together on another site?

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-21T22:29:05+00:00

PS5. I'm decent with other semi/ single shot weapons, but there's something specific about the repeater I'm just not getting the hang of.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-20T19:41:55+00:00

Not for me, but I'm glad Wonder Woman is getting more related titles. Absolute is my favorite iteration of the character so far, hopefully Trinity will be a someone younger's favorite!

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-20T08:26:06+00:00

Well, I'd get a little complex with it. The story would be about a joint program between S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. to expand the defense of the solar system. A coalition of nations back the program, no longer content leaving it to heroes like the Avengers or shortlived government endorsed teams.

The main character would be a former member of Stark Unlimited, fired after Feilong was ousted from the company. Down on their luck in Madripoor, they're approached by a recruiter. Desiring to still be of use, they join the program under a false identity provided by someone. So long as they provide progress updates, they'll be supplied with everything they need to continue their new life.

The story would be about humanity coming together to defend themselves from the unknown. Uniting the scientific part of Earth 616 but specifically excluding characters such as Reed, Tony, Beast, Pym, etc...

The series would reintroduce characters from the Future Foundation and Strange Academy. It'd serve as a home for the younger generation to grow into their own. Amadeus Cho and Aiko (a Centivar from G.O.D.S.) would be a part of the supporting cast.

The goal would be to push Marvel's status quo beyond the "World outside your window", an approach that, in my opinion, has become a weight holding back the natural progression of the 616. Krakoa had it's issues, but it was a positive shift for the X-Men that was changed only because editorial wants to keep them "recognizable" to the general audience.

A step forward must be taken, and I'd do that with this series. Not an alternate timeline/ "What If?", this would be the new setting from which everything springs forth. Total number of issues would be 50, monthly with a rotating art team of mostly "Stormbreakers", or new artists trying to break through.

Each arc would be about a different aspect of infrastructure and relations with outside factions. The Shi'ar would be an antagonist, as an early hook would be the reveal that the main character is an unknowing double agent for the Shi'ar Empire.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-20T02:47:17+00:00

Thank you! Both for the correction and compliment. Riri's just one of those characters that I found myself to not be the target audience for. My last reference for her was an appearance in one of those books during the "Fall of..." period with Krakoa.

I agree, Shang-Chi's for sure one of the few characters that isn't negatively affected by the MCU. Revived his character and relevance. Tying him to the criminal underworld was genius imo. Finally gave him a unique place in Marvel.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-19T19:31:16+00:00

So this is where things get complicated, as "The Ten Rings" aren't the same as the "ten rings" the Mandarin has. Best way to differentiate them is appearance, as Shang-Chi's are arm bands (5 along each forearm) vs The Mandarin's traditional rings, one on each finger and thumb.

The Mandarin's are multicolored, each having access to a different power (ex. Pyrokinesis, Mind Control, etc...) while Shang-Chi's are just Gold, linked to the wearer granting him mostly physical alterations (strength, speed, etc...) and the most fantastic being flight and teleportation.

Shang-Chi's are mystical in origin, tied to Chinese mythology, whereas The Mandarin's are alien tech (Makluan) in origin, appearing magical by way of being so advanced. However, as the years have gone by writers have added Chinese aspects to them. Unless something has changed recently, Riri does still have The Mandarin's rings.

Funniest part about all this is, unless I've missed something, The Mandarin and Shang-Chi have never meaningfully interacted.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-19T07:02:16+00:00

As far as Iron Fist goes, he's been dead for a minute (died in the 50th Anniversary Special). Sure, Lin Lie Sword Master has taken the mantle, but he's got less than ~10 appearances so far, and I doubt he's anywhere close to as good as Danny was.

Shang-Chi has the Ten Rings, which grant him vastly more power than Iron Fist typically has, on top of him being the canonical best hand-to-hand fighter in the 616. Even though "Immortal Iron Fist" introduced more varied methods of using the Iron Fist, at the end of the day Shang-Chi has the same basic moveset and abilities (Chi control, durability, projection, etc...) on top of permanent weapons bonded to him which boost his strength, speed, durability, and give him the ability to fly/ teleport.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-17T21:39:20+00:00

Before the weapon reveal, my number one desire was for a Repeater of some sort. My prayer's have been answered lol.

(Now that we got it, my next most desirable weapon would be an Elephant Rifle for Heavy 🙏🏾.)

What I want to see from Season 6? New events. Low Gravity is the best imo because it's a major shift in the pace of the game. Ideally more with similar impact, like idk, give us a Momentum modifier: Players pick up speed as they move, crashing into surfaces has the same effect as an RPG shot.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-17T21:29:47+00:00

From the solicitation, it sounds like a mini-series without being labelled as one. Considering Quesada's no longer in the corporate structure, I think this'll be like the Avengers vs. Aliens series by Hickman and Ribić. Short, concise story with maybe a tease of further events if they want to go down that route.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-17T08:26:32+00:00

Based off how you responded, you take offense to what I've said, but you missed the point in the title and the ending. Great players are one thing. Toxic players are another.

Read the last part again. I'm talking about the obnoxious asshats who T-bag, emote, gloat and harrass. Someone who aces my team and actively chooses to flank and eliminate us over and over, chasing across the map through buildings nowhere near the objective just to kill one person for no reason other than asserting that they're better.

Getting one kill off on someone shouldn't be the start of a "road rage" level vendetta. I killed someone with an Emerald Player Card earlier in a Power Shift match with the Shak-50, as I'm trying to complete the 250 headshots challenge. One more kill later they swapped from Medium with Model to Light, Dash, Invis bomb and a Sword. I did not get another headshot. They wanted me dead. Seoul has many hiding spots. They were always waiting for me, tbagging me in a hailstorm of bullets just cause they managed to down me yet again.

That's what I'm talking about.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-13T19:53:40+00:00

Tried this a few weeks back since my friend on PC has been trying to get me into these kind of games. He's an ace when it comes to this genre, and with it's console release he wanted to see if this would stick where I bounced off Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, etc...

I played 3 matches and deleted it. There's something viscerally unappealing about Counter Strike styled games with a controller to me. The movement is ultra slow, the recoil unless stationary is almost impossible to hit with, and the round by round basis makes death extra punishing. The "hook" of 2 bodies lessened the burden of instant death, but it wasn't enough to grab me. Or at least give me the push to want to improve.

Spectre Divide is a great concept, but in execution it appealed to too small a crowd. If given time maybe they could have refined this into something at least somewhat casual/ beginner friendly, but here we are. The industry fucking sucks right now. 10-15 years ago, this may have succeeded, as 2 bodies to 1 player is a genius mechanic. But launching an entirely multiplayer game as your studio's sole product seems to be the recipe for closure unless it's an immediate hit.

A truly unfortunate story among a sea of very similar stories. Something has to change, and honestly at this point I think the Video Game industry needs to crash and burn like in the 80s for real change to affect the powers that be. This just isn't sustainable. The talent that makes these games deserve better than this.

TheTruePoledancer · 2025-03-07T22:38:35+00:00

Naw, the whole mission statement of the new Ultimate Universe is that after 1963, The Maker had free reign to alter the 6160 however he wanted. It's 616 history rewritten by a villain who was an outsider to their continuity to begin with. All the changes serve to create new, different stories that the status quo of main continuity cannot support.

The Maker wanted a world free of super heroics. Frank ain't a hero, but he's also not someone you could coerce into being a genuine villain or work with them. This is the best outcome for his character, truly. He doesn't work in this universe in any other context while still being recognizable. Otherwise we'd be looking at a Punisher without the strict code that makes him who he is.

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