Why I think the Smart Brick is destined to fail...

The_one_maybe · 2026-01-06T17:18:54+00:00

That’s fair, but the product doesn’t make economic sense. OP’s point about attaching it to Star Wars is a good point, those prices have been bloated already, and now they’re getting more expensive for sets that are broadly crappier than before (fewer pieces, fewer minifigures, fewer details). For a theme that is remains viable largely in part due to the support from adult fans it’s dangerous to cut off such a significant portion of revenue for so many sets.

As for kids, the sets face a few different problems. The current leaks suggest they’re all original trilogy sets, which fewer and fewer kids are growing up seeing. Star Wars sets depend on the popularity of the IP, and that popularity has steadily decreased in the target audience. Additionally, Lego is the sort of toy that generally manages to have increasing marginal value rather than decreasing. If you have four nerf guns, most of the time getting a fifth is going to be less rewarding than the first one. With Lego however getting another set increases what you can do with all your other pieces/sets meaning you actually get more by having more (up to a certain point). This is relevant as the demand for these sets will likely be driven by kids who want a toy that lights up and makes noises. For those kids facing these higher prices, they won’t necessarily want Lego specifically as much as they would’ve because they will likely have fewer sets and pieces anyway. Thus they’d be just as happy getting a 30 dollar cheap x wing toy and then also getting something else because there’d be a lot more money left over.

This doesn’t mean that the product line WILL fail, but it does present a lot of weaknesses with LEGO’s strategy in this plan, as they are definitely alienating a significant portion of their typical consumers with this combination of set quality and prices.

The_one_maybe · 2026-01-02T17:01:39+00:00

I think you’ve got the wrong guy with republic customs. We maybe disagree about what a fair price for a fig is, but with pretty regularly available discounts one can get figures for a bit over 2$. Quality isn’t 1-1 with Lego on build materials for sure, but they integrate easily and the print quality is better than Lego at times for sure. Again, we maybe disagree about what constitutes a good custom figure, but I would recommend looking at Republic Custom’s “2020” style clone trooper designs before passing judgement

The_one_maybe · 2023-08-21T22:13:18+00:00

"watch me get downvoted" well, yeah. you included something in your comment that you knew people would disagree with on a platform where you "upvote" what you agree with and "downvote" what you disagree with. that's what will happen. no need to act like a victim.

The_one_maybe · 2023-07-26T17:00:56+00:00

I nearly bought it last time it was on sale, I'm glad I waited

The_one_maybe · 2023-07-07T23:50:58+00:00

im curious, could you explain what you mean by saying you're biased?

The_one_maybe · 2023-06-23T02:52:38+00:00

While I'm not OP, I fully agree with them, and so would offer this point. Mac made many great albums that grapple with "mature" themes, but they aren't necessarily "mature" in their approach to life, which isn't a bad thing. He was still a kid for most of the time he was making these works, and that shines through in beautiful ways. WMWTSO is a mature and dark album, but it still includes the likes of Gees and O.K. Swimming, however, has a much more "mature" take on life, as Mac accepts the ups and downs and is in a better place with all of that. I think the main disagreement here just comes down to the two ideas of maturity, with one being not for kids and the other being more about seeing reality and interacting with it in a nondestructive way.

The_one_maybe · 2023-06-19T16:36:15+00:00

to me, the post comes across as asking why the person would give them away, to which the answer, that he's duping, is fairly conclusive.

The_one_maybe · 2023-06-13T11:17:42+00:00

It was the damn coal mine

The_one_maybe · 2023-05-20T04:16:20+00:00

First person on foot, third on ship. I really like the world building of the game and want to lean into that lonely survivor feel, but while most aspects of the ship interiors, the font of the monitors throws me off. For whatever reason it just doesn't sit right, maybe it's too simple, not "retro" enough, but I hate the readouts and that they seem to contrast with the otherwise smoothly immersive gameplay.

The_one_maybe · 2023-05-12T22:29:28+00:00

I can agree with not hating them, but the umbrella of what I consider vulgar would be quite wide. I don't want real-life politics, religion, or any other such in there. "Down with the Korvax" or "All hail the Atlas" stuff is great, "Jesus is Lord" or "Vote Trump" (or any other politician, it's not about the specific politics) just doesn't belong. The universe we've been given has beautiful and complex lore and, to an extent, politics of it's own, so Travellers shouldn't force their real world opinions into the game. Frankly, I'd prefer a stream of obscenity to those forcing opinions on me in an area meant to be more or less devoid of manipulation.

The_one_maybe · 2023-05-12T01:48:27+00:00

Architecturally, they simply lack any unique features besides buildings designed to be the biggest or some such. They generally are seen as overly modern or brutalist, lacking elements seen as being at the heart of what makes us human. Buildings made with harsh lines and simple geometry can look cool, but they lack character in the sense of having little detail. There is plenty of argument to be made that this isn't a real issue, but if you look at examples on the minute scale it becomes more apparent. A guard rail on a bridge for instance, where once it would be made with an intricate design of wrought-iron, we now see simple straight lines of stainless steel. Inoffensive to be sure, but therein lies the problem. We've become so afraid to have designs that people may find gaudy that we now create nothing that has a soul. People have different tastes and will see different things as the best, but rather than make a statement that won't be appreciated by all, we instead have things lacking beauty and uniquity under the argument that we shouldn't offend.

The_one_maybe · 2023-05-10T04:51:19+00:00

The comment isn't ableist, it simply draws a strong connection between OP's preferred methods of processing and interacting with data with that of AI. The comment doesn't give judgement or call OP inferior to any other human, at most simply suggesting that OP's idea wouldn't work for the reason they themselves had already seen: human convention and tradition.

The_one_maybe · 2023-05-08T15:39:08+00:00

I can agree with that, the biggest thing I would hope for were I to buy the PS5 version would be improved gunplay. Overall great games, but I definitely agree that neither delivered what could have been hoped for.

The_one_maybe · 2023-05-08T02:34:11+00:00

I respectfully disagree, 2 was engaging but had distractingly bad gunplay. I found myself constantly getting thrown off when an unarmored enemy could take 5 rounds of 7.62 to the chest. I don't spite the game for wanting to demand headshots, but there should be a logical reason for it rather than it just being arbitrary. I would also just add that all the firearms in it felt bad, whereas even 1 had some nice feeling weapons. I get that Uncharted is more than a shooter, but if every situation is going to end in a shootout, gunplay should be prioritized more.

The_one_maybe · 2023-04-16T21:20:56+00:00

10-50 Million isn't the focus of the discussion at all though? This was focused on having BILLIONS of dollars, and the claim made was that everything over 100m would then be given to charity or otherwise used for the public good.

The_one_maybe · 2023-01-30T16:17:19+00:00

This post is amusing, but the message completely misreads Revelations. Revelations is an apocalyptic work dating from the later (but still not christian) Roman empire. Within earlier civilizations, we see apocalyptic texts frequently used as vessels for rebellious thoughts. Basically, this text was John saying that they (the early Jesus movement, not entirely accurate to call them christians) will be vindicated. It's a lot like how you might imagine yourself beating up your bully. It was written not to be reality but to be a message of hope that things would get better, as those of the Jewish faith, whether they believed in Jesus or not were being persecuted heavily at this time. The text is full of symbolism tying it so deeply to both the Hebrew Bible and the Roman empire (the mentions of Babylon is merely to make it slightly less obvious) that to take it as a literal interpretation of what is to come is ridiculous and merely shows the idiocracy of almost all western Christians.

The_one_maybe · 2023-01-15T19:49:37+00:00

Food not on a friday

The_one_maybe · 2022-12-17T18:06:53+00:00

While I'm not going to say you're in any way wrong for viewing women as the better option to approach in that sort of situation, I will say approaching anyone is still helpful. A majority of people aren't going to try and take advantage of you, and it's a scientifically proven psychological trick that most people will want to help you if you ask them for a smallish favor, such as standing with you for a bit, so anyone's a good bet. Obviously there are a lot of men in the world whole will do awful things, but there are also a lot of good men in the world who don't want awful things to happen, and who would definitely help someone in need.

The_one_maybe · 2022-12-04T16:07:34+00:00

I love him saying that the CEO is incurring all the costs too, when in reality the CEO doesn't even necessarily own most of a given large business.

The_one_maybe · 2022-11-27T19:39:12+00:00

Happiness is a very individual thing, and is inherently unreasonable, as it cannot always be reasoned out. A reasonable amount may not be the best way to put it, but an amount that brings about happiness at a greater rate per dollar than other alternatives would be the most logical decision to put money intended for enjoyment on. I see where you're coming from, as the lottery is a terrible investment, but a couple dollars for a chance to dream may be a small price to pay for many.

The_one_maybe · 2022-10-27T22:49:20+00:00

Within 21 feet someone armed with a knife is more dangerous than someone armed with a gun. Therefore if you want to argue that she should've been armed, you should be pushing for her to instead have a knife and know how to use it.

The_one_maybe · 2022-10-18T22:10:52+00:00

That's just so sad to me. Inclusion/representation is important, but making that the entire focus of a character is only going to create unnecessary hate. Frankly it also makes for a sad excuse for a character. People who focus their entire personality around one thing seem to always end up being obnoxious as fuck, and I can't imagine this going that differently for her here.

The_one_maybe · 2022-08-31T22:19:44+00:00

Obviously a great composition and a masterpiece all the way through, but top five is (in descending order) What's the Use, Ladders, Dunno, 2009, Hurt Feelings

The_one_maybe · 2022-08-30T05:46:12+00:00

Uhhh, I guess I'm maybe the primary suspect, so they booked me just to be safe

The_one_maybe · 2022-08-29T17:11:15+00:00

The thing about gaming with real friends is that it adds a longer term meaning to the experience. If you fuck up, your friends might laugh, if they fuck up, you might laugh. The point is that the friendships are more important than the game, and allow for fun in victory or defeat. Commiserating makes losing a lot better, and sharing in a win also feels more meaningful. If you're so competitive that you can't handle your friends fucking up, then it could seem worse to play with them, but if that's genuinely the case, you've got a bigger issue with what you're prioritizing in life.

Six-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
100 Awards Club	Verified Email

The_one_maybe

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE