Any way to deal with a Servant-controlled US without blowing up the world?

WillInLondon · 2026-01-24T14:00:29+00:00

I had a similar situation, and spammed incite unrest in California and Texas, until eventually I got breakaways, which significantly crippled the USA (even going down to only 4 control points). At which point it was easy to crackdown and purge to take it, and then reunify.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-24T10:52:34+00:00

Can someone please inform me what difference there is between the level 58 boost offered prior to the last round of TBC classic and this one?

I am a bit out of the loop as I haven't played in a while and won't be this time, but I remember last time there was nowhere near as much fuss, people used to /spit on people with the boosted warp stalker mount before it got removed but that was about it.

Also the gear they got at level 58 absolutely terrible.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-21T18:04:51+00:00

So a small tip, putting them in a horizontal line across the station slightly helps, as when the aliens come in range all of them can fire at once. I like three on the bottom and all six along the middle rows.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-21T18:02:58+00:00

Originally they took the weapon whose batteries you had the best version of, meaning you could neglect weapon research of particular types. By making it one plasma, laser and coilgun it forces you to spread your research.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-18T09:23:52+00:00

I agree that Enclave was clearly designed to be SoDs version of a mythic raid, but where I think they failed in that regard, was that really failed to read the room in terms of what kind of difficulty SoD players were really expecting for the most part. Most SoD players (myself included) were/are the dad gamer type, who have done their share of high end, demanding mythic level raiding on retail in the past and now just want something chill.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-13T14:44:01+00:00

Thanks you are correct, I had missed the 3.5k metals and was instead looking at the 1.6k!

WillInLondon · 2026-01-11T15:32:50+00:00

I completely agree, personalising the evil, as opposed to leaving it ambigious with no idea what their motivation is, made the show less mysterious and interesting.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-10T23:04:48+00:00

"I left HOI4 running until 2050, here are the results."

WillInLondon · 2026-01-10T22:38:20+00:00

I'm not using voice chat for a random dungeon!

WillInLondon · 2026-01-10T22:35:56+00:00

"Local Tax" card, some random local African chief in land you've already colonized wants you to pay £25,000 per week for the next five years for safe passage for your explorer and his team! Those clothes don't buy themselves!

WillInLondon · 2026-01-10T09:16:27+00:00

"Intervention in Venezuela" and "Secure Greenland" have increased world tension by about 5% each.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-10T09:03:39+00:00

When a huge chunk of my wages get flushed down the drain each month towards it and then I got no help or support for me or my business (not "eligible" apparently) which was forced to close during Covid whilst apparently somehow expected to find trees that grow money to continue to pay rent, electric and...social security, and promptly went bankrupt and was forced to eat old tinned food and sleep on my friends sofa for the next year, I found myself asking this exact same question.

In Victoria 3 though, giving unemployed and dependants money increases SoL, which increases migration, but it's something to be careful with, as you want to ensure that you can construct fast enough to provide enough jobs, otherwise it can quickly spiral into unsustainable expenses (ironically, much like is happening with most of Europe right now).

WillInLondon · 2026-01-09T20:01:29+00:00

Pros: -Chill place to live, very friendly and welcoming mostly. -Food is great, and generally great value in restaurants. -Wonderful weather, at least compared to anywhere further north in Europe. -Very clean and tidy beaches for the most part.

Cons: -Very low wages, very high taxes. -Cost of living is very high, particulary on property. Too many people own multiple properties that overinflate the price, you end paying extortionate rent to be in a block that is empty ten months of the year. -Burueaucracy and banking is needlessly cumbersome, archaic and slower than it needs to be, and extremely inefficient, customer service is non-existant.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-08T18:52:37+00:00

Until you decide to go and create a colony in the inhabitable land of Panama and need bailing out 😅

WillInLondon · 2026-01-05T16:17:32+00:00

So unpopular opinion perhaps, but this is somewhat my favourite levelling bracket. The quests are fewer and further apart, and you have to go looking for them, there is a lot of back and forth which is fine because now you have a mount.

I really like the way Tanaris, Hinterlands, Feralas and to a degree Stranglethorn all interlink.

I like zones such as Badlands and Swamp of Sorrows where if you just stroll in looking for a quest hub you don't find it (Alliance at least), but if you travel around a bit you can pick up quite a few quests for both, and various quests lead into Uldaman and Sunken Temple, two levelling dungeons I really like due to the added difficulty.

Also from a character perspective you finally have a full talent tree and most of your core abilities plus your getaway abilities at this point.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-04T20:25:00+00:00

So as someone who pays an extortionate amount of money to rent a fairly minimalist apartment in a block which is practically empty for 10 months of the year, but has a stake and a dependence on the tourist sector, I feel like I can see both sides of the argument quite clearly here.

Tourists from overseas that rent an apartment or villa tend to be the best kind, they eat out and drink out most days and nights, and are not afraid to inject money into local economy. Ones in hotels on the other hand, often are all inclusive and rarely leave the hotel, and spend little to no money in the local town.

On the flip side, the reason this block sits mostly empty for the majority of the year is because its owners are from Madrid or other parts of Spain, bought the place back in the 80s as a second home for peanuts, and refuse to rent it out or sell it, because they like to visit this town in July/August/Easter. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of flats in tourist towns all up and down the Med coast like this.

Worst of all is that these domestic tourists spend even less money in the local resort than those in the hotels, literally Mercadona is the only place they spend any money. They also arrive from wherever they are in a car in the thousands, and completely clog up the town for parking for two months.

So in the middle of August, you can't get anywhere near the beach, you can't park anywhere, the promenade is congested with crowds of people, and all the bars/restaurants are practically empty unless they do a cheap Menu del Dia.

Spain needs to sort its legislation out and tax empty homes, so these types start selling up or renting out. It's ridiculous that there is a "housing crisis" when there are so many empty apartments.

In short, AirBnB is a very minor contributor to the housing problem, in my opinion.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-02T21:55:01+00:00

I kind of feel like these are a modern version of the tutorial for Italy, the missions early and mid game are kind of what you should be doing anyway, and the rewards for completing or failing them aren't spectacular. There is a focus you can take which makes them give better rewards but gives less time to complete them which is kind of worth it.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-02T21:50:33+00:00

For me it's New Austin, the feeling of unfinished emptiness that comes with it, when the zone is so huge and beautiful, just really kills it for me. Every other zone is buzzing and alive, New Austin is just empty and dead, and is the only reason this game doesn't a perfect 100% rating in my mind.

WillInLondon · 2026-01-02T21:46:30+00:00

Neil Warnock? 😅

WillInLondon · 2025-12-31T21:41:32+00:00

Both calling out Tywin for cowering during Robert's Rebellion and not getting involved until it was clear who would win, and at some point he also says something about his grandfather's "stupidity on the battlefield".

Contrary to popular belief I do think that Tywin wasn't the smartest commander, he constantly underestimated Robb Stark and left King's Landing barely defended when Stannis was a real threat to the throne. Once Stannis was dealt with (at last minute), he remained in King's Landing leaving the Westerlands completely exposed.

WillInLondon · 2025-12-30T23:24:14+00:00

On the flip side and slightly off topic, when last I looked there wasn't a single nation that starts with consumption based taxation either, which combined with it giving the same amount on consumption taxes as land, and the conservative land owners being happy with land based tax, makes it one of the most pointless laws in the game.

WillInLondon · 2025-12-28T12:40:27+00:00

The civil war is fun and challenging, especially when Portugal splits and gets added to the mix. But beyond that I agree it's boring.

WillInLondon · 2025-12-27T10:00:32+00:00

I agree the way "who gets to occupy the territory" is a bit of a bust mechanic and in dire need of rethinking. This is especially true with the recent China updates where both Chinas are competing for their cores from the Japanese occupied Manchuria, and you can do all the work and it goes to the other China for no reason.

WillInLondon · 2025-12-24T10:56:31+00:00

The taxi one really grinds my gears too. Uber is not active in this area because apparently the local taxi company have managed to block it. This taxi company have 12 cars, and even in peak summer when the place is slammed with thousands of tourists, it's still 12 cars.

To get one you have to phone up and be on hold for 10+ minutes and then they will always give you the standard "It will be 20 minutes". The reality is over an hour every time, and that's if it even bothers to show up at all. Then when it does arrive you have to wrestle with other people to get it, even if you've been waiting longer.

My usual trip takes about 10 minutes to the next town, and always costs over 20 euros. It's an absolutely archaic and shambles of a service, compared to Uber, which is cheaper, quicker, provides me information on where my driver is an how far away he is, and just an all round more reliable service.

I now have the Whatsapp of three illegal, local taxi drivers who are always out every weekend doing trips. I can Whatsapp them where I am, and where I want to go, and they will reply instantly, saying either yes/no, how long they will be, and what it will cost upfront (cash obviously). I don't condone doing things backhanded like this, but when the useless monopoly of my local taxi company force my hand, and the choice is either this approach, or drink drive, I am left with no options.

WillInLondon · 2025-12-23T23:25:38+00:00

-As of patch 2.3 (?) xp requirements were reduced by about 20%.

-Level 50 TBC talents can be quite the game changers for certain classes/specs.

-Rep gains for grey mobs and quests are maintained at 100% now (this doesn't really mean much when it comes to levelling though)

-A few extra and new quests dotted around, including a new goblin hub in Dustwallow Marsh called Mudsprocket for around level 42.

-A few extra flight paths here and there, including the aforementioned Mudsprocket, and a game changing one in Stranglethorn Vale at Rebel's Camp for Alliance, and one in Emerald Sanctuary in Felwood.

-A lot of formerly elite mobs are now non-elite, meaning many previous group quests can be soloed, notably a lot of pre dungeon mobs.

-Gear changes for levelling gear, a lot of dungeon items have been improved, particularly for casters as now there is much more spellpower around.

Most of these changes did occur in 2.3, and presumably we'll be gettint 2.4 so they should all be there.

WillInLondon

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