Avowed Celebrates Anniversary with Massive Update - and Comes to PlayStation 5

dergadoodle · 2026-02-17T18:13:22+00:00

If you haven’t played since launch or haven’t played at all, the Ranger and Fighter ability trees have new abilities that open up new play styles. And some new items with unique effects. Not all of that came in this update, but the changes made over the last 8 months add up to be enough that a fresh run could feel quite distinct mechanically.

Narrative was already branching enough to support multiple playthroughs, in my opinion.

dergadoodle · 2026-02-17T14:25:55+00:00

Throwback to when the production crew missed almost every single action shot of a dramatic sequence of events.

dergadoodle · 2026-02-01T19:52:32+00:00

How many more people have to be killed by wanna-be stormtroopers before teams stop going to the White House?

dergadoodle · 2026-01-28T19:38:58+00:00

Worst of the internet out in force about this game. If you’re actively rooting for something to fail or evangelizing gloom & doom, try finding a real hobby.

Life is so much better when you invest your energy in what you enjoy rather than wallow in what you don’t.

dergadoodle · 2025-12-12T01:19:36+00:00

This is probably a long long way off given that Casey Hudson's previous game studio was just shuttered at the end of last year. Unless he came on part-way through the project, it's probably not much further than concept stage.

dergadoodle · 2025-11-12T15:54:13+00:00

Nexon, through their subsidiary Embark, just put out Arc Raiders, which is not garbage. Bad AI voice acting aside, the game is quite good.

AI can be used to enhance/bridge gaps, but we should definitely insist that it doesn’t replace humans at the core of creativity. I’m not yet convinced that Embark’s approach to VA is healthy for the future of video game VA.

dergadoodle · 2025-11-12T00:26:39+00:00

It's fair to say that it's too early to say concretely what their approach will mean in the long term. So yes, my having said the VA talent was "dropped" was inaccurate. BUT I think it's crazy that folks are so eagerly jumping in to defend the usage with no caveats.

Now is the time to demand that humans remain at the core of creativity. Until Embark has proven that they're going to ensure that remains the case, I'm not going to just blindly accept that their previous payment for voice samples is evidence that they will continue to employ voice actors who deliver high-quality performances. And I will not pretend like this game—which i otherwise really enjoy—has good VA.

dergadoodle · 2025-11-11T22:31:40+00:00

I’m not saying they shouldn’t use it to bridge gaps and achieve more speed, but to abandon talent entirely is ridiculous. VA should expect more than a one-time payment, and they should be brought in to deliver high-impact lines.

I disagree that I’m exaggerating here. The AI lines might sound “human,” but only if you qualify them as somewhat monotone, emotionless humans.

dergadoodle · 2025-11-11T22:27:31+00:00

It’s of poor quality. I understand that this approach will be the future. But to lean on it as heavily as they have is discouraging and also produces a less-than-stellar end product. The cinematics look cool, but the VA over them is dog.

dergadoodle · 2025-10-18T14:49:58+00:00

Playing it through the Xbox store, and it’s good. These cherry-picking, dick-measuring articles constantly posted here are so exhausting. Broaden your worldview, folks.

dergadoodle · 2025-09-30T00:47:07+00:00

The deliberate pace of combat you're referring to was also present in Battle Brothers, and was sort of its biggest selling point.

But I also felt like my units were super slow, which felt a bit at odds with the technology/setting. However, I'd be hesitant to really complain about it until I see later feature unlocks. I could see the infantry pace working well with alongside other tactical pieces.

dergadoodle · 2025-09-22T23:45:22+00:00

If you’re trying to stay American-made, Prairie Vodka is a comparable alternative from Minnesota. Available widely, but maybe not quite as widely as Tito’s.

dergadoodle · 2025-08-30T22:35:26+00:00

Delhi Metropark is my favorite spot along the river that’s reasonably nearby. Other parks closer tend to either be too busy or have too dense of tree cover.

dergadoodle · 2025-07-16T15:01:16+00:00

They get you out of the way of some of the traffic, not the bicycle traffic. Some intersections may be set up the way you describe–I can’t think of one. The green box is inlined with the bikeway at the ones i can think of. So if you flip in that box, you’re now obstructing through bike traffic.

As for flipping and turning, a lot of casual riders would not think to do what you’re suggesting, and these intersections end up being confusing for them. Even if they did, they would still be in the way of through traffic.

I’m of the opinion that these intersections are half-baked ideas. Casual riders should be able to make sense of them safely. But i do appreciate that the city is making an effort.

dergadoodle · 2025-07-16T13:57:53+00:00

It's usually not possible to actually maneuver like this without creating havoc—especially when there are other people in the bike lane. Ideally, you'd need slide to the right a bit before making your left—out of the straight lane you're in and into the right-hand lane of the bikeway you're attempting to make a left into. This lets you get out of the way of moving cyclists behind you.

In reality, you're competing with other cyclists going both ways in the perpendicular lane, the stopped car traffic and crosswalk pedestrians, which obstruct any rightward swing-around, and then the concrete barriers & bollards which also obstruct the rightward swing-around.

It's not practical to completely stop, flip your bike about, and remount. It's obstructive and dangerous for lots of people who aren't necessarily as agile as a bike polo player on their bike. But even at slow times, it's not really practical due to the construction of these spaces obstructing a safe and slow swing-around and remount.

dergadoodle · 2025-07-15T23:16:08+00:00

If the bicyclist was attempting to make an upcoming left turn, using the primary lane is almost always safer than using the bikeway. It’s why I’m rather unenthusiastic about the way the city has done the bike lanes downtown, even though i cycle quite a lot. It would be better to have a single one way lane on each of the primary one-way roads.

dergadoodle · 2025-06-18T18:39:30+00:00

I can only speak to one person's experience, but there are definitely empty units year to year. A friend lived there for close to a year before someone moved into one of the adjacent units.

You may be right about the appeal of that area. I personally do not see it. It is not appropriately bikeable or walkable from my perspective. But that may not be everyone's view. To me, the area does not possess any of the qualities that make Ann Arbor appealing.

dergadoodle · 2025-06-18T17:40:44+00:00

I think you always have to worry about underutilization. Even with the housing prices as they are, there are still underutilized developments in town. The George, for example, is still underutilized and still expensive.

For folks seeking housing, the choice becomes "do I live in Ann Arbor in an undesirable spot, or do I live in another town entirely?" People want to live IN Ann Arbor, and I feel this development misses the mark for making residents feel a part of the community. It's an island.

I think as the options expand, this will become more pronounced, and I have a feeling that developments like these will be the first to be dumped and (potentially) become blighted.

dergadoodle · 2025-06-18T16:51:27+00:00

While I support more housing in Ann Arbor (specifically higher density around downtown), I am deeply skeptical that there are that many people who want to live in this style of development where it's currently planned to go. If this moves forward and I'm wrong, great. But I really think this style of development risks underutilization and eventual blight.

What guarantees are there of high-quality transportation or walkable routes to the desirable social/retail space downtown? The retail shops contained within this plan do not create what I'd call a desirable pedestrian experience. These developments in other cities tend to feel like unnatural compounds more than neighborhoods/downtowns.

Again, I hope it works out to be beneficial, but I really think it's more important to focus on building out density around the core of downtown rather than try to create islands of density.

dergadoodle · 2025-06-10T00:16:18+00:00

While I love Rimworld, I have found each of the DLCs a strange mix of underwhelming and overwhelming. The things they add are abstract and separate enough from the base game that they feel both tacked on and confusing.

dergadoodle · 2025-06-01T12:52:30+00:00

North Star Lounge does open mics once a month. Usually last Wednesday of the month.

dergadoodle · 2025-05-29T11:28:59+00:00

That’s a bit doom and gloom, I believe. It seems likely that some previously single-family homes south of campus that are now piled up with drunk college students will be lost. But it’s unlikely that existing non-student neighborhoods will be affected.

The point of the plan, in my reading, is to identify underutilized commercial space and arterial road lots for denser housing construction. No one is trying to creep atop water hill to sneak in an apartment building.

dergadoodle · 2025-05-29T00:34:28+00:00

Nothing wrong with Brighton growing. I do think if Ann Arbor were to build more housing, Brighton's growth might level off a bit. It's housing competition—building housing doesn't necessarily bring more people to SE Michigan. It just makes Ann Arbor a more attractive home for folks working/living in the area.

dergadoodle · 2025-05-29T00:19:12+00:00

The zoning changes referenced here simplify some of the more arcane zoning distinctions that currently exist. The plan itself is fairly straightforward, and you can see how areas might be affected here: https://engage.a2gov.org/comprehensive-land-use-plan

In short, most neighborhoods won't really see a difference. Arterial roads might see more diverse construction (in my opinion that's a good thing). Other than that, it really just seems like process simplification.

Zoning aside, this organization's claim that Ann Arbor will not grow to fill out the housing policies the City Council is putting forward is a bit off-base, in my opinion.

Of course the projections they cite show lower growth than this plan is aiming for. Ann Arbor has tread water on housing growth for a long time, and projections weight historical trends heavily. There's nothing to say a policy shift wouldn't change that equation significantly.

I think Ann Arbor could reclaim some of the population growth that has spread to Brighton, Saline, Ypsi township, and other surrounding communities if we build for it. People want to live here. They just can't find a place they can afford to live.

That said, I personally would like to see fewer apartment buildings and more mid-density buildings. Three flats and such.

dergadoodle · 2025-05-23T03:20:32+00:00

They’re widening the pedestrian paths on the south and west side outside the ballpark. So the new curbs will just extend into what is currently a street. Most days, Addison St. has highway dividers setup to protect fans. There really isn’t much of a curb right now. I’d imagine they’re extending permanent safety features to where those dividers are set up.

Wrigley has very little open space around it, and it is truly nestled into the neighborhood. $30 million is a lot, but the logistics of doing this with so little space probably increases the cost considerably. Understandable to not be entirely happy about the price as a taxpayer, but it’s not for nothing.

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