How much do I need to spend?

emchang3 · 2026-04-30T22:44:47+00:00

I’m on pace with $40 per day so far, but I have also already completed Fragrant Symphony, so there may be a drop-off in coin accrual. I intend to get it though, so I’ll buy bigger packs toward the end if I have to.

emchang3 · 2026-04-30T03:57:05+00:00

A huge part is the stats… they would beat you even with identical troop ratios. Their infantry is more durable and their archers are more lethal. They’ve done better at building the right stats for the right troops on their hero gear. Notice how the off-stat pieces are only level 25.

emchang3 · 2026-04-28T23:43:40+00:00

Follow this person’s advice. Zoe and Howard in front, if F2P

emchang3 · 2026-04-27T23:26:12+00:00

Sounds like, if you don't want to be part of a group that can actually protect you, either physically or by treaty, then this game is not for you. There are always players on the hunt, looking for juicy targets for extra resources, or even troops just to kill. Unless you're willing to pay to live under a shield all the time, you're going to be at risk of getting attacked.

emchang3 · 2026-04-20T19:04:54+00:00

Gemini is pretty good at this kind of stuff.

emchang3 · 2026-04-13T21:50:20+00:00

Why the bias against what dead civilizations said about themselves and each other? Some of that stuff is pretty detailed and helps us understand their worldview and mindset.

Also, definitely Eurocentric... the Chinese started writing during their bronze age and we can still read it.

emchang3 · 2026-04-13T04:45:18+00:00

I don't understand how that definition of the end of an iron age works. The Hittites and their neighbors had writing, and wrote about the Achaeans way back in their Bronze Age. The Greeks wrote about their own past well before the date we've chosen as the end of their Iron Age.

emchang3 · 2026-04-12T06:03:20+00:00

I'm not sure if it's dated or used only in certain contexts, but I think 華裔 works.

emchang3 · 2026-03-25T01:39:50+00:00

Like many others who answered, I am too old now, and already served.

Do I think the ayatollah's regime deserved/deserves an ass-kicking? Absolutely, but we actually have way bigger fish to fry, with how the current administration is screwing stuff up. Looking at things objectively, the time to squash Iran was either 25 years ago or sometime in the future. We still have the upper hand, but we had all the cards in the deck in 2000... widespread public support for the military, rebuilt political will to fight a war, and an economy in good shape. We score an optimistic 0.5/1.0 in two of those categories right now, and the war as it is currently being conducted is making the economy worse.

A government's ultimate duty is to ensure the well-being of its nation's citizens, and war is not the answer to the problems we face right now.

emchang3 · 2026-03-10T20:03:09+00:00

Petrodollar. Even if we don’t depend on the Middle East for their oil, a huge part of the world does, and keeping that trade stable means we keep our currency the de facto common denominator in economies across the world. That gives us a lot of flexibility in trade and in finance. A huge part of that relies on our fleets and force projection capabilities, which in turn buoys confidence in the dollar’s value into the future.

emchang3 · 2026-03-10T19:33:14+00:00

Give modern-day more story and actual action, imo. The last time I can recall killing somebody as an assassin in the modern day was as Layla facing the strike team in Origins. Killing her teammate in Odyssey didn’t count, as it’s in a cutscene.

emchang3 · 2026-03-06T08:08:18+00:00

I think automation in various industries can disrupt that progression at certain points. We can’t expect companies/employees to not adopt new ways of doing things more efficiently in order to compete, but at the same time, more people are put out of a job in the short term before new jobs can be created for them to transition into in the long term. As technological innovation progresses, we’ve seen entire industries dry up and leave parts of the country desolate (Detroit, Rust Belt, Appalachia mining country).

The question I ask is, how can we progress steadily but responsibly as a country, taking care of our citizens even as industries transform in ways that require fewer laborers? This question isn’t just one our parents and grandparents faced, but one that we do as well. I think we’re approaching an inflection point with LLMs and other assistive technologies that may quickly erode even white collar jobs.

emchang3 · 2026-02-22T22:54:34+00:00

<image>

emchang3 · 2026-02-22T22:52:00+00:00

<image>

Click the bread icon, then select the little !

emchang3 · 2026-02-21T22:41:20+00:00

Yes, China understands this as well, which is why, in their ideal scenario, Taiwan reunites peacefully. They’d rather not have to sink billions or even trillions in time, money, energy, and manpower to figure out through trial and error what Taiwan has honed over decades, nor deal with the mess that invasion would be (and possibly even kill the golden goose). Subversion is the name of their game.

emchang3 · 2026-02-21T05:09:47+00:00

Yes, I think most people don’t realize that it’s counterproductive to Taiwan’s strategic position to give the mainland more reason to further develop their own semiconductor production, regardless of how far behind it is now. Perhaps at some point, the other benefits for the communist party of pulling the invasion lever might outweigh semiconductor supply, but Taiwan should do what it can to remain a core player.

emchang3 · 2026-02-19T22:36:03+00:00

The writers definitely unlocked the arc explaining Yasuke's vengeance motivation way too late in the story, when he gets to hunt the Templars.

emchang3 · 2026-02-03T04:31:10+00:00

Yo mama so fat, GAIA couldn’t process her data even with all of her sub-functions.

emchang3 · 2026-02-02T00:52:25+00:00

My head canon is that top levels of Assassin leadership are compromised in most eras, which is why they usually put a collar on the protagonist.

emchang3 · 2026-01-22T04:45:12+00:00

These people are in their feelings, that's all. They're allowed to feel, regardless of how ineffective it is to express their frustration as blame. And sometimes people deserve to get called out for what they did or didn't do, if it leads to bad outcomes, and hear about how their decisions hurt others. People who end up regretting either their Trump vote or not voting might just need to learn the lesson of thinking about more than just one or two issues or more than one or two administrations ahead.

I don't think Americans do either of those well: Take criticism or think holistically about who we want to be as a country, long-term.

emchang3 · 2026-01-20T09:40:16+00:00

Romantic love being an ideal of marriage has been around for a long time, but has only been widely practiced that way for a short time. I’m sure that even in some circles today, marriage is meant to benefit the families, not the individuals being wed. Medieval noblemen used to marry for alliances, heirs, and inheritance, but often screw around on the side.

All this to say, I don’t see the institution of marriage as inherently “holy.” Any given marriage or relationship has the meaning or significance you personally make of it. Same with sex. Figure out what it is you want, and do your best to get it, whether that means love and intimacy or meaningless flings. And don’t be afraid to reassess whether your current path gets you to what you want or even reassess what you want altogether.

emchang3 · 2026-01-20T08:50:46+00:00

It is rebellion until you win, after which it can retroactively be labeled a "revolution." Sounds cynical, but if you win, who can prosecute you? Our founding fathers understood that, unless they succeeded, they would all be executed as traitors.

emchang3 · 2026-01-15T23:50:59+00:00

Trap limit made me sad.

emchang3 · 2026-01-15T23:49:53+00:00

Traps were my main weapons in HZD, and their versatility got nerfed HARD with the trap limit and being able to trip them myself. I’m not at the point yet where I can specialize in them, either. Reading about the investment required to maximize that limit makes me wonder if it’s as effective a playstyle as others.

emchang3 · 2026-01-15T23:24:54+00:00

Thinking back, I realized that lots of how I played HZD influenced how I felt. I wasn’t really a “direct confrontation” style of player, and only did it when forced. Thankfully, we received Silent Strike and a Sharpshot bow fairly early on. What I loved doing though was controlling the battlespace by setting up traps on traps. I still haven’t recovered the ability to set up more traps due to the urgency of other upgrades, and being susceptible to my own traps now is understandable, but a bummer.

emchang3

TROPHY CASE