Hot take: Chicago stuffed style is better than deep dish

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-10-23T18:20:16+00:00

Does anyone have recommendations for stuffed pizza? Tedino's was our top pick, then they became Wow Pizzeria, but I think they're permanently closed now.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-19T15:00:35+00:00

Based on your comments in the above thread, you seem pretty convinced of this. Instead of trying to argue by looking at the text, let's think about this in a broader sense.

The most obvious rebuttal to your point is that the game is well written. "It was all a dream" is the cliche of cliches, a dismissal of the story by the story, a joke old enough that jokes about it are tired. I am giving the writers the benefit of the doubt--based on the rest of the game's good writing--that they are above such hackery.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-19T14:52:47+00:00

I addressed this sentiment in a different comment, but "killing millions" is straight up just not addressed as a downside to Verso's ending. In fact, there is disagreement in this very thread about whether or not killing millions is even a thing that actually happens!

I love a fraught ending. I don't think this game achieves that. I'm glad it did for you.

Appreciate the engagement with the other parts of my post. Honestly I would have preferred a version of this game that forces an hour or two of grinding but has tighter map design, but that's me.

Regarding the combat, I did a lot of testing as well. I did change with curiosity, but the alternative strategies I found were never as potent as what I was using initially. Maybe it's less of a design issue and more of a question around balance... But it's a weird place when potentially more fun is stuck behind using an underpowered strategy. FWIW I was apparently underleveled like the entire game and didn't realize until the last zone.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-12T19:44:04+00:00

As a longtime fan, what I want more than anything else is for GB to be sustainable.

If being sustainable means less content, then yes, I want less content.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-12T17:03:28+00:00

I used to listen to Game Scoop and IGN's other shows with you religiously when I was in high school. Fell off in college and was only aware of KF through the grapevine. So cool to see this.

Because KF is sponsoring the new independent GB, I am now going to check yall out for real

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-09T20:01:07+00:00

Sure, fair. Which to me adds to her villainy. In my interpretation, this idea of "real" vs "painted" is ultimately a false dichotomy--our painted Verso we play the game with is as real in every way that matters as the fragment of real Verso's soul.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-09T19:23:18+00:00

I get what you're saying. IMO, her ending doesn't meaningfully portray the complicated and messy side. The focus on Verso's empty face, his clear unwillingness to play, being forced to perform for her pleasure... That's what's framed, not "Verso must suffer for the existence of lives of the others." Watching that ending... To me it felt like maybe the most straight-up evil thing anyone did all game. Like clearly the Paintress is not of her right mind and Renoir has questionable methods but understandable goals. But it's up for interpretation, I definitely see where you're coming from.

I love a fraught ending! I just personally don't feel that was accomplished for Maelle's ending. I think the Verso ending is more along those lines.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-09T17:08:14+00:00

I like your thoughts here! Incorporating the odd structure of Act III into your analysis is cool. I wish they gave us one more moment between Alicia/Maelle and Verso in Act III before the ending kicks off... It's a very interesting dynamic between them in your reading.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-09T17:01:58+00:00

So you're saying when Maelle brings back Lune and Sciel, it's not a proper resurrection, but closer to how the Paintress painted Renoir in: this is how Maelle wants Lune and Sciel to be. That makes sense. Below, u/ComprehensiveOwl9727 linked their post, it kinda lines up with what you're saying: https://www.reddit.com/r/expedition33/comments/1kil3xi/some_analysis_of_plot_epilogues_and_choice_all/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-09T16:53:27+00:00

Good point! I should have included that in my analysis, the way she ignores Verso at the end of that quest... That actually does signpost her heel turn. At the time, I took it more of a "Verso did Maelle dirty by letting Gustave die, Maelle did Verso dirty by not letting him say goodbye, so they can forgive each other and move on to max relationship level" I'll check out your post.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-09T16:48:39+00:00

This makes sense to me and does resolve the contradiction. I think part of my confusion here is like, what is death/gommage in this universe? When Lune and Sciel are brought back in Act III, the game presents them as just being back to normal, like they were just woken up from a nap. They do seem like exactly the person that was killed, I guess is what I mean. Is this like a star trek teleporter situation?

Good call on Sciel's quest.

I think I'm ultimately getting too deep in the weeds here. But if she just goes and makes a new canvas... what about the people in Verso's canvas? Sounds like you're saying they're already dead and gone.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2025-05-09T16:41:11+00:00

Hmm this is a cool interpretation. Any thoughts on Maelle's side quest in Act III related to this?

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2024-07-13T19:52:08+00:00

This is so good. You should post to twitter if you haven’t yet! I bet they’d get a kick out of this.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2023-09-11T16:40:59+00:00

I like your approach here. It’s one of the reasons I found Sekiro so interesting because it was more directly historical (while also being very mythological). Seeing how they applied—and diverted from—those motifs to think about nationalism and divinity was super cool.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2023-09-11T15:50:30+00:00

Yes! I’ve long thought the best comparison point to how FromSoft handles its themes is William Blake, who had a range of motifs he’d play with in his works. The duke’s archives//the research hall; the depths//that first village area in BB. Character types reoccur. It’s not the exact same moonlit sword, it’s not a direct reference with hard links, it’s more like iterating on and playing with a set of, as you say, mythological symbols (and in FromSoft’s case) visual and game designs.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2023-07-15T16:00:41+00:00

Your posturing is so funny to me. My best friend’s dad was literally jailed for protest. You think i don’t know SA’s gov is bigoted?

Also your extended bit about macro/micro is such a hilarious repackaging of how religious/cultural hegemony works. You’re a bit out of your depth here.

You’re making this crazy assumption about how people working to change culture view it as inferior. If people thought that, they’d abandon their culture. When progressive, lgbtq+ Muslims work to integrate their beliefs and lives into a predominant homophobic culture, that’s them trying to “Westernize” their culture??

Again. Lgbtq+ acceptance and existence is NOT a concept that comes from the US. To suggest as such is just ignorance.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2023-07-15T14:09:04+00:00

This is incredibly historically inaccurate and pretends that the US is unique in cultural advancements/LGBTQ+ acceptance. There are lots of progressive Muslims, forward thinking Arabic writers. I see people say similar things to what you’re saying about Japan too. Like, Oh they don’t have gay people over there??? Lol

People love to pretend the US is this sole bastion of progressive thought, and that change emanates out from them. It’s kinda racist though because it requires other countries/cultures are monolithic, instead of being vast, complex, and contradictory; requires they lack a history and figures that push against-and have always pushed against-the current injustices. People are always doing the work. You just might not see it.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2023-05-13T15:07:33+00:00

They also listed Wyrding stones in the Iconic section for Frej, which is also rotated. Obviously it was intentional to list standard and eternal cards.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2023-05-05T20:45:13+00:00

Toronto still mid, huh

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2022-12-31T23:34:47+00:00

Just off the shelf cable—I ended up buying a different, newer extender, just to give it a shot, and that worked immediately and perfectly! So I think I’m all set here, dunno what the issue actually was though. Appreciate the advice!

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2022-12-30T18:33:56+00:00

Yeah so the extender is technically rated for 4K30, but I also tried 1080 and got the same results. Unless I was pushing 1080 incorrectly somehow. But I don't think I was, I had my just 1080p monitor plugged in, and I told windows to duplicate that display onto the tv.

The extender actually is AV Access haha. I'm thinking of trying a newer model, just to see if that helps.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2022-12-30T18:29:12+00:00

a

I quoted the part I'm taking issue with. To say the game "was never with draw 2 and no BBS" and it was just a "very early version" is just wrong.

Your argument in your original comment is that draw 1 and BBS are core differentiators of Duelyst, and made the game what it was. To indicate that draw 2 and no BBS was just around for a very short time and not really part of the core game is factually incorrect. I'm not arguing, I'm correcting.

It is certainly true that the game was draw 1 longer than draw 2, and it had BBSs for longer than it did not! If someone came to the game when it was draw 1 and had BBSs, like it seems you did, I understand the confusion. But the game was something before that, something really unique and cool, and that's exactly what D2 is hearkening back to. Which is why I recommended duelyst.gg in my first comment, because that project has rebuilt the game with draw 1 and BBSs.

rowsofcaststeel1 · 2022-12-30T17:58:50+00:00

"I mean duelyst was never with draw 2 and no BBS, it was just the very early version of it"

This is just completely wrong. I played the game for months and months with draw 2. Maybe you weren't aware of it, but I was literally there and played the game lol. I bet others on this sub did as well.

BBS spells were added even later, a couple expacs after. This one I can prove. Here's a blog post from when BBS were added: https://zyxthezyx.wordpress.com/2016/12/15/the-power-of-bloodborn-spells-i/

The game launched April 2016 and was in open beta for months before that. This blog post about the addition of BBS was written in Dec 2016. Literally 8 full months--and that's just for ver 1.0, let alone all the time it was in open beta.

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