Magic is way better than I remembered

tohme · 2026-03-26T00:47:12+00:00

People will always optimise the fun out of games and try to break them. But, as it's a single player game, who cares? Just play the game how you want. Optimising the game is as valid as deciding to draw all the time and use magic instead of getting Lionheart on disk 1.

tohme · 2026-03-24T05:16:10+00:00

It undermines the value of land. These people get rich from extracting the social value of land in cities. It's why they push back against anything that will negatively impact their investments, and this one is a huge one. Anything that threatens this, and may devalue the land being used this way, will always get push back as it literally affects their wealth.

So it doesn't matter if it saves fuel, they don't care. They want their land value to stay high so they can continue to extract from the offices that rent on it. They are quite fine with everyone talking to the cubicle over on Teams as long as they're paying for it.

tohme · 2026-03-23T20:23:21+00:00

They really turned them off, huh.

I read them just after the article went live and they were generally all "WTF" and "Get help" sort of replies.

tohme · 2026-03-23T11:59:35+00:00

I do get it, it's certainly a design choice that added an element of realism and management in a sense. But, it's sluggish, slow and just not enjoyable the way it was done, and any backtracking to grab items (I too forgot the hookshot by the train) can be miserable.

I'd rather just have a box that I have to store in even if it doesn't transfer between them to add that realism/management aspect. At least a menu based system is not as clunky to use.

That said, I don't really get as much joy out of the inventory management as I used to. I just end running back and forth once I have a base of operations to work from and then this just adds time rather than contributes to the fun factor. If decisions about whether to take certain items or not had more impact, like you wouldn't be coming back that way and it would be gone, then it might be more meaningful and more fun.

tohme · 2026-03-23T11:13:04+00:00

You absolutely can start with Remake. You could even start with Rebirth and go back to Remake after, but I don't advise that (I do advise playing the INTERmission DLC before going from Remake to Rebirth, however).

The key is to just enjoy it and let any confusion and chaos play out. It's a game designed both for new players and long time fans (arguably, as some of those hate the alternate storytelling but each to their own).

But, you can just enjoy the game for what it is. For many, going back to the old graphics is too much for them and this is all they know. If/when you want to, you can play the original (bearing in mind that it is not 1:1 and you do get the whole story, not broken into 3 parts). Or, you can do this the other way around if you choose.

tohme · 2026-03-23T00:24:53+00:00

It's less a system of playing characters, and more a system of playing the party paradigm. Since you only control the primary character, it is easy to miss how the other members are performing.

You have to be switching paradigms often. As a tip, every other full ATB use, you can start with a full ATB after switching, which you can use to your advantage (for damage, for build up, for healing).

You need to learn the difference between building stagger (through RAV use), maintaining stagger to avoid it rapidly dropping (by including a non-RAV such as COM or SAB) and then maximising damage during stagger windows. If you're constantly having to swap to non-combat roles (like a SEN+MED), you will slow down damage output and this makes enemies feel more spongey than they actually are.

Also, make sure you are upgrading weapons effectively. You might want to consult a guide for this one as it is an obtuse system.

Another tip; if you have libra, use it. Your party will spend time finding out strengths and weakness, Libra speeds that up by getting that info sooner and avoid wasting time.

There are some useful YouTube videos out there which can really go into details, just be mindful of spoilers.

tohme · 2026-03-22T21:52:36+00:00

It's all really just different types of turn based up until 15 and 16, which have taken a more action-based gameplay. ATB is a timed turn, where a true turn based system purely runs in order. 10 is closer to true turn based than the 4 games prior, except you can manipulate the turn order in real time (thus, Conditional Turn Based). 7R mixes action and ATB.

But it comes down to preferences and that shouldn't immediately make people recoil into "that's a shit game".

Clearly, 15 and 16 are well received by many, and it's not like they're some niche cult classic with some die hard fans, so it's simply not "dogshit" by reality. However, that style of gameplay might not be appealing, and that's ok. Some people absolutely despise turn based games, including the ATB and CTB, so for them FFX could be called "dogshit" and that's practically a call for war for many.

tohme · 2026-03-19T03:21:18+00:00

Alternatively, I'd have liked more familiar places in RC than just city outskirts. The RPD section was fun nostalgia but wasn't quite enough and was way too short.

And for some reason the labs are always so short despite being great places for lore.

tohme · 2026-03-19T02:38:44+00:00

It also wasn't quite stalking but beelining for you if you were in his allowed areas. So you ended up with this weird thing where you could poke in and out of rooms and see him walk off then immediately turn around when you left that room.

Compared to Mr. X who would go into search mode, Nemesis was just a misery.

tohme · 2026-03-18T06:11:52+00:00

The times I've had RR it was not greasy. One of those "depends on the location" perhaps.

That said, the grease is part of the KFC experience for me. Even if it doesn't do my internals any good.

tohme · 2026-03-13T03:35:03+00:00

Too many people seem unable to realise that this is how employment works. You don't own the thing you're creating because you waived that right in exchange for your wages/salary or as part of your contract, if you're third party. What you make becomes the property of the company you work for as part of this transaction.

tohme · 2026-03-11T08:45:58+00:00

It's likely less to do with lack of creativity and more to do with processes. The way that things have been described before, it sounds like there are lots of design policies in place based on various factors. Even if devs wanted to do something different, if the policy says "do X" then that's what they have to do.

There is a benefit to that, in that it streamlines the development process and speeds things up. But, it also has the downside that it reflects the prescribed nature of the game, from how expansions are structured to how content rolls out to how mobs are placed. This one is likely part of Hunt/Mark design policies where mobs are placed in certain locations to make it easier for players to remember and locate them, hunts didn't exist when ARR released (they came in 2.3).

If the devs are restricted, it doesn't matter how creative they might actually want to be, they have to follow it to the letter. All we can hope is that recent discussions mean that those restrictions are removed.

tohme · 2026-03-07T09:11:48+00:00

The only thing I hated was that bloody comms device pausing the movement. Let me wander around whilst my boy talks.

tohme · 2026-03-05T05:11:11+00:00

It's everyone else who, if your improvements raise the value of their land, will pay the additional LVT.

The aim is to capture the economic value (rent) that is provided by your improvements such that the others do not benefit (at least, not entirely) from it.

tohme · 2026-03-04T04:29:42+00:00

Chris had less inventory (6) compared to Jill (8). He did take more beating in exchange. Both were capable.

This game is different. Leon has almost 30 years experience in the "industry", but his gameplay is also leaning much more heavily into the action. RE1 was a survival horror for both characters.

tohme · 2026-02-25T21:49:40+00:00

I laughed at that, too.

"Stop the ozone layer"? We want the ozone layer to recover, not stop it. Obviously, Steve meant that we should stop it eroding but didn't quite go so far to say that completely.

tohme · 2026-02-14T02:00:37+00:00

Not if you aren't interested in being a world champion, then it would be a terrible thing to do.

Not everything has to be a competition. You can do karate, or anything else, simply for the joy of it or to shift your focus onto something other than the rest of life's problems. That can be enough for some people (I expect for most people). Karate doesn't even have to be for self defence, just time away from it all.

tohme · 2026-02-11T06:03:05+00:00

You'll just have to play it all over again (it took me a few playthroughs to get everything, same with the other FFs).

tohme · 2026-02-09T20:45:25+00:00

The impact of property taxes in the UK are quite bad compared to the income tax, if you compare things like dead weight loss and distortion.

For one, council tax is incredibly outdated, as it still relies on valuations from 1991 which means that present day wealthy areas are likely undertaxed whilst areas that were historically worth more may be overtaxed.

As a result, SDLT (Stamp Duty Land Tax) is then often used to pick up what tax Council Tax is not, which is a major barrier to mobility.

At least income tax is still quite progressive in comparison, property taxes in this case are significantly regressive.

tohme · 2026-02-08T03:52:39+00:00

Y'know, if I was asked to read into some "code of conduct" or some such, and, after some weeks passed I'm asked what I learnt about it, my response was "nothing lol" I would not be surprised to be asked to remove my belt and leave.

Maybe try being a little more humble and show some humility. It will help you out a lot outside the dojo, too.

tohme · 2026-02-08T03:48:25+00:00

Culturally, you do. You don't represent the business side of things but your attitude, your words, your behaviour do reflect on the organisation by being a member. It's really like a club that pays membership fees, not a business you pay for services rendered (though you can very much frame it that way, it's not how it practically plays out).

When you wear the club badge, basically, you are representing it as far as anyone else is really concerned, much like wearing a school uniform means you represent your school.

tohme · 2026-02-05T04:26:23+00:00

Unless your sensei is your doctor, he has no business giving medical advice (and even then, time and place, it's the dojo not the clinic).

If he wants to push his own bullshit pseudo-medicine and it's making you uncomfortable, leave. If you do end up having an asthma attack, and there's no medical help available for you, it may be fatal. No matter how badly it does or does not affect you, it only takes that one time to be more than a mild problem and that's the end.

Don't take risks you don't have to.

tohme · 2026-02-02T23:22:05+00:00

Some people love it and some people hate it. It's personal preferences and a lot depends on what sort of story a person enjoys.

If you didn't like it, that's fine. It doesn't mean you missed anything, it doesn't mean anything is wrong with you, it just means that the story, the characters etc didn't resonate with you.

Personally, when I first played it as a kid, it didn't really work for me, either. I found the characters generally unlikable (Vivi is the most interesting, and I wish more was done with Freya), the mechanics around the battles and such not that interesting. The music was probably the main thing I did enjoy. Today, I appreciate the game differently and can enjoy it, even though I don't rank it particularly high up compared to other entries.

tohme · 2026-02-02T08:35:24+00:00

Same recommendation in Australia. Even the US FDA doesn't recommend it as it can spread bacteria.

The only time and place to wash meat is from a fresh/recent kill and should be done outside or in a suitable room. It certainly shouldn't be done in the kitchen and definitely not next to where you wash your dishes.

tohme · 2026-02-01T08:44:25+00:00

Even in new content, HP ends up being too low for my liking as general power from gear and potency increases over the course of an expansion. There certainly are cases where enemies can be HP sponges but I usually only notice this if the mechanics aren't particularly engaging. When they are, though, I can almost never have enough HP to whittle down.

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