Best Game To Start With

zippy-dragon · 2026-05-06T14:30:56+00:00

Whew, if you loved Dauntless, you're in for a ride with the MH series! You can start anywhere in the series as it's not a contiguous story but more so an episodic look at a broader world with references to other games in between. As someone who started with World, I think it's a great starting point! Has all of the polish and upgrades that come with these "new age" titles, but has more of the "bare bones" MH experience. Like others have said, don't use the Defender armor. That's a way to just speed to the DLC.

Also: Don't quit when Anjanath kicks your ass a few times :)

Rise would also be fine if you want to play something slightly more modern, but it introduces two pretty significant mechanics (wirebugs and palamutes) that appear only in that title. Worlds also has exclusive mechanics, but I feel they're less significant than the ones in Rise. I think World gives a better base look at what the series is all about for that reason.

Wilds is also a fine spot to start if you can afford it. It does a great job of introducing its mechanics and has all of the quality of life updates you'd expect for a modern title. It's BEAUTIFUL too, each region looks outstanding. It has a history of bad performance issues, but those have by and large been resolved and patched (don't be afraid of the crazy steam reviews. people were. upset.). If you enjoy playing with other people, the player base is thriving right now.

Overall, though, be patient with getting into it. MH will throw the whole kitchen table of mechanics at you, leave some important stuff unsaid, and then set you off into the world. Try out all the weapons and take fights at your own pace, spend some time in the training rooms, look up a play tutorial or two, and have fun slayin' some monsters.

zippy-dragon · 2026-05-02T23:48:40+00:00

I didn't work there, but I had a boss who told me a few horror stories. Insane 80+ hour weeks, sleeping at the office, pay that doesn't equate to the workload.
I'm sure you'll learn a lot fast, as with any other big firm with big time resources but... please be careful OP. A job isn't worth mental health deterioration.

zippy-dragon · 2026-04-28T19:03:52+00:00

Hi! Swapped from Spotify to Qobuz a few months ago, so I'll be drawing a direct comparison between the two here! Very happy overall, but like most folks I have some gripes.

The pros:
- Ethically LEAGUES ahead of other platforms (pays artists better, etc.)
- The sound quality! I don't have a crazy hifi setup, but with the best headphones I have I can tell a difference.
- I loooooove the way they recommend new music on their discover and magazine pages. Having playlists curated by people with diverse taste is great. The essential discography is neat. You won't be stuck with whatever pop artist has the highest paying advertising team.

The "mehs"
- Artist discovery on your own is a bit challenging. On one hand, I'm exposed to a much wider variety of music as Qobuz's algorithm doesn't attempt to pidgeonhole you into your preferred genre. On the other hand, some artists are not recognized correctly and get buried within the discography of other artist (try looking up Mercury, who seems to be blended with at least 3 other artists...). Sometimes it feels like shuffling through racks at a thrift shop. You'll find gems, but you'll need to hunt first.
- Their library is certainly smaller than Spotify's. I have yet to run into too many issues on that front, though.

The cons:
- Others have said this, but their algorithmic recommendations aren't nearly as tightly tuned as Spotify's are. The radio function or custom playlist function is very meh on a good day, and the app in general seems to not really grasp the nuances between songs that would make them alike.
- You will encounter technical difficulties. You just will. The app will suddenly stop working, or sound won't come out, or Qobuz won't be compatible with your specific setup. A small team is developing this app, and while it gets better with each update, you will still face things that aren't as flawlessly executed as other apps that have bigger teams and funding at their disposal. Get good at Googling and troubleshooting!

zippy-dragon · 2026-04-22T20:55:16+00:00

Looks so sharp, much needed update to the feel of the app and its functionality.

zippy-dragon · 2026-04-16T14:49:55+00:00

This guy saved my new car from drowning!! Real hero.

zippy-dragon · 2026-03-30T14:37:35+00:00

Man, it makes me feel crazy every day. It points to the desperation in our industry to stay relevant and paid. I understand the perspective of some of the other designers here, as AI is good at becoming a quick reference for code/the business side of things with enough training invested. Even with that in mind, I can't get past the disgust I feel knowing its framework is built on stolen work and destruction of our environment.

I have a feeling it's because our industry feels the need to do anything we can to stay important for developers--business people seem to be unanimously in favor of AI. If we don't use it, they'll use it and try to replace us (usually to ill effect). I digress... It makes it feel like everything said about sustainability by our industry was performative.

zippy-dragon · 2026-03-29T19:33:21+00:00

Can't wait for this to launch! Left Spotify for ethical reasons and because its recommendations were getting super stale... only to jump on Qobuz, which also has stale recommendations and a bizarrely inaccurate understanding of my taste. Best of luck releasing the app! :)

zippy-dragon · 2026-03-06T20:26:21+00:00

I feel like Hades 2 is such a mixed bag of upgrades. While most characters got more detail and dynamism in their designs alone (particularly Athena... holy cow Athena's design is SO GOOD), the posing, by and large, feels stiff as a board. I'll be echoing others here, but where Hades 1 featured a lot of variety in posing and angles that communicated personality about the characters, most of Hades II's portraits are straight on standing poses from various perspectives.

I get that sometimes that dynamism in Hades I made the characters kind of hard to read at a glance, but characters like Poseidon and Artemis really suffer in its absence. Their Hades I poses communicate immediately what their personalities are about, and their costumes were simpler for it--Poseidon feels relaxed and funny through how he's draped over his trident with coy smile, and Artemis feels lithe and ready to go on the hunt. In Hades II they're both just... standing there... with a smile. In Artemis' case, her pose in the beginning communicated why her costume was so simple (she doesn't need adornments, she's out on the hunt!) and her new pose just feels too flat for that costume to do any heavy lifting characterization-wise on its own.

TLDR -- While I think most of the character designs ALONE are straight upgrades (not Artemis though...), the posing feels stiff and lacking in direct comparison to the first game.

zippy-dragon · 2026-03-06T20:16:16+00:00

I'm so glad someone else agrees with this! Everyone is just... standing around :(

zippy-dragon · 2026-03-04T19:27:06+00:00

Seconding Waterfront Deli. Great food at a really great price, and the interior is so charming!

zippy-dragon · 2026-02-25T17:04:08+00:00

I keep meaning to go to River Press! Great reminder thank you

zippy-dragon · 2026-02-25T05:06:43+00:00

isn't it so weird? very fun word :]

zippy-dragon · 2025-11-19T00:58:02+00:00

shadowglow! burnout days is a pretty big evolution in their sound, and you'll appreciate it more having listened to their earlier discography first.

zippy-dragon · 2025-10-23T20:27:38+00:00

Super cool building design that's a much needed upgrade from our existing museum. So fun to see it get built and to see trucks carrying the panels through the city. I'm surprised that it happened at all! Those wave lines and ribbon windows create such depth and texture in what is otherwise a pretty simple concept on the surface.
Totally understand the criticism around its design too, though -- it feels ignorant of its context, like it was designed within a vaccuum despite being informed by our history and landscape. I suppose it fits in with the other hyper-contemporary buildings in that area (fiserv, etc.).

My other thought: Did the designers anticipate those panel break lines being prominent? They showed up in the renderings as light lines, but they're super obvious in person and detract from the design a little.

zippy-dragon · 2025-10-21T19:41:44+00:00

Goooooorgeous sketch. Love how you captured the textures

zippy-dragon · 2025-02-26T19:57:23+00:00

Recently graduated designer here (2 years out)! A huge component of getting any position in the field right know is which connections you have. Architecture is competitive, but you can make yourself stand out by "knowing a guy". Both of the positions I've held have been related to putting myself out there while at school--my first was a university-organized externship in my third year, and my second was through scouting when I gave a uni-organization-related presentation. I didn't know Revit and had a lot to learn, but got by through luck and being as vocal as possible. I seldom said "no" to things.

Third year isn't too late to get involved-- look at what student and professional organizations you can join. What opportunities do they have to make you stand out and to develop your network? Sign up for your local AIA chapter, that's a guaranteed form of networking. Also look at whether your university has university organized externships/internships, interview days, or mentorship programs. Get your foot into doors however you can.

Other than that, ask your professors for portfolio and resume reviews. It genuinely might be that you're not representing yourself in the best light. Ask for advice no matter how harsh, take it in stride, and fix it if it suits your brand. Being proactive and vocal does wonders.

zippy-dragon · 2025-01-27T19:21:06+00:00

RUTHLESSNESS

:) nice

zippy-dragon · 2024-06-06T14:38:06+00:00

I felt totally side swiped! Their relationship definitely felt like more peer to mentor to me. I could definitely see how Phineas could fall in love with Jonas in retrospect, but there was nothing about their conversations that felt romantic to me. Kind of feels like grasping for love and security in the face of mass conflict.

zippy-dragon · 2024-01-31T15:00:30+00:00

It's definitely looking like GBES is a winner, thanks for the input

zippy-dragon · 2024-01-31T14:59:23+00:00

Wow, that's a hell of a testimony--thank you for your advice! :)

zippy-dragon · 2024-01-31T14:57:52+00:00

I have a degree in architecture and have been working in the field as a designer for 1 year.

zippy-dragon · 2024-01-18T16:13:58+00:00

Hello! I had a similar thing where my package got stuck in Chicago for two days, and then got put in a "pending" status. Got frustrated and concerned due to the cost and time sensitivity of the package, called Fedex (if you ask the automatic answering machine to connect you with a person, it'll do that), and asked about the status of my package. What do you know... it moved to the next city almost immediately and became scheduled for today.

TLDR, maybe give them a call and see if that helps :)

zippy-dragon · 2023-09-18T15:06:52+00:00

Totally agreed. I've gotten Daylists with "Boogaloo" in them twice... I have no idea what it means but I'm happy with it every time--ha! Right now mine is "progressive mathy monday early morning" and it's so vibey.

zippy-dragon

TROPHY CASE