Tali'Thread vas Clan Zorah nar BSN 6.0

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkzrUD56DPk

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn79x4FLkqM

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HhtSaT81GY

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvfq3Bme5oE

[Vol]

Beat Shantae and the Seven Sirens again. The quality of life improvements are great, load times are significantly faster, the on-screen indicators of which dances can be used in a room make collection so much more fun, the siren dialogue is good, and the harder difficulty makes the game a tiny bit more of a challenge, at least until you can stockpile enough healing items and potions to tank everything.

I finished on 98% again, despite scouring the map. AHHHHHHHHH.

[SciFlyBoy]

I got 99% of the map in Ori and the Blind Forrest. There's one spot in the ginko tree that I can't get back to which you have to hurry through when you first play the game, so I missed it. So yeah, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POnJKW6qDlA

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoHvpS2x8us

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8idOPU2h8kk

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqaHE0JwIJ8

[Vol]

I got 99% of the map in Ori and the Blind Forrest. There's one spot in the ginko tree that I can't get back to which you have to hurry through when you first play the game, so I missed it. So yeah, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The pain is real. The motivation to do it all over again is...lacking.


Went to a contractor's pro show tonight. Despite being hosted by a much larger company than the last one, which was before corona went off, was a much smaller venue. Only a handful of vendors, like how our local "farmer's market" is never more than 6 people (at best). Burners were off on the food, so it was lukewarm by the time we got to it. Got 2 tickets for drinks, but beer or wine only.

For reference, the previous one was in a huge room, with many vendors, and the buffet room had the trays constantly replaced. Plus there was an open bar. It helps you want to buy tools and listen to salesmen to be fed and watered, you see.

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-uq2bJbNaw

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTCUl7QyY2w

[Dragaros]

"Two new worlds of probable rocky mineral goodness have just been found orbiting a star close to our own cosmic neighborhood. The two newly discovered exoplanets are what are known as super-Earths – bigger than Earth, but smaller than an ice giant – orbiting a cool red dwarf star called HD 260655, which is just 33 light-years away. While the worlds are unlikely to be habitable, given our current understanding of life, the star and its exoplanets are among the closest multi-world systems to Earth. This makes it an excellent target for follow-up surveys to try to understand what the exoplanets are made of, and to assess their atmospheres."

[Dragaros]

"Five planets are moving into a rare alignment, which will be visible from Earth this week. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are lining up — in that order — for the first time since December 2004. On Friday, June 24, the phenomenon will be the most visible to stargazers.

While it is common to see a conjunction of three planets close together, seeing five is rare, according to Sky & Telescope. The planets are lining up in their natural order from the Sun, which is also remarkable, says the science magazine published by American Astronomical Society.

The five so-called "naked-eye" planets were visible beginning on June 3 and 4, and the lineup could be seen with binoculars — but only for about half an hour, before Mercury was lost in the glare of the sun.

But on June 24, viewing will be optimal. Even if the distance between Mercury and Saturn increases, it's getting easier to spot Mercury, so it is getting progressively easier to see all five planets, Diana Hannikainen, observing editor of Sky & Telescope.

Hannikainen said the sky on the morning of the 24th "will present a delightful sight" because the waning crescent moon will also join the procession between Venus and Mars.

The planets should be visible on the days leading up to this. Sky & Telescope says the best time to see the line up on June 24 is 45 minutes before sunrise. It should be visible on the eastern horizon.

Four of the naked-eye planets have been lining up in the for the past few months, according to NASA. But over the next few months, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and Venus will spread out. By September, Venus and Saturn will no longer be visible to most observers.

Another astronomical phenomenon will be visible in June: the M13 globular star cluster, a tightly packed spherical collection of stars. The M13, also known as the Hercules Cluster, contains thousands of stars, which are thought to be around 12 billion years old — almost the age of the universe itself, NASA says."

[Vol]

Steam sales starts today. Finally got the Devil May Cry 1-3 collection, since it's down to $10 after all these years. Yakuza 6, $10, to finish out the collection. Callisto Protocol is somehow already up for preorder, half a year away from the expected launch. Ton of indie stuff. Nothing much inspires me, though maybe I'm just a grumpy old man.

I seriously find it charming how Zoomer horror is Chuck E. Cheese or empty office buildings. There is so little left for them that twisted-banality is scary.

[magnuskn]

At the moment I kinda don't have much I really want to get, because I got a ton of stuff in the pipeline already and way too little time. I got an old DLC for Rome 2, of all things.

I am interested in Europa Universalis IV, but to get the full experience I'd have to pay well over a 100 Euros, even with the rebates. So, yeah. Quite hesitant to do so.

[Vol]

At the moment I kinda don't have much I really want to get, because I got a ton of stuff in the pipeline already and way too little time. I got an old DLC for Rome 2, of all things.

I am interested in Europa Universalis IV, but to get the full experience I'd have to pay well over a 100 Euros, even with the rebates. So, yeah. Quite hesitant to do so.

Pretty much. Only game that's tempting me is The Quarry, and I can wait a few months for that to be discounted. Plus the looming recession and all, luxuries, etc., heh.

Isn't that one of those games with massive replay value? Might as well, I've more than gotten my money's worth from (most) of the Total Wars for that very reason.

[SciFlyBoy]

Every morning for the past few days have been overcast and foggy, so I missed the five planets plus the moon. But I did see four planets a couple days ago so at least I got part of the conjunction.

[Vol]

Was Deino Community Day in the Pokemans. Spent 3 hours wandering around in 90 degree weather, direct sunlight, and only got my neck sunburned where my shirt got pulled aside by the sweat. Decent haul. _+Still_ have yet to get a perfect IV Pokemon from all the Community Days I've done, catching hundreds of Pokemon each time. But I did get some 99% perfect lads, one for the Little Cup, Great Cup, Ultra Cup, and Master, as well as 2 shinies that are usable for the latter 2. Still, the point of the event is to _get_ those extreme outliers, but even catching hundreds of one specific Pokemon isn't enough because the odds are in the thousands.

Walked about 12 km total, not my record, but in the heat it adds up. By sheer chance found a water fountain right as my dumb self was getting woozy from dehydration. But I also broke it, because the water never stopped coming out once I let go of the button. There's a moral lesson in that, somehow.

[magnuskn]

Isn't that one of those games with massive replay value? Might as well, I've more than gotten my money's worth from (most) of the Total Wars for that very reason.

Yeah, EU IV is one of those grand strategy games from Paradox. Point is, I already own Stellaris and Crusader Kings II and III, so I have a good idea how those go. EU IV is quite late in its life cycle and has massive amounts of DLC, hence the big price tag. I'm comfortable getting one of those games in the start and then paying bit by bit for expansions to get more interesting gameplay, but entering into the end cycle of such a game, with probably dozens of extra mechanics added on top of the core game, is daunting. I barely made it into Crusader Kings II at the end of its lifecycle and that was after watching one of the best Let's Play's (from Many a True Nerd, whom I can highly recommened for humor and voice) about it. Hm, maybe I should try to find one from a good and funny player to see if I get interested there as well...

Anyway, Paradox also is bringing out Victoria 3 this year (which is about the 19th century), so I already am planning on getting into another grand strategy franchise by them. Having a fourth one would be hard on my time planning, especially with Immortal Empires for Total War: Warhammer 3 coming out this August!

[Mazder]

I'd still say the easiest entry value is Hearts of Iron 4.
But that's really more WW2 era.

Been trying to play more Stellaris lately, but the game is rather annoying at times IMO.

I can't begin to get my head around EU4 again now, I dropped it years ago and it's basically a whole new complicated game now.
Crusader Kings is kinda the same for me.
Vicky 2/3 I am not sure on. The Victoria side of things seems like it's got more emphasis on economy, rather than war. I hate economy.

[Vol]

Know what's deeply annoying? Someone who does critical analysis of <things I'm interested in>, who's supremely well educated, has a vast knowledge base, and a great work ethic, however, they like to pause their analysis to do comedy bits too close to the mic constantly.

"Yeah, so this is parallel to a 4th century rendition of the Hobglobbian account of the Whoobdoobs psuedo-invasion, so- CRIKEY MATE, YOU CAN'T BE JUST INVADIN' LIKE THAT!"

[magnuskn]

I'd still say the easiest entry value is Hearts of Iron 4.
But that's really more WW2 era.

Been trying to play more Stellaris lately, but the game is rather annoying at times IMO.

I can't begin to get my head around EU4 again now, I dropped it years ago and it's basically a whole new complicated game now.
Crusader Kings is kinda the same for me.
Vicky 2/3 I am not sure on. The Victoria side of things seems like it's got more emphasis on economy, rather than war. I hate economy.

Crusader Kings can be so much fun. I recommend the Let's Play I linked above to get a good idea how much fun it can be, even if it is for CK2, instead of the current CK3. They are very similar at their base, although CK2 has of course more depth (full life cycle Paradox game), while CK3 has new mechanics which enhance the basic gameplay.

As for Victoria 3, I am mostly interested in it, because the 19th century strongly laid the foundation for how we live today and of course the great political upheavals of the 20th century. I'd like to see if I can do better with Germany than Bismarck.

[Mazder]

Crusader Kings can be so much fun. I recommend the Let's Play I linked above to get a good idea how much fun it can be, even if it is for CK2, instead of the current CK3. They are very similar at their base, although CK2 has of course more depth (full life cycle Paradox game), while CK3 has new mechanics which enhance the basic gameplay.

As for Victoria 3, I am mostly interested in it, because the 19th century strongly laid the foundation for how we live today and of course the great political upheavals of the 20th century. I'd like to see if I can do better with Germany than Bismarck.

Yeah, sometimes games like that go way too hard on their economy stuff that just makes my head hurt.
Like, I just want to steer the grand ideas through, why am I managing the finances of the nation, isn't there a, y'know, minister that can do it for me?

Actually for a MP Paradox-like game I'd be all for that, where you can join in as groups and have set ministers to do shit. Treasurer, minister for transport, minister for manufacture, etc.
I know HOI4 community does something similar for generals and stuff but that's all community based, not baked into the game.

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7kAzRW9x2c

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc6pperfNTc

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BLvQSXmjNE

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgG2-cEdfrw

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2dlmtcnGkc

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfFmk9YebX4

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppa-d3hthvI

[Dragaros]

"NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition coming to Switch on October 6. Includes six new costumes, four new accessories, and two new pod skins."

[Dragaros]

"Valve has released Portal: Companion Collection for Switch via Nintendo eShop for $19.99."

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ND9rdE3_I

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SuQJBGG3X8

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3mxq44HhnU

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5anP8oC-ePY

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m88oPZTx7rI

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yd3tzhN99E

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgbQIcjzq_4

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjSTwlFuaxk

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzMvazb0zV0

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-qo1QQSPTU

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjI5XI363Ss

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRPgk3vR9_I

[Dragaros]

"This is the most complete mummified woolly mammoth ever found in North America. The preservation of this calf is remarkable. The discovery has just been announced today. It was found on June 21, 2021 in the Klondike gold fields, Yukon, Canada."

[Dragaros]

"The only scientifically accurate Spinosaurus skeleton in the world. The Big 8 exhibition is going to open next month. Ultimate dinosaur exhibit. Showcasing 8 iconic Mesozoic creatures in a stunning, immersive setting. Lots of original material & some of the most spectacular fossils in the world."

[Vol]

With Persona getting ported to everything now, P6 must be closer than we realize. Year or two, I'd bet. However, word of warning, Japanese PC ports are, uh, "dicey," at best at launch. Fingers crossed they've hired competent porters this time.

Re: Dinos - How the _hell_ does that thing walk on its legs like that?

[Vol]

I stained a big wooden fence today. Brand new, nice solid lumber, no gaps, 6" high, cedar tone oil-based stain. Even had a simplistic torii gate (possibly unintentional) leading into the yard. It was oddly enjoyable, because I otherwise have spent the year cleaning moldly plastic fences or slapping paint on half-rotted wooden ones. A chance to work on something _new_ and _organic_ was almost a treat.