I know managers love that term, but I think I’ve come to hear it as an insult… Sorta like being called an unprofessional “jack of all trades” budget handyman that does everything mediocre…
Hi, I am on a driving trip and downloaded a recommended books, “Best Served Cold” and then the reviews say read the original trilogy first. After several hours of “The Blade Itself” there is no sense of a plot or where the characters are going, they are just meeting up....
I think The Blade Itself pays off. In an attempt to not spoil things, the first book is mainly “getting the gang together.” The second is “the gang goes into action,” and the third is “the giant climax.”
Of the three standalone novels, “Best Served Cold” is probably the best and an entertaining read. However, without having read the original trilogy, you’ll likely be a bit thrown off by many of the names and events referenced and have a couple of plot points of the trilogy spoiled for you.
I am currently very high on the First Law series, but I will admit I first read The Blade Itself almost six years ago and did not like it. But I think if you take book one as table setting and let yourself get into book 2, the merry crew of Glokta, Logen, Byaz, Jezal, Ferro, Collem, and all the rest will give you an unforgettable story.
There is something to be said about Abercombie’s release of nine full books in the series in the past 18 years, plus a short story collection. I have a soft spot for Jezal—at first, because I didn’t understand what type of story I was reading, and then later, because of how he reacts to his journey.
I see posts talking about good BIFL items but I don’t hear much about the other side of products that are bad or products you bought but don’t even use.
I really wanted a modded Xbox 360 when I was younger because I thought being able to play ‘backed up’ games and having a custom dashboard was really neat....
I’ve had a Netflix subscription from before they even did streaming. I had the 4k plan, and even when I wasn’t watching much on there anymore, my kids would use it often. The price hikes just would not stop. Then they started moving into video games, and I started seeing headlines reading “Netflix plans to open brick and mortar locations” - followed by more price hikes and ads being integrated. It started to feel like I was just funding their dumb business moves that I’m not ever going to benefit from.
So now I have a beautiful new NAS running Plex. Just accounting for the Netflix subscription price, I’ll break even in 2 years, and I’m using it for a lot more than just a media server.
I love companies swinging between “we have to increase your subscription costs to allow us to offer more great features” and “our customers are excited about our new features so we need to leverage advertising to continue providing them”. Just repeat until everything is loaded with ads AND costs twice as much!
Just curious what are the top 3 podcasts you listened to this year on whatever platform. Antennapod released a feature that summarized your year and well the amount of hours kinda surprised me in a good way, haha....
A Memory Called Empire was a book I stalled on and had to restart, but was such a great read. It’s so different from what we get in most space opera, but once I was in, it didn’t let go. It took a while to start A Desolation Called Peace, but that one was an equally great ride that I couldn’t put down. I’m hoping there will be a third entry!
While Mistborn is a great entry point into Sanderson for many people, to me, it really feels like a freshman effort. I can’t ever bring myself to do a full reread of those books, as they don’t feel as polished or as well put together as his later work. Well of Ascension especially feels like it’s there because a trilogy needs a middle book.
So I’m a Gen Z’er, a bit on the older end of the spectrum. Currently finishing my bachelor’s degree, if that gives you some perspective on my age. My dad actually owned a PS2 when I was born, but by the time I started playing video games it was on an Xbox 360. We didn’t get the first “new” console that I actually...
The big thing I’ve run into is regular use vs occasional use. I only use my PS4 as a Blu-ray player these days, and each time I turn it on, it has to figure out if it shut down correctly last time(of course not). Then, after a memory check, it boots. I sign in, and then it yells at me that it has a mess of OS updates to install, which I don’t want to wait for because I just want to watch this damn movie. Plus, my controller barely holds a charge anymore, and if I don’t use the right USB controller plugged into the PS4, the controller doesn’t pair and control the damn thing. If I were using the PS4 every day like I did back in 2016, a lot of these problems wouldn’t be there, but because I boot it once every 3 months, it’s a hassle.
I would love to be able to just slide in a disk and watch in the rare cases I’ve decided to. As it is, I’m about to buy a dedicated Blu-ray player instead of using the hardware I already have.
The huge update that completely rebalances the game, improves UI, and changes the gear system is free. As for PL itself, I’ll happily continue BG3 until the hype dies down and I get a feel for whether it’s actually worthwhile.
Abercrombie-August has stretched into September. After finishing the First Law Trilogy, I started reading the copy of The Heroes I picked up from a bookstore over the summer. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen someone create this very detailed examination of a wholly imaginary battle. It’s like I picked up one of my dad’s books on Gettysburg, except there’s a scheming wizard hanging around.
After this, I’m eyeing something breezy like Dome City Blues by Jeff Edwards or A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. I read Babel last month, and I’ve come to terms with my weakness for: “London but with Magic.” I also want to jump on More Perfect by Temi Oh. I saw Hadestown last winter, and I’m in for some reinterpretations of the Orpheus/Eurydice story.
Oathbringer took me from a Sanderson stan to a bit exhausted. It just felt like a very long slog and not much reward on the path. I’ve been really enjoying his kickstarter books, as they’ve been a bit more svelte, while maintaining his unique penchant for setting up a magical playground and always managing to surprise you with how his toys interact.
Welp, I tore through The Heroes in less than a week 😆 – not only did I like it, but it’s made me certain I’m going to read the other two “First Law World” books. Doing Darker Shade of Magic now it’s… okay so far. Feels a bit young-adulty for my tastes right now.
Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he’s a fun POV character.
Luckily Abercrombie has a wide cast of bloody-handed northmen, scheming wizards, cringing nobles, and other fun miscreants after the Bloody Nine has left the stage. A big thing I loved about The Heroes is how it managed to bring me a whole new crop of characters to enjoy, and lose, just contained in that book. I’m excited about the “industrial revolution” sequel trilogy with a next generation of characters. It’s like my father always said: Once you have a sequel trilogy, it’s better to read it than live with the fear it.
After all, you have to be realistic about these things.
I mean if you look at the post history, OP has posted a LOT of things, but also posted two mary sue articles with kind of inflammatory takes on BG3, and Starfield. So I would not say they specifically have been posting rage bait.
A Starfield remake, of sorts, has been created in 48 hours, incorporating seamless travel between planets, something missing from the actual Bethesda RPG.
Yeah - of course games are hard - but all he did was rough out a planet-to-space experience in Unreal Engine with a Starfield aesthetic. If he started trying to build an actual game on it… Well an 8 year timeline doesn’t seem crazy.
What I mean by this, is instead of when you fail and are met with a game over, the game finds some way to keep it going. Instead of being forced to reset to a previous save or an autosave checkpoint, the game’s story continues in an interesting path. Are there any games like this?...
That’s all people ever wanted: “Give us AC4 with just the piratey ship parts!” And that would have been great… back in 2015. Now it’s a full decade later, and Ubisoft seems determined to instead develop an over-monetized, forever game. The iron isn’t exactly hot anymore, so I really don’t see the point.
Feels like a pure sunk-cost fallacy to continue trying to squeeze this one out.
If someone were to call you a "full stack" developer, would that feel like a complement or an insult?
I know managers love that term, but I think I’ve come to hear it as an insult… Sorta like being called an unprofessional “jack of all trades” budget handyman that does everything mediocre…
What games do you replay regularly/annually ?
Inspired by a similar question on reddit:...
Question about First Law series
Hi, I am on a driving trip and downloaded a recommended books, “Best Served Cold” and then the reviews say read the original trilogy first. After several hours of “The Blade Itself” there is no sense of a plot or where the characters are going, they are just meeting up....
What Are Some Things You Regret Buying or Bought but Never Used?
I see posts talking about good BIFL items but I don’t hear much about the other side of products that are bad or products you bought but don’t even use.
What is something you wanted as a kid and bought now that you're an adult with disposable income?
I really wanted a modded Xbox 360 when I was younger because I thought being able to play ‘backed up’ games and having a custom dashboard was really neat....
Netflix: Piracy is Difficult to Compete Against and Growing Rapidly (torrentfreak.com)
Netflix is reportedly exploring adding in-game ads to its gaming service (www.videogameschronicle.com)
What podcasts did you listen to the most this year
Just curious what are the top 3 podcasts you listened to this year on whatever platform. Antennapod released a feature that summarized your year and well the amount of hours kinda surprised me in a good way, haha....
[Sometimely] What are you reading? 17th of October
I just finished Death Masks by Jim Butcher, 5th book of The Dresden Files. Really enjoying the series....
I got a PS2 last week and I'm still amazed by how easy it was to set up
So I’m a Gen Z’er, a bit on the older end of the spectrum. Currently finishing my bachelor’s degree, if that gives you some perspective on my age. My dad actually owned a PS2 when I was born, but by the time I started playing video games it was on an Xbox 360. We didn’t get the first “new” console that I actually...
Is there an indie games bubble? (roadmapmag.com)
I read before bed but am unsure if I should be using a no back light Kindle or if the Kindle app on my iPhone is ok? Anyone have experience with sleeping quality after reading using either of these?
Extra info:...
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty almost corrects the past (www.polygon.com)
well i may have to consider picking this up.
[Sometimes-weekly thread] What are you reading? 18th of September
Copying from the weekly thread, over at !books :...
Is It Just Impossible to Have an Honest Conversation About Starfield? (www.themarysue.com)
It sure feels impossible to have an honest conversation about Starfield online right now.
Starfield remake created in two days actually lets you fly seamlessly from space to the surface (www.pcgamesn.com)
A Starfield remake, of sorts, has been created in 48 hours, incorporating seamless travel between planets, something missing from the actual Bethesda RPG.
What are some games that "spin" failure states?
What I mean by this, is instead of when you fail and are met with a game over, the game finds some way to keep it going. Instead of being forced to reset to a previous save or an autosave checkpoint, the game’s story continues in an interesting path. Are there any games like this?...
Skull And Bones Creative Director Has Reportedly Left (gameranx.com)
As if the game’s development process hadn’t been any more of a farce.