Page 112 of 311

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2021 3:57 pm
by DirkGently
materpillar wrote:
3 years ago
I disagree pretty heavily.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting you, but I don't think that's a disagreement so much as a separate related issue. Also afaik there's not really a way to MMR commander games so basically everyone is doing it the RPG way (maybe modo has MMR though, idk).

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2021 4:24 pm
by materpillar
DirkGently wrote:
3 years ago
materpillar wrote:
3 years ago
I disagree pretty heavily.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting you, but I don't think that's a disagreement so much as a separate related issue. Also afaik there's not really a way to MMR commander games so basically everyone is doing it the RPG way (maybe modo has MMR though, idk).
I extrapolated "structure of platforms like Arena" to non-magic the gathering platforms/games which might not have been your intent.

I've definitely found my way into what would have been low MMR games on PlayEDH. The MMR mismatch can result in some pretty extreme non-games which tend to be no fun for anyone. Even going full meme deck with massive restrictions, my decks still have a cohesive gameplan and interaction which is a pretty low bar that can still be overwhelming to extremely new/bad players.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:06 pm
by DirkGently
materpillar wrote:
3 years ago
I extrapolated "structure of platforms like Arena" to non-magic the gathering platforms/games which might not have been your intent.

I've definitely found my way into what would have been low MMR games on PlayEDH. The MMR mismatch can result in some pretty extreme non-games which tend to be no fun for anyone. Even going full meme deck with massive restrictions, my decks still have a cohesive gameplan and interaction which is a pretty low bar that can still be overwhelming to extremely new/bad players.
Specifically you said that playing at higher levels of competition decreases your enjoyment, and that's not really what I was talking about...but it is related. I'm different than you insofar as I enjoy playing a high levels of competition (in limited) on occasion, but if I had to play every single limited event at GP levels of intensity I'd quit immediately. Playing on Arena with MMR basically says "oh, you're real good at limited? Well now every single limited game you play will be at that same high level of competition" and it sucks out all the fun for me. I want to be able to take it very seriously sometimes, but then also have it be relaxing most other times.

The other part of the problem is Arena's rewards being so trash for limited ranks - in a world where getting high limited rank actually gave you a useful reward - say, if it reduced the cost of entering limited events so it was easier to go infinite, instead of becoming a money-sucking machine - then I might be more accepting of the constant high-intensity since I wouldn't be as worried about losing my entry fee.

In terms of wildly mismatched commander games...well, that's what precons are for :D Ofc I get that non-games because some players are way beyond others are an unfortunate consequence of the "RPG model", but I think the alternative would be worse, at least for me. I like a good challenge on occasion but playing against skilled commander players can be stressful tbh. If that was every game of commander I'd definitely quit.

(I actually think of the two versions are "the morrowind model" and "the oblivion model"...in morrowind, enemies are of fixed levels and there's nothing stopping you from wandering into a high-level area and getting you butt kicked...but you can make a note of that place and come back when you're prepared. Whereas in oblivion, everything is keyed to your level, so nothing is too challenging but nothing is too easy either. I find it really detracts from one of the most fun parts of an RPG, because it makes leveling up feel kinda meaningless. Similarly with magic, I like the fact that getting better as a player and improving my decks means I'll win more games. Though that might be more applicable to limited where the goal is unequivocally victory, whereas in commander there's more of a "try to make things fair" goal. But still, it's satisfying to be able to win in stupid, difficult ways instead of easy, tried-and-true ways. So the skill is still be used, it's just enabling me to have a higher(lower? I don't golf) handicap.)

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:21 pm
by pokken
DirkGently wrote:
3 years ago
Whereas in oblivion, everything is keyed to your level, so nothing is too challenging but nothing is too easy either. I find it really detracts from one of the most fun parts of an RPG, because it makes leveling up feel kinda meaningless.
I definitely agree with this. I realize it *should* be silly to out-grind content and then waltz through it but for some reason I always enjoyed it =P

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:25 pm
by DirkGently
pokken wrote:
3 years ago
I definitely agree with this. I realize it *should* be silly to out-grind content and then waltz through it but for some reason I always enjoyed it =P
I'm playing cookie clicker again at the moment. It's a little worrying how easy it is to hack my brain into enjoying itself by dangling meaningless digital upgrades in front of me.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:59 pm
by pokken
DirkGently wrote:
3 years ago
I'm playing cookie clicker again at the moment. It's a little worrying how easy it is to hack my brain into enjoying itself by dangling meaningless digital upgrades in front of me.
I think it's a mix of power fantasy (where you're John Wick or Jason Bourne, or Rand when he finally gets powered up, blah blah etc etc) and straight up operant conditioning, but I'm not sure it's unhealthy entirely in doses, psychological advantages and whatever. Pretty much everyone is vulnerable to operant conditioning, it's just a side-effect of how our brains learn.

These days I'm trying to prefer things that keep my brain or reflexes sharp or have a story I'm engaged in, but I think honestly that a certain amount of semi-mindless fun is just good for your brain to relax. Stress and obligations are a lot different these days.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 3:10 pm
by DirkGently
pokken wrote:
3 years ago
I think it's a mix of power fantasy (where you're John Wick or Jason Bourne, or Rand when he finally gets powered up, blah blah etc etc)
Ah yes, Jason Bourne, who famously stands in one place, waving his sword up and down at enemies until they fall over :P

Elder Scrolls combat is so terrible, it's amazing. Although oblivion is actually better than morrowind on that particular score.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 4:34 pm
by cryogen
Have you seen our preview? You should check out our preview.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 4:35 pm
by Hermes_
DirkGently wrote:
3 years ago
pokken wrote:
3 years ago
I think it's a mix of power fantasy (where you're John Wick or Jason Bourne, or Rand when he finally gets powered up, blah blah etc etc)
Ah yes, Jason Bourne, who famously stands in one place, waving his sword up and down at enemies until they fall over :P
ah, the River Tam style of fighting

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:36 pm
by RxPhantom
The internet is insufferable on April 1st.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:01 pm
by Legend
RxPhantom wrote:
3 years ago
The internet is insufferable on April 1st.
Only April 1st?

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:15 pm
by cryogen
RxPhantom wrote:
3 years ago
The internet is insufferable on April 1st.
The only thing that got me was the fake BG general that got spoiled. But that hardly counts when you do it in the middle of preview season.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:05 am
by Airi
RxPhantom wrote:
3 years ago
The internet is insufferable on April 1st.
My guild's discord server put up a version of our icon with a notification button in the picture. I hate it. :(

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 4:02 am
by cryogen
Airi wrote:
3 years ago
RxPhantom wrote:
3 years ago
The internet is insufferable on April 1st.
My guild's discord server put up a version of our icon with a notification button in the picture. I hate it. :(
Wildfire was telling us about a server that did that. Sounds devilishly mean.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 4:14 am
by Hermes_

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:28 pm
by SocorroTortoise
Looks like a decent one. Ordering a prebuilt is probably the only way you're easily getting a current gen graphics card right now and that's a definite perk.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 4:13 pm
by TheGildedGoose
DirkGently wrote:
3 years ago
Elder Scrolls combat is so terrible, it's amazing. Although oblivion is actually better than morrowind on that particular score.
Solar take: all Elder Scrolls games are bad and Bethesda is garbage at making open world games.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:09 pm
by Hermes_
SocorroTortoise wrote:
3 years ago
Looks like a decent one. Ordering a prebuilt is probably the only way you're easily getting a current gen graphics card right now and that's a definite perk.
Right after I snagged it, it went out of stock lol. I've heard some folks are buying prebuilts just to rip out the gpu :crazy: even with next day shipping and rush processing it's still under 1500,so that's nice. It's currently out in the back of a UPS truck taking a tour of the town lol. I'm gonna move my
240 gb SSD in my current tower to it.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 4:14 am
by Guardman
If you want to read something that will piss you off (probably), feel free to continue reading.

So my internet/cable provider (WideOpenWest aka WOW!) sent me an email on April 1 (aka April's Fools Day) saying that they are imposing data caps. They then use a condescending pizza analogy to try and sell it. And this is after years of advertising that don't do data caps and they think data caps are wrong. It was one of the reasons I chose them over other providers (the other is that my aunt's brother's wife was one of the executives, now retired for a few years). It's a real slap in the face. I already sent in a FCC complaint, but I am also thinking of sending an email to my state representative (both the one in DC and the one at the state level).
WOW! Tweets
Show
Hide

Here is an article that explains it in more detail: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/202 ... -data-cap/
WideOpenWest Email
Show
Hide
Account Notification:
Important Update to Your Internet Plan

Hi from WOW!,

We'll get right to it - we're reaching out to let you know that we're introducing a monthly data usage plan for your Internet service on June 1, 2021.

What's a monthly data usage plan? Let us illustrate …

Imagine that the WOW! network is a pizza. Piping hot. Toppings galore. Every WOW! customer gets their own slice of pizza, but the size of their slice is dependent on their Internet service plan. While customers who subscribe to 1 Gig get the largest slices, those with Internet 500 get a slightly smaller piece, and so on. But, it's all the same delicious, high-speed pizza that you know and love.

Now, say you're not full after your slice and you grab another. That extra slice is like a data overage. Don't worry - we got extra pizza ...umm, data ... just in case. If you exceed your data allowance, we'll automatically apply increments of 50GB for $10 to your account for the remainder of the current calendar month. Total overage charges will not exceed $50 per billing statement no matter how much data you use. Even better - the first time you experience a data overage, we'll proactively waive fees. If you have WOW! tv+, you can enjoy endless entertainment and it won't count toward your data usage plan.

Wondering how much data your household uses? Your data dashboard at login.wowway.com/services will help you understand your monthly usage.

Now's a good time to point out that the average WOW! customer will consume far less data than their plan allows and only a small percentage will ever be impacted by overage fees. This small percentage includes behaviors like using servers or file-sharing applications that consume extreme amounts of data.

Why are we doing this? It's simple, really. A monthly data usage plan ensures that every WOW! customer has a consistent Internet experience. To put it in pizza terms: it's so everyone gets the amount they ordered (or the amount to satisfy their hunger).

Here's what we're doing to make sure you feel confident that your Internet service includes enough data to work, watch, and surf to your heart's content:

We'll notify you via the text and/or email addresses in the customer contact information provided by you if you approach your data allowance.
Don't miss a message - head to login.wowway.com to ensure your contact information is up-to-date!
Want more data? Give us a call at 1-866-991-3586 to discuss Internet service options.

Again, and we can't stress this enough -- the vast majority of WOW! customers will not be impacted by overage fees.

What's your takeaway here? First, your WOW! experience is not changing. We still have your whole household covered for streaming, video conferencing, email, browsing, and gaming. Second, we clearly love pizza.

Thank you,

Your WOW! Customer Care Team

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 6:07 pm
by Hermes_
Guardman wrote:
3 years ago
If you want to read something that will piss you off (probably), feel free to continue reading.

[/spoiler]
your ISP :chairhit: you

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 8:26 pm
by cryogen
Guardman wrote:
3 years ago
If you want to read something that will piss you off (probably), feel free to continue reading.

So my internet/cable provider (WideOpenWest aka WOW!) sent me an email on April 1 (aka April's Fools Day) saying that they are imposing data caps. They then use a condescending pizza analogy to try and sell it. And this is after years of advertising that don't do data caps and they think data caps are wrong. It was one of the reasons I chose them over other providers (the other is that my aunt's brother's wife was one of the executives, now retired for a few years). It's a real slap in the face. I already sent in a FCC complaint, but I am also thinking of sending an email to my state representative (both the one in DC and the one at the state level).
WOW! Tweets
Show
Hide

Here is an article that explains it in more detail: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/202 ... -data-cap/
WideOpenWest Email
Show
Hide
Account Notification:
Important Update to Your Internet Plan

Hi from WOW!,

We'll get right to it - we're reaching out to let you know that we're introducing a monthly data usage plan for your Internet service on June 1, 2021.

What's a monthly data usage plan? Let us illustrate …

Imagine that the WOW! network is a pizza. Piping hot. Toppings galore. Every WOW! customer gets their own slice of pizza, but the size of their slice is dependent on their Internet service plan. While customers who subscribe to 1 Gig get the largest slices, those with Internet 500 get a slightly smaller piece, and so on. But, it's all the same delicious, high-speed pizza that you know and love.

Now, say you're not full after your slice and you grab another. That extra slice is like a data overage. Don't worry - we got extra pizza ...umm, data ... just in case. If you exceed your data allowance, we'll automatically apply increments of 50GB for $10 to your account for the remainder of the current calendar month. Total overage charges will not exceed $50 per billing statement no matter how much data you use. Even better - the first time you experience a data overage, we'll proactively waive fees. If you have WOW! tv+, you can enjoy endless entertainment and it won't count toward your data usage plan.

Wondering how much data your household uses? Your data dashboard at login.wowway.com/services will help you understand your monthly usage.

Now's a good time to point out that the average WOW! customer will consume far less data than their plan allows and only a small percentage will ever be impacted by overage fees. This small percentage includes behaviors like using servers or file-sharing applications that consume extreme amounts of data.

Why are we doing this? It's simple, really. A monthly data usage plan ensures that every WOW! customer has a consistent Internet experience. To put it in pizza terms: it's so everyone gets the amount they ordered (or the amount to satisfy their hunger).

Here's what we're doing to make sure you feel confident that your Internet service includes enough data to work, watch, and surf to your heart's content:

We'll notify you via the text and/or email addresses in the customer contact information provided by you if you approach your data allowance.
Don't miss a message - head to login.wowway.com to ensure your contact information is up-to-date!
Want more data? Give us a call at 1-866-991-3586 to discuss Internet service options.

Again, and we can't stress this enough -- the vast majority of WOW! customers will not be impacted by overage fees.

What's your takeaway here? First, your WOW! experience is not changing. We still have your whole household covered for streaming, video conferencing, email, browsing, and gaming. Second, we clearly love pizza.

Thank you,

Your WOW! Customer Care Team
So.... was this a horribly timed notice, or a horribly planned April Fools' joke?

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 10:09 pm
by Guardman
cryogen wrote:
3 years ago
So.... was this a horribly timed notice, or a horribly planned April Fools' joke?
Really horribly timed notice.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:43 am
by DirkGently
Just got almost-punched by a drunk outside a pizza hut. That was an experience.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 12:39 pm
by Guardman
DirkGently wrote:
3 years ago
Just got almost-punched by a drunk outside a pizza hut. That was an experience.
I remember when that used to be my Saturday nights, except replace Pizza Hut with Real Chili.

Re: [Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:05 pm
by DirkGently
Guardman wrote:
3 years ago
I remember when that used to be my Saturday nights, except replace Pizza Hut with Real Chili.
Real Chili sounds a little TOO real tbh.