Must be a tea drinkerRaises glass of tea.
*clink*
I do occasionally drink naked. Not today, though. I have pajama pants on me despite the heat.
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And in other observations, Teensy Valeros is definitely no longer Teensy, he is more of Smalish-and-on-his-way-to-be-Mediumish soon.
Next they will tell us that Impus Minor isn't Minor...
Wow.
Even I don't like tea that much.
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Being a tank is a thankless job. On top of your pathetic damage-per-second (DPS), if you die, it's your fault for not doing enough to help your healer. If you don't pick up every add that comes in, it's your fault, even if moving over to get them would drag the boss monster through the DPS crowd (aka the squishies). If you miss an interrupt, it's your fault, even if all your interrupts are on cooldown.
On the bright side, outside of boss monsters, you're basically indestructible.
So the other day our party was riding along through the woods, and, being the tank, every monster within 100' of the path aggro'ed on me and started chasing me. Being the tank, I ignored their pathetic attempts to harm me.
As GothBard watched in amusement as I rode along with a trail of 12-15 angry monsters through the woods, she quipped, "That's it! From now on you'll be known as 'Malena Honey Badger'. Because you just don't give a ****."
I approve this nickname.
EDIT: And before all the healers cry out, "What about us?!?!!?", yes, healers get their share of grief. Having mained as both a healer and a tank in multiple MMORPGs, healers overall get more grief than tanks, but at least after hard fights everyone praises the healers and gives them commendations (that are frequently worth something in-game). Tanks? No matter how technical the fight nor how hard it was for us, we're just "doing what we're supposed to do, so shut up and do it".
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*things*
It's dps fault. It's always dps fault.
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Literally all I know about tanks.
OMG. "If you're a really aggressive paladin who drew every creature in the dungeon and you don't want the healer to hire a hit man on you..."
Been there. SOOOOO been there. (As the healer, not the tank, fortunately.)
But yes, this is brilliant! Thanks!
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I mean, don't think the healers or DPS get a pass either.
I'll have to watch the healers one in a few. The great part of the tank one is that he calls it a "crap guide", and he intentionally puts in one piece of really terrible advice that's only for very new players -- his target audience.
"If you're the secondary tank in an 8-person party, turn off your aggro."
For inexperienced tanks this is great advice because it keeps you from accidentally pulling the boss while you're trying to maximize your DPS.
The problem is, the moment anything goes wrong, you see just how bad this is:
- Primary tank dies? Congratulations! As the lowest-DPS person left in the party, you're at the bottom of the aggro list. Run around helplessly trying to get the boss' attention as it wipes the rest of your party, ignoring you completely. Unless you can turn on your aggro, get off your taunt, and get in a hit, all before the boss swings at (and likely kills) one of the DPS or healers.
- Adds come in? You're even more hosed. Same problem as before, but Final Fantasy XIV doesn't include area effect taunts, so you're just watching the adds wipe the walls with the DPSes.
It's a funny, funny thing. In a disquieting way.
I've learned to keep my aggro on and compare my aggro to the main tank's. Otherwise things go hilariously sideways all too often.
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As a final note, I never get salty with healers unless I see them trying to crank out DPS as I die. Hi was horrible as this -- he's our healer, yet he insisted that it was important for him to do as much DPS as possible. I died. A lot. Because he was doing damage instead of healing.
It wasn't until we had him install a DPS add-on and he learned that he was doing maybe 10% of the damage of a DPS class that he stopped and prioritized healing over damage.
Suddenly, the game got a lot easier.
EDIT: And to be fair to Hi, he'd never played a healer before, so he watched tutorial videos. Most tutorials are done by cutting-edge, raid-level players (raids are 24-person fights). In a raid, the 3% overall damage difference a healer can make is critical. Outside of raids, it's irrelevant. So it's just like "beginning tank" vs. "experienced tank": If you're inexperienced, turn off aggro in an 8-person party. Once you're experienced, turn it back on. As a healer, first do nothing but heal until you get the hang of it. THEN as you learn that you spend a lot of time sitting around, start adding damage.
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I do not understand the words coming out of your mouth.
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I have finished* Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
It was a hell of a ride. Excellent gameplay**, and a story that tries to tackle quite serious and problematic topics, with varied results and quality.
Oh, boy, the story. It is so terribly uneven... Some of the ideas are great, some of the ideas are quite stupid, and the implementation of those ideas is varied and often erratic and inconsistent. Idiot ball can bounce all around (though it could be partly explained by all the characters suffering from various issues related to PTSD, anger management issues, rampant paranoia, and some daddy issues).
Still, I will miss that game as being probably the beast stealth TPP (with FPP aiming mode) shooter, and I played a few in the last few years. I think it has the best AI of all those stealth games.
* ok, I have one more story mission left, but according to guides unlocking would require me to fully build up the base... which would require a few more hours of mindlessly grinding resources (*cough* effing fuel *cough*). I am not up for that. I already got over 80 hours of gameplay.
** it's not perfect, though aside for few issues it's really one of the best I played. Still... Snake, despite being superb special force soldier, apparently can't climb a sh**t. Man, if you can't climb a slope that I could walk upon, you should consider applying for a veteran disability pension...
Watched 'em all. Healing and DPS are spot-on. I like his take on things. Just never turn off your aggro!!!!
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Give me back my hat!!!
Some of the cons of Phantom Pain:
The story is cut in part... Half? Two thirds? A lot of later "main" missions are harder replays of the earlier missions. Thankfully, they are not required to reach the key endings.
The story pacing is terrible. It's a common issue with open-world games with a specific storyline going through it, but here it combines the aforementioned cuts, with really-really dumb design at times, like marking key storyline missions as "side missions", except in yellow, and required to proceed further.
Subpar base management. Gaming consoles are partly to blame here, because the controls were designed with pad in mind and it doesn't lend itself that well to serious management but even then it could have been done much better.
The gear development... It wouldn't be bad (though very similar and probably in part inspired by MGSV Ghost Recon: Wildlands/Breakpoint had better weapon modification interface), but researching anything beyond some basic pieces of equipment takes playtime—and I mean "confirm the development of a new sniper rifle and then go actually play the game for the next two hours while research finishes so you won't be able to use it in the next few missions anyway"—and the requirements for better gear are ridiculously insane and, as if the game was supposed to be much-much longer. I ended with R&D team level 70... The best weapons I have seen required level 120-130, not counting comparable levels in other teams.
There was a moment when the game scared me it will force multiplayer on me. Thankfully, after doing a training base infiltration mission (on my own base) that opened the option for multiplayer, it wasn't pushed on. Coincidentally, there was an event taking place that involves infiltrating an enemy base that works like multiplayer but against an NPC faction that I ended participating in because the rewards were worth it - initially I went for a unique sniper rifle (that had some of those ridiculously inflated design requirements), but stayed a bit longer for tons of resources, and ability to spend earned points on high ranking base members boosting my R&D and Intel team levels significantly.
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A side effect of playing MSG5 - which takes place in 1984, and you can find multiple tapes of 80s music* - now I want to loop on 80s music again.
* Russian soldiers in Afghanistan listening to American music?! Well, it [i]is[i] an alternate history by that point, with more advanced genetic engineering, human cloning, holographic displays for hand-held computers, and fully functional protheses, at least the one you have, for some reason another character stays leg and armless, which might contribute to him being the biggest a!*!%&+ of the crew, despite the other of your command being the torture technician.
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Very funny.
Marillion's album from 85 is called Misplaced Childhood...
I feel so attacked!
To replace MGSV, I installed recently bought Gears Tactics and Dishonored 2.
Lets apply a dose of Raven Child for detox against 80s...
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In other news, we did smallsword & longsword tonight, neither of which I am that bothered about, but what the heck - it's all swords.
Wow.
Even I don't like tea that much.
One bag, or two?
As a final note, I never get salty with healers unless I see them trying to crank out DPS as I die. Hi was horrible as this -- he's our healer, yet he insisted that it was important for him to do as much DPS as possible. I died. A lot. Because he was doing damage instead of healing.
I miss Rift's Cholormancer a bit. That was fun.
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I do not understand the words coming out of your mouth.
And that's before NobodysHome even started going into the involved math...
I should make myself something to eat.
That fish in the fridge shouldn't stay there much longer...
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*things*It's dps fault. It's always dps fault.
This concurs with my experience tanking in WoW. If something goes wrong, it's always because the DPS either attacked when they weren't supposed to, didn't attack when they were supposed to, didn't kill things fast enough (so many bosses with rage timers), or pulled an enemy that wasn't properly aggro'd because they got impatient and ran ahead/threw spells ahead of the tank(s).
The only exception I've run into is "Tank was too low-level to hold aggro off the healers or too undergeared to not be crit and the healers couldn't keep up".
Admittedly, that's WoW. I don't know how the mechanics differ in FF.
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As a final note, I never get salty with healers unless I see them trying to crank out DPS as I die. Hi was horrible as this -- he's our healer, yet he insisted that it was important for him to do as much DPS as possible. I died. A lot. Because he was doing damage instead of healing.I miss Rift's Cholormancer a bit. That was fun.
If you *EVER* want to explore playing a tank, Rift is the place to start. They really did a fantastic job of giving you all the tools you're expected to master: Single-target taunts, area-effect taunts, unstoppable interrupts, tools to close distance, etc. I learned to tank in Rift and Final Fantasy was a rude awakening to, "Most games don't give you all those tools, so learn to cope."
As for Orthos' comments on WoW, they're almost spot-on. The guy in the video on healers put it well: "You cast Regen on your tank before they engage."
Hoo, boy. The number of healers I've had to try to save from that little doozie.
And since Orthos mentioned math, every game system has a formula somewhat akin to:
(1) Doing 1 point of damage generates 1 point of aggro in the monster.
(2) Healing a party member for 1 point generates 5 points of aggro.
(3) Tanks naturally multiply their aggro by 10x (or even 25x).
(4) Whoever has the most aggro gets hit by the monster.
So yeah, going early as a healer is really hard to undo, especially if you anger an entire group of monsters. It's a hilarious catastrophe that usually sees the healer dead. Other than that, it's mostly harmless.
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New Guy: So, where did you work before here?
Me: Toys R Us
New Guy: No, seriously, where did you work before here?!
Me: Toys R Us!
New Guy: C'mon, quit f%+~ing with me!
Me: Seriously, I worked at Toys R Us!
New Guy: There is no way you learned how to do this (motions at all the pavers and walls I've installed since last fall) working at Toys R Us!
Me: You'd be surprised by how much crossover there is!
New Guy (shaking his head): That's f!$@ed up, man!
It's all the Legos.New Guy: So, where did you work before here?
Me: Toys R Us
New Guy: No, seriously, where did you work before here?!
Me: Toys R Us!
New Guy: C'mon, quit f%~+ing with me!
Me: Seriously, I worked at Toys R Us!
New Guy: There is no way you learned how to do this (motions at all the pavers and walls I've installed since last fall) working at Toys R Us!
Me: You'd be surprised by how much crossover there is!
New Guy (shaking his head): That's f@%~ed up, man!
That is certainly a part of it.
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Another part was likely building fortifications for Black Friday.That is certainly a part of it.It's all the Legos.New Guy: So, where did you work before here?
Me: Toys R Us
New Guy: No, seriously, where did you work before here?!
Me: Toys R Us!
New Guy: C'mon, quit f%~+ing with me!
Me: Seriously, I worked at Toys R Us!
New Guy: There is no way you learned how to do this (motions at all the pavers and walls I've installed since last fall) working at Toys R Us!
Me: You'd be surprised by how much crossover there is!
New Guy (shaking his head): That's f@%~ed up, man!
No, that was Management's job. Because I had experience with physical labor and being outside I was sent out to the parking lot to replenish carts and tackle shoplifters.
Personally, I loved working on Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day. But then again I don't really get along with my brothers so I was just glad to have an excuse to leave early plus working on Black Friday give me a convenient excuse to bail on my brother's black Friday tradition; going to Hooters and making the staff there as uncomfortable as they could possibly be.
Lets apply a dose of Raven Child for detox against 80s...
HERESY
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So, "You're an a+#$!~$ and I refuse to be seen in public with you" isn't considered a valid excuse?...
Personally, I loved working on Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day. But then again I don't really get along with my brothers so I was just glad to have an excuse to leave early plus working on Black Friday give me a convenient excuse to bail on my brother's black Friday tradition; going to Hooters and making the staff there as uncomfortable as they could possibly be.
Not in my family, no. Which is one of the reasons I don't get along with most of my brothers.
The irony is my mom was a 60s feminist, and raised us to respect women.
I don't know what happened to them but I'm glad it didn't happen to me.
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So, "You're an a**#~~& and I refuse to be seen in public with you" isn't considered a valid excuse?...
Personally, I loved working on Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day. But then again I don't really get along with my brothers so I was just glad to have an excuse to leave early plus working on Black Friday give me a convenient excuse to bail on my brother's black Friday tradition; going to Hooters and making the staff there as uncomfortable as they could possibly be.
If it were family excursions wouldn't be a thing.
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Amusements and irritations this morning:
(1) It's truly staggering just how much kids lose their sense of time during summer break. Impus Major's final cardiology check got pushed back by 3 weeks because of his COVID. It's today. Yesterday the office called his cell phone and asked, "How long has it been since you've had any COVID symptoms?"
"I don't know... a couple of days, maybe?"
They promptly canceled his appointment. I had to call back and explain that his last day of elevated temperatures was June 17, and he tested negative in the lab on June 16, so could they please put him back on the schedule. Fortunately, I got back to them in time. But seriously... he didn't even consider the trip to be "time".
(2) Ever since we got back on the 27th, one of our credit card sites has been down (catastrophic upgrade fail) and we haven't been able to check our balance nor transactions, nor did our automated payment go through. I wanted to call in and check the automated system to get a list of all the transactions for the last 2 weeks. My call went directly to a human agent, and I'm not authorized (GothBard's card) so I had to wait for GothBard to get up. For the first time that I can recall, I would have preferred an automated system to a human. The world is indeed a strange place.
EDITS: Turns out their automated system got nuked by the upgrade as well, so they have nothing but human agents left. Ouch for them.
Amusements and irritations this morning:
(1) It's truly staggering just how much kids lose their sense of time during summer break. Impus Major's final cardiology check got pushed back by 3 weeks because of his COVID. It's today. Yesterday the office called his cell phone and asked, "How long has it been since you've had any COVID symptoms?"
"I don't know... a couple of days, maybe?"
They promptly canceled his appointment. I had to call back and explain that his last day of elevated temperatures was June 17, and he tested negative in the lab on June 16, so could they please put him back on the schedule. Fortunately, I got back to them in time. But seriously... he didn't even consider the trip to be "time".(2) Ever since we got back on the 27th, one of our credit card sites has been down (catastrophic upgrade fail) and we haven't been able to check our balance nor transactions, nor did our automated payment go through. I wanted to call in and check the automated system to get a list of all the transactions for the last 2 weeks. My call went directly to a human agent, and I'm not authorized (GothBard's card) so I had to wait for GothBard to get up. For the first time that I can recall, I would have preferred an automated system to a human. The world is indeed a strange place.
EDITS: Turns out their automated system got nuked by the upgrade as well, so they have nothing but human agents left. Ouch for them.
Charter payment system had the same issue this morning.
So, "You're an a+#$!~$ and I refuse to be seen in public with you" isn't considered a valid excuse?...
Personally, I loved working on Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day. But then again I don't really get along with my brothers so I was just glad to have an excuse to leave early plus working on Black Friday give me a convenient excuse to bail on my brother's black Friday tradition; going to Hooters and making the staff there as uncomfortable as they could possibly be.Not in my family, no. Which is one of the reasons I don't get along with most of my brothers.
The irony is my mom was a 60s feminist, and raised us to respect women.
I don't know what happened to them but I'm glad it didn't happen to me.
me too.
As a final note, I never get salty with healers unless I see them trying to crank out DPS as I die. Hi was horrible as this -- he's our healer, yet he insisted that it was important for him to do as much DPS as possible. I died. A lot. Because he was doing damage instead of healing.I miss Rift's Cholormancer a bit. That was fun.If you *EVER* want to explore playing a tank, Rift is the place to start. They really did a fantastic job of giving you all the tools you're expected to master: Single-target taunts, area-effect taunts, unstoppable interrupts, tools to close distance, etc. I learned to tank in Rift and Final Fantasy was a rude awakening to, "Most games don't give you all those tools, so learn to cope."
As for Orthos' comments on WoW, they're almost spot-on. The guy in the video on healers put it well: "You cast Regen on your tank before they engage."
Hoo, boy. The number of healers I've had to try to save from that little doozie.
And since Orthos mentioned math, every game system has a formula somewhat akin to:
(1) Doing 1 point of damage generates 1 point of aggro in the monster.
(2) Healing a party member for 1 point generates 5 points of aggro.
(3) Tanks naturally multiply their aggro by 10x (or even 25x).
(4) Whoever has the most aggro gets hit by the monster.So yeah, going early as a healer is really hard to undo, especially if you anger an entire group of monsters. It's a hilarious catastrophe that usually sees the healer dead. Other than that, it's mostly harmless.
Is that why I hate MMOs? Hm.
This morning we did the Vermont touristy thing and went strawberry picking in Colchester. I tried to make I, Claudius jokes about wanting to see the temple to the deified Derek Jacobi, but no one thought it was funny.
(The Roman emperor Claudius was deified in Colchester, England 1900-ish years ago.)
Sigh.
In other Vermont touristy news, I bought Von Trapp beer. Because the actual Von Trapp family have a ski lodge and brewery near here.
If the plural of "man" is "men", and the plural of "woman" is "women", then why isn't the plural of "human" "humen"?
There are lots of, “Two different plural” nouns — I like mouse/mice louse/lice house/???.
So… is there a “Three different plural” noun? I can’t think of one off the top of my head.
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If the plural of "man" is "men", and the plural of "woman" is "women", then why isn't the plural of "human" "humen"?There are lots of, “Two different plural” nouns — I like mouse/mice louse/lice house/???.
So… is there a “Three different plural” noun? I can’t think of one off the top of my head.
Awww... A few words having different plurals? How cute.
Polish has declension by case, tense, gender, number, and in/animacy.
With different rules of declension depending on various categories and the letters within the root of the word.
This morning we did the Vermont touristy thing and went strawberry picking in Colchester.
Not too far away from my old stomping grounds.
By the way, how did Impus Minor liked the first class plane flight?
What about him trolling other first class passengers?
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Why I work where I do.
Apparently there was a company meeting (they usually don't tell me about those since I'm busy and they usually don't apply to me) where it was announced that everyone was getting a cap on overtime hours and they were going to start cracking down on people going to Kwik Trip for lunch every day, and he finished the meeting by saying "This applies to everyone! Except Yesterday" I guess the other Captain asked "Why doesn't Yesterday have to follow the rules!" The boss just said "Because he's Yesterday!".