Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@LN78 Never before but it was an interesting one. Definitely feels like a time warp back to 2016 in more ways than one.

(Funny seeing Grummz eviscerated too, what an absolute bellend and I have no idea why anybody listens to him)

@LN78 Watched about twenty minutes during my morning coffee, and as someone who is sick and tired of mouth breathing troglodytes (I almost made the mistake of calling them "Neanderthals'", which would be wrong, as research indicates that the Neanderthals were way more intelligent and sophisticated than this lot) on the internet screaming about anti-woke and all that bulls**t, it was very nice to see such a proper take-down of this Kern ***** (of whom I've never heard and hope to never hear of again).

Will absolutely pick up the rest of the video in the afternoon, time permitting. Thanks for sharing

@Th3solution Idk if this will work for you (and I haven't completed it yet) but my more recent experiences with a couple of the bosses in Elden Ring's endgame have suggested that my muscle-memory has definitely improved for Souls/Soulslike games after playing Rise of the Ronin, so , as a fellow Souls player I would definitely recommend RotR to you as a gateway to making your future Souls experiences significantly easier/more manageable - Idk if it would work for you, as I say, but as it worked for me I will definitely recommend it to you.

Maybe you could ideally squeeze it in at some point in between Dark Souls 2 (your completion of that game) and Dark Souls 3.

Edit: I don't think that the skills acquired from RotR would be transferable to DkS1/2 but for the faster combat of 3/ER they are definitely transferable imo. The speed of RotR is just a notch above the pace of those games, but you have the option of NPC assistance for most boss fights, so by the time you return to the Souls games you should find yourself having a much better time, on the other side, as it were.

I dread to think what Nioh 2 will be like when I play it! (Apparently that's even more hardcore than RotR)

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Thanks, will definitely keep it in mind. Time management being my biggest obstacle, I’ll have to see how things unfold. I’m going to need a mini Souls vacation when I finish DS2. That said, I’m been more impulsive recently with my free time so all options are on the table. 😄

@LN78 We’ve got Trump being elected again, a return to GamerGate style nonsense and the vibes of BlueSky are basically supplanted from Ellen circa 2010s. Might be 8 years ago but nothing’s changed really.

@LN78 Excellent video. I think he hits the nail quite squarely on the head when assessing these people, which was evidenced in particular with the Monster Hunter thing at the end there. Also, it has always seemed ridiculous to me that a huge corporation in a capitalist society would have any other agenda than "MOAR CA$$$H!!!".
(I also chuckled quite often and especially when he insinuated, in nicer words than mine, that most of these guys should be happy that tastes are diverse enough to allow for someone to find ugly people attractive)

Here is a random question I hope someone knows the answer to...
Can an employer in the UK make employees join a WhatsApp group and expect them to read all messages/content outside of their paid and contracted work hours? Or would said employees be within their rights to refuse to read them unless at work and being paid for it as it could be classed as training.
Not gonna affect me personally but will be hitting some people I know and I'm thinking it seems a bit unfair that people even have to acknowledge their jobs when they're not there.

@sorteddan I guess it depends on whether said employee is salaried or hourly and what their contract specifies. I think it also matters what the nature of the messages is.

I do think it’s a little strange regardless, but I know some jobs do require people to be reachable outside of work, just to communicate contingencies in the business and give urgent updates. For example, if a person is a manager, they need to be available in case one of their reports has an emergency and can’t come to work, the building catches on fire, etc.

As far as just using What’s App to convey training material, that seems especially weird. If the company had its own proprietary training app or website, and the person is salaried and given the option to do it at home or at work, then that would be something else, since it’s completion would be considered expected and if one couldn’t finish it while at work then you’d need to do it after hours. In my experience salaried positions are less about being “at work” or “not at work” and more about “get this job done, and as soon as it’s completed then go home.”

@Th3solution Actually, this upcoming game has made me rethink playing Sekiro after all - I might give it a go. What do you think of the trailer? (Apparently it's Sekiro-inspired. so it might be worth playing Sekiro first, in order to enhance the experience).

@Jimmer-jammer How are you doing? Playing anthing good to wrap up your gaming time for the year? Also, have you seen the game in the link above before? Did you play Sekiro? I would imagine you may be interested in this if you did.

To me it looks like a cross between Sekiro and the OddWorld games, which I used to love back in the day, well ,ExOddus anyway.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN I have noticed that game before, mainly because it borrows from the nickname people use for me here on the forums. 😂 I’m honored that they’ve apparently included nine of me in this game.

Regardless, I don’t usually like 2D games as much as 3D, so I rarely engage with them. I’ve heard great things about games like Salt and Sanctuary, Balsphemous, and Ender Lillies. I should probably try one of these games at some point, just to see if it sticks. The last couple 2D games I’ve attempted haven’t really clicked with me (Child of Light, Death’s Door). They were okay but I never finished either of them.

@Th3solution I see, hopefully you will try Sekiro or Nine Sols at some point to see if they gel with you, based on what I've played of Sekiro (my current game) so far, the parry system is quite unforgiving, and like Jimmer was saying in the PS5 Thread, you either master it or you die, so maybe it wouldn't be the most suitable game if parrying isn't, as you say, your strong point. How are Balatero (sp?) and Dark Souls 2 going for you buddy? Gonna have a busy time as usual over the festive period in the States? Hopefully an Orange Santa won't come down the chimney with a lump of coal for you, whilst simultaneously demanding all your taxes at once. 😉

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Keep me updated how you get along with Sekiro. I’m definitely curious about it and I’ve been put off by what I’ve heard about the parry system and the related difficulty. Apparently the last boss is an absolute whopper to beat.

Speaking of, the only gaming I did over the last two weeks was trying to dust off DS2, which I just feel like will never end. Granted, my game time is limited but the DLCs are longer than most full release games. I’ve beat all 3 main bosses in the DLC and have all 4 crowns, and so have Vendrick’s Blessing where I now don’t go hollow if I die (provided I’m wearing one of the crowns) but there’s one last optional boss that I can’t seem to beat. I posted my frustrations over on the Souls thread.

The holiday season is in full swing though, and I’ve started my usual split personality regarding it. I really enjoy many aspects of it — the music, the food, the general spirit of positivity it tends to encourage at its core. But I also dislike many things about it, namely how busy it gets, all the parties and shopping and gifting. Ugh. Also the fact that it falls right at the end of the year makes it a royal pain because simultaneously there’s all the scrambling to button up all the fiscal stuff. I guess it’s why many companies wisely choose to end their fiscal year at a less busy quarter. Unfortunately, orange Santa and the feds term things on Dec 31, so taxes and many other burdens need to be wrapped up. Income taxes aren’t technically due until April, but they are calculated based on everything done Jan 1-Dec 31, so a lot of the preparation needs to be completed over the next couple weeks, as well as enrollments and decisions for things like insurance and whatnot.

"Never read IGN review" There, fixed it

I can’t believe Luigi’s Mansion shot that CEO.

@LN78 Gaming reviews are worthless in general but IGNs are memes at this point

@LN78 The fact people are actually feeling aggrieved over it being advertised that you punch Nazis in Indiana Jones really says a lot.

@PeaceSalad It’s truly wild. Like these are proper armband-wearing card-carrying Nazis. I sort of feel like if you’re personally aggrieved on behalf of SS guys getting walloped then it might say something about your character. All comment sections have been ruined by this nonsense or the console war rubbish.

@LN78 I’m super jealous that you’re getting to play it, I’m waiting for the PS5 release but really looking forward to it now with the reviews being that positive and all footage looking like exactly the sort of game I’d love. Plus it’s another one my mum will play too, similar to Red Dead 2, and she’s an Indy super fan, had the Last Crusade poster up on her bedroom wall on release!

@JohnnyShoulder @Jimmer-jammer @Th3solution Thoughts?

I, potentially, see this as a "jump the shark" moment! (The moment where a formerly magnificent series turns into something that is, perhaps, something less magnificent).

I could be wrong, though, only time will tell.

Also, did you see this?

This looks awesome!

Surprised there’s no article about the cat game shown off at The Game Awards being AI fuelled nightmare slop bankrolled by cryptobros.