Conversation logs (for the games where they make sense). I loved having this available in Dragon Age: Origins and it helped me remember my rationale for doing specific things. Also was just fun to read back through.

• Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition are both games I’ve played through and loved multiple times over
• Skyrim lol but it’s infrequent for me now
• Civ (I’ve only played 6)

Thank you for such a thorough write-up! This was SO helpful. Genuinely appreciated :)

It’s sad that music UX is adopting these principles, tbh. Music is inherently a long(er) form experience. It deserves separate treatment. The last thing I personally want is for music apps to try to suck my attention as much as text- and video-based apps do. I know I’m fighting against the app economy headwinds in that desire, but I still dare to dream…

I’ll have to check it out. How is Tidal for music discovery? I found that GPM was great for helping me find artists with the “I’m feeling lucky” feature. YTM hasn’t scratched that itch.

Part of what’s kept me on YTM is that I’m still grandfathered into the GPM pricing, and I really like the ad-free feature for the rare occasions I am on YouTube. But—I could deal with giving that up!

I definitely don’t want to see how many people like a song I’m listening to or what they have to say about it. I want my music experience to be more personal. I will just go to normal YouTube if I want to discuss something.

Ugh, I still miss GPM so much. YTM is worse to me in just about every way.

I will be giving that a try. Thanks for the info.

Looks cool! Can anyone weigh in on how similar this is to DDG’s tracking blocker feature? Is it the same but open source?

I’d recommend playing in release order if you’re someone who tends to enjoy delving into lore. (And man, is there a LOT of lore.) I did them in reverse order originally, and although I enjoyed DAI a lot, I didn’t quite get why the stakes were so high for the protag. I felt way more connected to the storyline when I returned to Inquisition after having Origins and DA2 under my belt.

My other reason for recommending chronological order is that Origins is one of the best games I’ve ever played. I still fire up my Xbox 360 to give it a play now and again.

Origins struck a good balance between player autonomy and the required storyline. You can pick your character’s race, gender, and class at the start of the game and get a unique back story that informs how you can approach later conflicts and circumstances. Then you find out the central conflict and are presented with the different factions you need to draw together. From there, it’s up to you to decide who you’ll support and how you’ll make it happen. You can be a true asshole to all your companions, or a Lothario, or BFFs. And the combat system is pretty good overall, despite being dated and a touch clunky. The party mechanics are fun when you get used to them.

DA2 is a perfectly serviceable game, but not one I personally enjoy replaying. Humans are the least interesting race in Thedas to me, and I’m sure that contributes.

DAI is definitely an Open World Game and therefore plagued by all the struggles these games tend to have, but I still found it really fun. Jaws of Hakkon is a great DLC for the world building element. Trespasser is basically the real ending of the game, so hopefully you’ll have access to that DLC as well!

I hope you have a great experience playing these games for the first time! DA is my favourite series ever, and I love seeing folks give it a go. :)

I love the size and feel of the 7a. It was an adjustment to get used to a small screen again but honestly, so happy with that element of the phone.

The battery life, on the other hand, feels worse than my 4 year old OnePlus 7 Pro’s is. I am not sure if it’s a me problem or a Pixel problem, but that aspect has me seriously worried about the longevity of the device. I guess you get what you pay for, but I’d expect a bit better for a mid-range phone.

It’s impossible to choose a best, so I’ll instead share a song whose lyrics I enjoy and connect with. It’s “Out of My Depth,” by Hot Chip. They’re a band whose lyrics are often deep and meaningful, despite having a lot of fun “upper” music. I like this song because I’m prone to wallowing lol and it’s a good reminder not to do so too much. It’s ultimately a hopeful song.

When I’m in my darkest place, I must be careful not to dwell there

When I’m headed for the ditch, I must be careful not to sleep there

While I might enjoy the peace, there are other lights that call me

And although I’m out of the race, I know that something good must befall me

And when I’m swimming out of my depth, and I can barely see the crest of a wave that might destroy me

I must look for what I can’t see

I must reach for what doesn’t touch me

I must leave my lonely space and make time my only enemy

I must seek what can’t be bought and make choices that support me

And the friends who fall apart from the crumbling walls that divide me

And when I’m swimming out of my depth and I can barely see the crest of a wave that might engulf me

Then I’m in my darkest room, but I’m careful not to enjoy it all too much

But as I leave, it will be helpful to have endured it

I must be careful not to trip, not to fall as I continue

But my darkest place is in me, and there’s something there that calls me

(edit: improved formatting)

I learned about Unciv from Lemmy and have been way more addicted to it than I am to the actual Civ. I’m not certain the addiction is a good thing, but the game itself is. Highly recommended for anyone into that type of game!

YES, this is such a peeve for me!!! I’ve developed an aversion to viewing video content unless it’s for something I truly need to see done. And even then, I’m more likely to check wikihow and endure their gifs than I am to watch someone’s video. It’s just so overdone.

YouTube transcript link for anyone who needs it: https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=7wFqblQY6Dk

My background is librarianship, but because I now work as a technical writer, I’m in close proximity to developers and I’m often looking at code and specs and such. I’m good at asking questions, which is what my job is really about. I’d say I know slightly more than the average joe on the street, but a lot less than anyone who’s actually got a technical background and skillset. I do love learning, which is part of why I’m enjoying Lemmy so much. I didn’t know much about the Fediverse or decentralised software. The learning curve has been fun!

That’s true, especially when the video itself is only like 90 seconds long.

I really feel for the mods who’ve spent years building and curating communities, only to have them decimated by forces outside of their control. Reddit never listens to its userbase and I’d be surprised if they start now. I mean, they were regularly having calls with TPA developers only to blindside them with the API changes and treat them poorly for having questions. I don’t see how it will be any different for moderators, unfortunately.

I’d probably just mute the ad and go to a different tab or look away from the screen. I don’t mean that to sound flippant, but it feels like the easiest solution.

RIP, jugo :(

Southeast