Elder Scrolls Online is a different story. It's too crowded all the time.

I played Fallout 76 totally solo and enjoyed it as much as the other Fallout games. I rarely ran into other real-life players and just ignored them when I did. (I chose the setting that disables other players shooting me.)

I played this with the option to make sure none of my herd could die. I wouldn't have made it to the end of the game otherwise!

I think the article ends up being just more Left infighting because it focuses so heavily on what the Left might be getting wrong and, intentionally or not, minimizes the current reality of the Right. Today is nothing like Obama vs Romney.

Mark, I think cancel culture is just regular human behavior (neither Left nor Right) amplified by social media. Left moved to Bluesky due to Musk's heavy-handedness. Suggesting Left plays singular role in modern polarization is off target. The Right's recent actions - by far the more divisive force.

Mark, I think you're getting a lot of undue criticism from many folks. I believe they have legit reasons for opposing the environment where you've found success, but the replies are kneejerk/angry. I appreciate your effort to foster discussions (and CostPlusDrugs). I hope you'll continue to engage.

I love the photo where his top half is grabbing ferociously at the string like the hungry street cat he was, while his bottom half is reclining lazily on the cushion like the house cat he can safely be now.

You might want to check out a trailer for No Man's Sky. It's got some elements of the games you mentioned while still having a very different setting/vibe.

bidi bidi bidi

Everyone needs to pick their own time, of course. I've always felt that rescuing another friend soon helps me honor the friend I lost and manage the grief. It's not about replacing them, because that's not possible.

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clash:_... Might be too recent, though

The Rasslecast

And who is stoking fear of an upstanding trans woman when she is surrounded by plenty of men who have questionable (at best) intentions and histories

The full poem is beautiful, and I'm not a poetry fan. But seeing it now is just depressing

"We Are the Champions" is especially good for this.