Random Rants 92 - Not Enough Snerk

[Synobun]

I have felt completely horrendous all day, and after eating, now realize I've been having a severe histamine response. This may be the worst one I've ever had since it became an issue two years ago. Perhaps it is time to invest in an EpiPen. And maybe for the next few days I should go back on my antihistamines. I thought I had managed it well enough, but I guess not. I'm not sure what it is. I haven't eaten any of the usual triggers.

(For those unaware, histamine is an integral signal hormone in the digestion process.)

 

[H4run]

I have felt completely horrendous all day, and after eating, now realize I've been having a severe histamine response. This may be the worst one I've ever had since it became an issue two years ago. Perhaps it is time to invest in an EpiPen. And maybe for the next few days I should go back on my antihistamines. I thought I had managed it well enough, but I guess not. I'm not sure what it is. I haven't eaten any of the usual triggers.

(For those unaware, histamine is an integral signal hormone in the digestion process.)

Hope you can figure out what's different this time and find the solution. Get well soon Syn.

 

[Aiken_Drumn]

I was tempted to add that bit, but to spare you all the pain, I did not. Thank you for inflicting it for me!

@Traitorfish Any time you want to learn to play Path of Exile, let me know!

How comparable is PoE and Baldurs Gate?

 

[Birdjaguar]

How comparable is PoE and Baldurs Gate?

I have not played BG. It is more similar to Diablo 2. It is a FTP but has an enormous and complex skill tree with lots and lots of content that beginners struggle to learn about. It is all about killing monsters and collecting loot.

 

[Samson]

I have not played BG. It is more similar to Diablo 2. It is a FTP but has an enormous and complex skill tree with lots and lots of content that beginners struggle to learn about. It is all about killing monsters and collecting loot.

What do they mean by "Reverse engineer, de-compile or disassemble the Website"? Javascript (and html of course) is not a compiled language and I thought there are no legal restrictions to looking at it if a server sends you it. Clicking "Pretty Print" in the browser is not generally considered any of those things.

I also think the marketing bit of the privacy terms is skirting if not breaking GDPR rules, and perhaps the transfer to NZ bit.

 

[Birdjaguar]

What do they mean by "Reverse engineer, de-compile or disassemble the Website"? Javascript (and html of course) is not a compiled language and I thought there are no legal restrictions to looking at it if a server sends you it. Clicking "Pretty Print" in the browser is not generally considered any of those things.

???? I have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Tee Kay]

I too am struggling to get into new video games. Or boardgames. Or books. Or any hobby in general. Anything with a learning curve greater than gentle rolling plains intimidate me.

I find that it helps if I have someone else to do things with. I have semi-regular movie nights, DnD sessions, and AoE2 games with friends, so I do those things, but everything else falls by the wayside.

 

[Samson]

If you care, and wanted to send feedback to the devs:

Spoiler :

On https://www.pathofexile.com/account/create in Terms of use there are:

7, Restrictions:
i. Reverse engineer, de-compile or disassemble the Website​

It is not clear to me what this is saying wrt what usually makes up a website game (generally javascript and html). There is no way to send compiled code or assembly language. I think they are trying to say I am not allowed to press f12 (Dev Tools), but I do not think it does.

And: PATH OF EXILE - PRIVACY POLICY

3. Use of Information:
iv: to market products and services to you, including contacting you via email that you may choose (or opt in) to receive. You can stop receiving Grinding Gear Games’ promotional emails by following the unsubscribe instructions included in those emails;​

This is, in GDPR terms, a request for consent for a purpose outside of that required to play the game. This should be opt in. It is actually a breach to have a pre-filled checkbox for this, but it is certainly a breach to require a separate action like following instructions in an email (that requires consent to send).

PATH OF EXILE - PRIVACY NOTICE: EU/UK GDPR TERMS

5: International transfer of data:
Some of the personal data Grinding Gear Games collects is processed by us and/or third-party data processors in other countries. These third-party data processors are set out at https://www.pathofexile.com/legal/third-parties. For personal data processed in countries that have not been determined as ensuring an adequate level of protection for personal data under the applicable EU/UK Data Protection Laws, Grinding Gear Games has entered into Standard Contractual Clauses as published by the European Commission with its third-party processors. The Standard Contractual Clauses provide specific guarantees around transfers of personal data and Grinding Gear Games rely on the Standard Contractual Clauses in transferring personal data to these third-party processors.​

This is very unlikely to be done well unless they have spent a lot more on GDPR lawyers than they have on contract lawyers. For Lawyer Monthly:

However, the most significant effect of the Schrems II ruling is arguably related to the much-used EU standard contractual clauses (SCC) adopted by the EU Commission, which is also the most obvious alternative to the EU-US Privacy Shield for transfers to the US. While the CJEU found the SCC still valid, in order for the data exporter and data importer to rely on SCC they must verify that there is no reason to believe that any laws or practices applicable to the data importer hinders the data importer in fulfilling its obligations under the SCC. Thus, the CJEU has put a heavy burden on businesses to assess the surveillance and security laws of the third countries they transfer personal data to.​

 

[AmazonQueen]

I did try a new videogame recently, Elden Ring, but its very difficult and I'm not sure I want to fight bosses half a dozen times to learn how to best defeat them.
Do play new boardgames fairly often. Helps that our gaming group likes trying out new ones and that my nephew and his dad are keen boardgamers too.
I'm also planning out a new RPG campaign which our group is due to start shortly, assuming we start meeting up IRL regularly. Fed up of playing RPGs on Roll20 or FantasyGrounds, it isn't the same as in person.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Aha. TOS. Never read those. GGG never sends me anything in the way of promotional stuff. As I see it there are two pathways. One is tied to visiting their website and being active there; the other is playing the game and collecting game related data. Players can buy QoL items for use in the game from the website (nothing though that improves one success in playing). In addition, one can buy MTX items in supporter packs that are also QoL. All those are optional. Privacy issues? I am not so concerned. I'm 8 years and 8600 hours into the game so they know what they know. GGG is owned by TenCent (bought 2 years ago). Having been to China and used WeChat (also owned by Tencent) they know who I am already. I see it as a peril of playing online games but mostly ignore it.

 

[Samson]

Aha. TOS. Never read those. GGG never sends me anything in the way of promotional stuff. As I see it there are two pathways. One is tied to visiting their website and being active there; the other is playing the game and collecting game related data. Players can buy QoL items for use in the game from the website (nothing though that improves one success in playing). In addition, one can buy MTX items in supporter packs that are also QoL. All those are optional. Privacy issues? I am not so concerned. I'm 8 years and 8600 hours into the game so they know what they know. GGG is owned by TenCent (bought 2 years ago). Having been to China and used WeChat (also owned by Tencent) they know who I am already. I see it as a peril of playing online games but mostly ignore it.

So you are going on about only because you like it so much? I always assumed you had some reason to promote it. I would not have complained to you had I known you were just into it.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I did try a new videogame recently, Elden Ring, but its very difficult and I'm not sure I want to fight bosses half a dozen times to learn how to best defeat them.
Do play new boardgames fairly often. Helps that our gaming group likes trying out new ones and that my nephew and his dad are keen boardgamers too.
I'm also planning out a new RPG campaign which our group is due to start shortly, assuming we start meeting up IRL regularly. Fed up of playing RPGs on Roll20 or FantasyGrounds, it isn't the same as in person.

ER is somewhat similar to POE but simpler. POE is an ARPG that takes effort to learn. To do so on one's own is a challenge. Lots of issues like boss fights can be ignored or sidestepped or delayed until one is prepared. The only fights that take significant learning are those at the highest levels of the endgame. I'm a casual player and just like the variety of settings to kill monsters and collect loot.

 

[Birdjaguar]

So you are going on about only because you like it so much? I always assumed you had some reason to promote it. I would not have complained to you had I known you were just into it.

Yes, It has been a fabulous game game to play for those who enjoy ARPG. There are end games bosses I have never seen. For both good and ill, every quarter they introduce new content and buff and nerf skills and builds. The new content sometimes disappears after that league or is added to the base game. At the moment GGG is in the process of designing POE2 which will be a wholesale redo of the game. Many of the quarterly league changes are beat tests of what is to come.

 

[Ajidica]

I find myself struggling to get into new video games over the last few years. I'd say that about the half the games I try, I play for a few hours and lose the energy to continue.

Possibly I'm just playing the wrong games, but the pattern is that I struggle to get into games with unfamiliar or complicated mechanics, which makes me worry I've damaged my brain in some specific way that has rendered me too impatience to tolerate anything but the slightest learning curve. The sensible answer is probably that I've just reached a stage in life were games are brain-candy, a way of unwinding rather than something to sink time into, and that's fine. But it lines up with a broader concern that I've destroyed my attention span through over exposure to the bleep-bloop machines, especially after Covid, and I may have done some sort of irreparable damage.

I should probably throw my phone into the sea and see if that helps.

I'm the same way, the only 'new' games I've played in the last year have been Cyberpunk 2077, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and a little indie strategy game Shadows of Forbidden Gods.
In part I played way too much video games over lockdown, so I've sort of burned myself out, and I've also become quite busy with a medieval reenactment group (SCA) - swordfighting two days of the week, clothing workshop every other week, working on assorted projects for the swordfighting, etc. Even before that I've gotten into building and painting model kits, and it was like "I can spend four hours playing a game this evening, or I can get the superstructure done on this destroyer." And I've increasingly been chosing the latter as I have something to show for what I've been doing.

 

[Arakhor]

I too have found myself bouncing off video games, but that's only partly due to physical limitations (eyestrain, restless limbs etc.) I first played KCD in 2018, gave it a break for a few months and then spent months on it in 2019, finally finishing up at the beginning of 2020.

I mostly spent the pandemic worrying about my health and playing Xbox One games, which if there isn't any glare on the TV screen, I find easier to play at great length than on my PC.

 

[The_J]

I have felt completely horrendous all day, and after eating, now realize I've been having a severe histamine response. This may be the worst one I've ever had since it became an issue two years ago. Perhaps it is time to invest in an EpiPen. And maybe for the next few days I should go back on my antihistamines. I thought I had managed it well enough, but I guess not. I'm not sure what it is. I haven't eaten any of the usual triggers.

(For those unaware, histamine is an integral signal hormone in the digestion process.)

Uh, the last part is new to me. Might need to look up how it works.
What is your issue with normal anti-histamines?
(I have no issues with them, but I'm also fully healthy)

 

[Takhisis]

I mostly spent the pandemic worrying about my health and playing Xbox One games, which if there isn't any glare on the TV screen, I find easier to play at great length than on my PC.

You could plug the computer's outgoing video feed into the TV set, just saying.

 

[Hygro]

My body has started tolerating potato less and less over the past two years. I think I've gotten to the point where I can't have it anymore. I was never really that big into potatoes, but it was at least well tolerated in the past and cheap to get. Meh.

My mom has gnarly intolerances to foods in general, and as an observer I’ve noticed she can rotate certain foods in and out every few years.

 

[Arakhor]

You could plug the computer's outgoing video feed into the TV set, just saying.

Well, I suppose so, but then I'd also need a wireless keyboard and mouse!

 

[Synobun]

My mom has gnarly intolerances to foods in general, and as an observer I’ve noticed she can rotate certain foods in and out every few years.

That's usually what ends up happening for me, most noticeably with dairy and pork. Of the starches, it's usually rice that gets kicked to the curb, but I suppose it's time for potatoes to get their turn.