I guess now we have to talk like EV3RY  BUDDY  'S FAVORITE [Number 1 Rated Salesman1997]

I respect that. After all, different denominations are still relevant for a reason :). And there is Biblical precedent for a fancy building (Solomon’s Temple).

In fairness, lots of Protestant churches have very plain furnishings as a direct reaction to this kind of opulence. Personally I’m torn. Cathedrals are beautiful to visit, but I don’t think I could ever actually attend somewhere that imposing without being constantly distracted by it. Now some Evangelicals have gone full-circle with megachurches that are even worse…

It’s not just about dopamine/cope either. Knowing that people saw the state of the world they lived in, and came together to make good art anyway, is good for the soul. It reminds us that there is still good in the world worth fighting for.

It’s easy to forget that when algorithms show us the worst and stupidest of humanity every day for peak engagement.

There are dozens of us!

If you want to try an FPS, the original Half-Life is amazing (if visually dated), and was designed to ease the player into the experience as opposed to something like Doom or Dusk that throws you into the action without any tutorials. I’m biased though, Half-Life is my favorite FPS of all time lol.

It goes on sale for around $2 regularly, which is a nice bonus. I second the Portal and Stardew recommendations of others too.

IIRC, Elrond isn’t as stuck-up in the book, but it’s been a year or two since I last read Fellowship.

Star Wars: Empire at War is a classic with more nontraditional gameplay and light 4x elements (no diplomacy). The modding scene is rich too, with Thrawn’s Revenge for the EU and multiple Clone Wars mods.

For sure. After I beat Morrowind, I was impressed to find out it’s possible to kill any character and still beat the main quest if you know what you’re doing. Hopefully as indie development continues to grow we’ll start to see games inspired by it.

Project Tamriel and Tamriel Rebuilt will keep me busy in the meantime.

With this character’s death, the thread of prophecy is severed. Restore a saved game to restore the weave of fate, or persist in the doomed world you have created.

Cool, makes it much easier to visualize how living on a spinning globe works.

It’s cool to see different artists’ takes on iconic scenes like this

Skyrim was a lot like a magic trick, amazing and unforgettable the first time but it wears off as you notice the world isn’t as deep as it is wide. After doing the same formula with Fallout 4, and the disastrous launch of 76, even though Starfield is built to create that magic experience again it’s not as effective because we’ve seen it before.

I won’t preorder TES 6 if it ever comes out, but I will be rooting for Bethesda to shake things up, especially after BG3 showed a more complex RPG can still be a bestseller.

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