I also have mixed feelings with Banks. I really like his idea of the Culture, but some of his books are really terrible. When I read them I enjoyed The Player of Games and Use of Weapons, but I disliked a lot Consider Phlebas and had to abandon Matter after a 20%…
Yeah yeah I know, probably obvious cause corporations gonna corporation but yeah book prices are getting really high and likely will continue to rise. Appreciate and support your local library
I didn’t know that academia was already bypassing traditional publication systems, but I am all for it. For literature, seeing how in many cases publishers are more into gatekeeping what is published than doing quality control or improving it I am very happy when authors become independent and do everything on their own. As you said, next years are going to be interesting in this sense. Let’s just hope that Amazon doesn’t take over the whole system, as it is already trying to do.
The points at which the game transition between acts seem a bit arbitrary (mainly for Act I to Act II), and I don’t see a narrative or mechanical reason to lock us out of previous maps and quests. As far as I remember, previous Baldur’s Gate games didn’t have this kind of points of no return. Why do you think they did it?...
I used to enjoy participating in book clubs (be it in person or online), but between emigrating, the pandemic and life changes I haven’t been in one in quite a while. What about you? Do you enjoy reading groups? If so, in person or digital?
Really? The few I participated I was lucky that there was a diversity of ages, genders… with everyone participating equally. That is something I have always like about practicing sports, that you get in contact as equals with very different people, while at school or work it is always people pretty much like you.
The problem with these games (like Stellaris, which is also on offer and I would recommend with the same warning) is that the base game lacks many interesting features, which you only get if you buy all the DLCs.
The whole Hainish Cycle from Ursula K Le Guin may fit here, in the sense that all human-like ‘aliens’ are the offsprings of the colonies planted by a primitive human civilization.
What book do you feel is/was kinda overhyped?
Like books that got very popular but you never really could get into.
PSA: Expect books to increase in price on average
Yeah yeah I know, probably obvious cause corporations gonna corporation but yeah book prices are getting really high and likely will continue to rise. Appreciate and support your local library
Why are there points of no return?
The points at which the game transition between acts seem a bit arbitrary (mainly for Act I to Act II), and I don’t see a narrative or mechanical reason to lock us out of previous maps and quests. As far as I remember, previous Baldur’s Gate games didn’t have this kind of points of no return. Why do you think they did it?...
About Book-clubs
I used to enjoy participating in book clubs (be it in person or online), but between emigrating, the pandemic and life changes I haven’t been in one in quite a while. What about you? Do you enjoy reading groups? If so, in person or digital?
Steam Strategy Fest 2023 (store.steampowered.com)
Any sci-fi with aliens where humans are not the less advanced race?
cross-posted from: lemmings.world/post/759157...