Off Topic Discussion Megathread

[Snorky]

https://camelotunchained.com/v3/ in development for years now sigh..

[KitKatnip]

https://camelotunchained.com/v3/ in development for years now sigh..

Ah I remember this one. I recall when ESO was announced, the guy making Camelot Unchained (don't remember his name - Mark or Jacob something?) claimed he could make a better MMO and release it within a year after ESO's release. All talk and no deliver, that guy. If I was one of those kickstarter people I would be beyond PO'd by now.

[Snorky]

Ah I remember this one. I recall when ESO was announced, the guy making Camelot Unchained (don't remember his name - Mark or Jacob something?) claimed he could make a better MMO and release it within a year after ESO's release. All talk and no deliver, that guy. If I was one of those kickstarter people I would be beyond PO'd by now.

Yes Mark Jacobs, DAoC developer. I am one of those founders and yeah I'm not happy. I believe people are still waiting for a refund.

[Kaoru_Nagisa]

I echo Fukuro's comment above. I went in knowing very little about what to expect but ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. If you watch it at home, you'll also have the benefit of skipping adverts.

I'll keep it on my To-Watch list for when it gets out of theatres, then! Your mentioning of intrigue and scheming between noble houses is stuff I eat up as well, plus from what I recall it's a sci-fi series of a sort? Sounds like a perfect match to keep my interest.

I'd definitely love to check out the book, too, if I end up liking it - just wish it was easier for me to sit down and read more often. I either have no time to, or I have to read a little bit at a time because my eyes get tired from having to squint at small text or hold the book closer (getting old is fun). Audio books don't do it for me though, I always end up zoning out and losing track of what's going on.

Honestly been debating if I should invest in a Kindle or something at this point.

[Illmaeran]

I'll keep it on my To-Watch list for when it gets out of theatres, then! Your mentioning of intrigue and scheming between noble houses is stuff I eat up as well, plus from what I recall it's a sci-fi series of a sort?

Dune is a seminal work of Science Fiction that has influenced many genres/sub-genres and artists since its writing. The overall premise is a coming-of-age story for a young man of a noble house in a galactic empire. Politics is an ever-present theme throughout the story (and entire series, really) with the first part of the book (the current movie) having the most of it front-and-center.

If you can keep yourself concentrated on it, I *highly* suggest reading it. It really is that good and is that important to Sci-Fi.

[Kaoru_Nagisa]

Dune is a seminal work of Science Fiction that has influenced many genres/sub-genres and artists since its writing. The overall premise is a coming-of-age story for a young man of a noble house in a galactic empire. Politics is an ever-present theme throughout the story (and entire series, really) with the first part of the book (the current movie) having the most of it front-and-center.

If you can keep yourself concentrated on it, I *highly* suggest reading it. It really is that good and is that important to Sci-Fi.

Oh physically reading a book isn't a concentration problem for me! It's more the physical strain on my poor old lady eyes, or just not having enough time to sit down and enjoy a good book in peace most days. It's audio that I have a concentration problem with (ADHD), so I tend to avoid audio books. Short stories work fine, but very lengthy novels just... blur, after a while.

But gods, that sounds like it's right up my alley. I honestly am not as big into the sci-fi genre as I am high/low fantasy, but all of that rolled into one really piques my interest. I'll give the movie a watch first, but I'll definitely see if I can find a copy at the local book stores (or the library) afterwards. I find doing stuff in that order makes me less disappointed if the movie adaptation cut stuff out or changed anything. xD

[Illmaeran]

It's audio that I have a concentration problem with (ADHD), so I tend to avoid audio books.

I have to have a physical object in front of me to be able to read for any length of time. If I'm staring at a computer screen or listening to something...*poof*...there goes my concentration.

If you plan on reading the book after seeing the movie; keep in mind the character of Dr. Kynes is a white dude, not a black lady as in the movie. That's kind of an important piece of info for later in the story, though I hear the movie put its own spin on it.

[Caurcas]

Dune, while a seminal work of sci-fi whose influence amongst the genre cannot be stated enough, I've never really vibes with. Mostly due to its ponderous pace.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Finally got around to actually building the Shadow Fox. Dug out the old one for comparison. They're pretty similar in size, although the new one is sharper and more streamlined (mostly due to, y'know, not having a wind-up motor in the torso). The new one also seems to be a slightly bluer black than the original's grayer black, but that could just be my original being a bit faded from years out on the shelf.

A couple notes about the build. First, some of the pointy bits (ears, claws, especially the teeth) are sharp enough that a little caution is warranted. Second, the housing for the mid-torso joints (the first part of step 14 in the instructions) is prone to popping apart if you're not careful when handling those joints. I glued it together, it's fine now, but anyone else building one might want to just glue it while building to save the trouble of having to take it apart to get to it later. I also glued in the small net launcher inside the tail, the tiny tab wasn't strong enough on its own when moving the barrel, but that's less of a hassle to get at. The spoiler-ish flap over the hips is also kind of easy to knock off if you're not paying attention while moving the tail.

Other than those mostly minor issues (the mid-torso joint box is the only one I'd consider a real problem), it's a pretty solid build with plenty of articulation. The main gun still has the original's extending gimmick to rise up and aim around, and there's a 3mm hole between the hips to put it up on a stand for running and leaping poses. It's a little heavy for a Figma-style stand, but a Bandai Action Base can handle it.

[ItMe]

I've been debating if I want to watch that - though not in theatres, though, since Covid's still surging bad in my state. I don't know much about the Dune franchise other than it being very beloved, but I've been seeing some gifs on Tumblr of it and it's definitely piqued my interest.

The movie is good, but not worth the covid risk if it's as bad as you say it is in your area.
Especially since the movie is also online (HBOs online platform has it already).

Just wanted to comment if you like reading try the original book. I didn't read the sequels but read the original when it came out. I want to see the remake movie but will wait til it's out of the theaters

If you have any interest in going back and reading the later books, please go into them knowing that the later books were never planned and they'revery dissimilar from the first book. After the success of Dune, Frank Herbert wrote the others for some easy money and not because he had a vision for them. But what really makes them so different is that he started hating the first book (his personal philosophy and politics changed a lot as he aged) and tried to "fix it" with the subsequent ones.

They can still be fun reads, but if you go into Children of Dune (and beyond) expecting more Dune you're in for a disappointment.

Minor issues aside that's frickin gorgeous~