Asklemmy v4ld1z • 5 days ago • 95%

I've had a little of a debate with a commenter recently where they've argued that "donating" (selling, in their words, because you can get money for it) your blood plasma is a scam because it's for-profit and you're being exploited. Now, I only have my German lense to look at this, but I've been under the impression that donating blood, plasma, thrombocytes, bone marrow, whatever, is a good thing because you can help an individual in need. I get that, in the case of blood plasma, the companies paying people for their donations must make some kind of profit off that, else they wouldn't be able to afford paying around 25€ per donation. But I'm not sure if I'd call that a scam. People are all-around, usually, too selfish and self-centered to do things out of the goodness of their hearts, so offering some form of compensation seems like a good idea to me. In the past, I've had my local hospital call me asking for a blood donation, for example, because of an upcoming surgery of a hospitalised kid that shares my blood group. I got money for that too. What are your guys' thoughts on the matter? Should it be on donation-basis only and cut out all incentives - monetary or otherwise? Is it fine to get some form of compensation for the donation? Very curious to see what you think

196 v4ld1z • 7 days ago • 94%

Sorry if this is a repost

Vegan v4ld1z • 1 week ago • 73%

Like, I get it - there are people in both communities that might be pushy in one way or another. But, like, come on. One of them is a way of life that strives towards excluding as much pain and suffering in the world of innocent beings as possible and the other is a fucking OS. Grinds my gears. Any thoughts? Edit: What I meant specifically is the "pushiness" and "preachiness" that's attributed to both. Not sure if this is just my bias from observing comments about the recent discourse around the whole vegan cat food debacle, but yea

Star Wars: Unlimited v4ld1z • 1 week ago • 75%

Recently got into the game with a deck that a buddy if mine built for me: Jabba Yellow. The basic idea is that I play as many capture cards as I can to control the board with a mid-rangey mix of units, and then steal them using Dryden Vos and overrun my opponent with card quality. Additionally, I play 3 copies of Maul since it's just a really good card and 3 copies of Rancor. Now, I've only tried the deck a handful of times and have been somewhat pleased with its performance. However, after I've added two more copies of Dryden Vos to complete the playset, I'm afraid that I might not have enough ramp (or none actually) that would support the high-energy-cost-leaning curve of my deck. I used to run 3 copies of Resupply but cut them all because I felt like they were dead draws whenever I did draw them. Ordered a playset of Technician as ramp but, again, I'm wary that it might be too little ramp. Should I run both 3 Resupply as well as 3 Technician? It feels to me like Resupply is just a dead draw most of the time since I'm not developing my board state and don't have anything to contest it with. Ty :)

Sekiro v4ld1z • 2 weeks ago • 100%

After some debating, I decided to turn it off. We'll see how it goes and decide if it makes sense to turn it back on. Your time to post :)

Bloodborne v4ld1z • 2 weeks ago • 100%

After some debating, I decided to turn it off. We'll see how it goes and decide if it makes sense to turn it back on. Your time to post :)

Hunt Showdown v4ld1z • 2 weeks ago • 100%

I've played the game for like 10-15h around half a year ago and stopped. Picked the game up again after the new update and am struggling with re-acquainting myself with the controls, but I'll get back there I think. More importantly, I don't know when to take opportunities to come out and make plays. For context, I played a round yesterday where I found the boss lair after a single clue which was in the neighbouring compound. I went there by accident and started the fight. Looking for a boss weapon, which I didn't know didn't spawn next to the boss lair anymore, I attempted the Assassin without a weapon and almost got killed. After wasting a sticky, I ran in the attic and hid there for like 35 minutes, listening to my surroundings in the hopes of finding a hunter. Fast forward a little, I managed to find a hunter that's been trying to kill the Assassin themselves for like 15 minutes straight and killed them, then I had like 5 minutes left to kill the boss and extract but didn't get it, so I just extracted. Ultimately, I just spent 35 minutes in an attic doing nothing which wasn't as engaging. Any tips on how to make myself go out of my way to make proactive plays?

Sekiro v4ld1z • 3 weeks ago • 100%

It's been a couple months since the bot has been reworked and posted content here. I'm checking in regularly to delete the posts that don't make sense, but apart from that, I let the community give their feedback in form of upvotes and downvotes and comments. From what I've gathered, the reception has been good so far with some negative reactions here and there. Do you guys have any thoughts or suggestions? Do let me know :)

Bloodborne v4ld1z • 3 weeks ago • 85%

It's been a couple months since the bot has been reworked and posted content here. I'm checking in regularly to delete the posts that don't make sense, but apart from that, I let the community give their feedback in form of upvotes and downvotes and comments. From what I've gathered, the reception has been good so far with some negative reactions here and there. Do you guys have any thoughts or suggestions? Do let me know :)

Asklemmy v4ld1z • 4 weeks ago • 44%

First off, sorry if this is the wrong to community to post to - I'll move it somewhere else should it not fit the community. My best friend quite often is a contrarian for the sake of being a contrarian, I feel like. Discussing politics, veganism, the problems with using Amazon, what have you, with him is nigh impossible because he insists on his opinion and won't budge. I feel like he just feels superior to other people, or at least to me, in a way that he just won't change his mind, doesn't hear other sides, and argues for the sake of arguing. Now, in a recent discussion, I asked him if he knew why images aren't displayed properly in my Firefox-fork browser (Mull). He gave an answer and asked why I would use a custom browser instead of Firefox itself to which I responded that it's more privacy-focused and that I didn't like Mozilla's implementation of AI in their browser. Long story short, it devolved into a lengthy discussion about AI, how the fear of AI is based on ignorance and a lack of knowledge, that it's fine that AI is used for creative projects because in most cases it's an assisting tool that aids creativity, doesn't steal jobs etc. essentially that it's just a tool to be used like a hammer would be. What pisses me off the most about all this is that he subtly implies that I don't know enough about the subject to have an opinion on it and that I don't have any sources to prove my points so they're essentially void. How do I deal with this? Whatever facts I name he just shrugs off with "counter"-arguments. I've sent him articles that he doesn't accept as sources. This has been going on for a couple hours now and I don't know what to tell him. Do you guys have sources I could shove in his face? Any other facts I should throw his way? Thank you in advance Edit: A thing to add: I wasn't trying to convince him that AI itself is bad - there are useful usages of AI that I won't ignore. What I was concerned about is the way AI is used in any and all products nowadays that don't need AI to function at all, like some AI-powered light bulbs or whatever; that creative jobs and arts are actively harmed by people scraping data and art from artists to create derivative "art"; that it's used to influence politics (Trump, Gaza). These things. The way AI is used in its unmonitored way is just dangerous, I feel like

Bloodborne v4ld1z • 1 month ago • 100%

I mean, don't get me wrong - it's a cool fight and the area you fight him in is beautiful und really FromSoft-y, and the theme isn't bad by any means. The character also holds significance for the game and overall story. However, I never really felt the gravitas the fight supposedly has. I get the idea of a student, in the end, surpassing their master and, depending on the ending you choose, what happens to Gehrman is interesting. But I never really felt attached to him throughout my playthroughs because he was doing his thing in the Hunter’s Dream and I was running errands. You two don't interact often, you don't get quests from him etc. If I compare Gehrman's role to Geppetto's in Lies of P (warning: spoilers for Lies of P ahead) and the characters themselves, Geppetto is clearly the superior character. His being behind the Puppet Frenzy and plotting against all his allies from the beginning of the game to have a chance at reviving his dead son, makes for a really strong twist at the end of the game. Clearly, this is inspired by Gehrman's role in Bloodborne given that LoP is inspired of Bloodborne in many a way - atmosphere, city structure, gloominess, themes - in that he's a tutor or guide throughout your journey, but Geppetto was just a way more integral part of the story and game, thus it felt way more weighty when he ultimately betrays P. Gehrman is just chilling, giving his input here and there. His role in the game only becomes bigger with the inclusion of the DLC. What gives? What are your thoughts?

Lies of P v4ld1z • 2 months ago • 100%

Ever since I've beaten the game on NG for the first time a few weeks ago, I've been enamoured with the themes of the game, the mechanics, music etc. Naturally, all I've been watching on YouTube were numerous video essays about the game that I felt like sharing with you guys. In no particular order: https://youtu.be/LIrUQjjsDYg?si=VOa0EE_3lMWejkv1 https://youtu.be/b6o9bt1SMEM?si=Ckb7pIUE1rOGtUza https://youtu.be/6upgZB_yqrM?si=9Ze1O5m4J3AVLcSg Enjoy!

Lies of P v4ld1z • 2 months ago • 100%

It's not really the *final* final boss in that there is the Nameless Puppet as the last boss, which seems to be widely regarded as a really good fight, but I'm a little on the fence when it comes to Simon Manus. From a visual standpoint, the second phase is pretty awesome: it feels grand and bombastic, and the lighting when the Arm of God reaches down from sky looks stellar. However, from a mechanical standpoint, I didn't vibe with the fight *too much*. The first phase feels a little all over the place. The long and wide-reaching attacks reminded me of Godrick, the Grafted from Elden Ring but with a little less oomph to it somehow - they felt kinda sluggish. It didn't feel super engaging and a little lack-luster. The second phase added a lot of ranged attacks that hadn't been utilised in the game too much leading up to the finale which I also didn't vibe with too much since you couldn't interact with them like with Laxasia's bolts in the second phase, which you could deflect similar to the numerous fights with Ganon in the Lebend of Zelda series. All in all, if it wasn't for the visuals and the lore significance, I'd forget about the fight quite quickly when compared to Nameless Puppet, Laxasia, Rabbit Gang fight 1&2 and many others that felt really memorable. What are your guys' thoughts? Did you like the fight at all?

New Communities v4ld1z • 2 months ago • 96%

I've created the community very recently, so there isn't a lot of content on there yet. I'd love for you guys to join in and add some life to it, though! Discussions of the game, memes, news, and anything else pertaining to the game is a fit there. Thanks! [Lies of P](!liesofp@lemmy.zip) !liesofp@lemmy.zip lemmy.zip/c/liesofp

Sekiro v4ld1z • 2 months ago • 80%

I'd appreciate it if you visited, if you're interested in the game. !liesofp@lemmy.zip Cheers!

Bloodborne v4ld1z • 2 months ago • 75%

I'd appreciate it if you visited, if you're interested in the game. !liesofp@lemmy.zip Cheers!

Lies of P v4ld1z • 2 months ago • 100%

Hi everyone! Since there wasn't a Lies of P community around yet, and I felt like there definitely should be, here it is! How do/did you like the game? Does it stack up for you compared to FromSoft's catalogue of games? Anything else you'd like to share about the game? Do feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in this community! I'll try to find the time to make some posts in the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, I could suggest adding a bot to this community, similarly to how it's done on /c/Bloodborne and /c/Sekiro, to have the community be fed with r*ddit posts. Because some content is better than no content Thanks and have fun! Firestorm Druid

Bloodborne v4ld1z • 2 months ago • 76%

Prior to playing Lies of P, my top two were Sekiro and Bloodborne, in that order. Bloodborne was the first soulslike I've played ever, apart from a little DS1 back when I was like 12 on the janky PC port, and I bounced off it hard. Took me several attempts and multiple years to get in there and start enjoying my time. Pretty much same goes for Sekiro where I prefer the gameplay *a lot* more to Bloodborne's, might be a top 5 game of all time for me. It's saying a lot that LoP is right behind Sekiro, before Bloodborne, in my top 3. It just combines the best of both worlds of both Sekiro and Bloodborne. The atmosphere is amazing, the combat feels snappy, responsive, and weighty, the story is very touching and personal. The soundtrack - holy, the soundtrack. Combining modern music on the records you collect with classic Souls (boss) music a la Dark Souls and Bloodborne is genius. I'd never have expected for LoP to surpass Bloodborne for me considering I've listened to the Paleblood Hunt front to back like 3-4 times, have watched every imaginable video essay about Bloodborne, have merch, have played through the entire game like 5+ times. LoP really just feels like Bloodborne 2 in the spiritual sense - LoP very much is different to Bloodborne in many ways. I know it's a way past dead horse by now and many in the community feel like we don't need a successor to Bloodborne. But I'm just *so* in love with the franchise, it'd be fucking stellar if we had any more to play. LoP will be happy in its second place until then

Patient Gamers v4ld1z • 2 months ago • 91%

Recently finally gotten around to playing Lies of P, and I've been enjoying my time a lot - I'd probably put it right between Sekiro and Bloodborne for my favourite Soulslikes. The boss fights have been pretty cool throughout the playthrough. However, the last few bosses, especially Laxasia and Simon, have been kicking my teeth in, so I used a summon to kill both easily. Now, when people complain about players not playing "the right way" - aka bashing your head in for 10 days straight, using melee only, no summons, magic, cheese, whatever - I'm the first to say that it doesn't matter how people play the game as long as they enjoy it and that they don't have to prove they're "more" of a gamer than someone who did adhere to these self-imposed rules. After finishing these two fights (I'm at the Nameless Puppet now🫠), however, I kind of feel like I've robbed myself of a "worthy" victory because it was soo much easier with the summons than without them. Like, 30+ tries without and basically first try with a summon. It kind of took away the whole challenge and doesn't feel like I've actually beaten them. Ultimately, thinking that I've spent so much time learning their patterns and trying to kill them "the proper way", it doesn't feel as bad since I had grown frustrated quite a bit by the end, so I just wanted an easy out. Still nagging on my mind. What are y'all thoughts on this subject? Is it warranted that I feel like I robbed myself of a proper victory? Should I just get over it? Anything similar happen to you? Thanks! Edit: Just remembered that I used summons quite a lot more often than initially thought. I used a summon for both Rabbit Gang fights as well as the Puppet King and the Green Swamp Monster too. The Rabbit Gang fight felt quite cool like that, especially the first one, since it felt like a real brawl of two equal parties. I consistently got to phase 2 of both Puppet King and Swamp Monster easily but always ended up dying quickly, so the summons took the edge off quite a bit. Edit 2: Beat Nameless Puppet, probably got a bad ending with Gepetto dying and calling me a useless puppet. But idgaf - I beat that fucker 😎

Hydro Homies v4ld1z • 3 months ago • 85%

I like me some carbonated water personally, and tap water in Germany is super clean and tastes nice almost everywhere. However, I've heard of some people before that they dislike Sodastreams for some reason or another. What gives?

Bloodborne v4ld1z • 3 months ago • 96%

It's around 40ish FPS on a base PS4 which kinda puts it in an uncanny-valley-sorta area where it looks smoother than the standard 30FPS and also more sluggish at the same time. Still awesome to play

Sekiro v4ld1z • 3 months ago • 80%

As previously mentioned in the first attempt, I spoke to Demigrodrick, the instance admin of Lemmy.zip, about how their bot processes reddit posts and might have found a solution. They have put in a lot of work to get their instance bot to work on here as I originally envisioned it: not only linking to reddit posts but rather creating proper image posts including the post's body. Now, there seem to be some issues with how these posts are displayed on the numerous Lemmy apps, specifically on Jerboa where it's just linking to the original post. I'd like to ask of you to be patient with me/us (the SoulsFetchBot) for the time being since this is just an early implementation that can be iterated upon should any of you find something missing or not working as you'd like the bot to. Do feel free to reach out and report any issues - I want to get this working! Edit: The issue seems to have been resolved. The update should roll out soon-ish Edit 2: Videos cannot be pulled by the bot properly via RSS, so I will just delete video posts whenever I see them for the time being

Bloodborne v4ld1z • 3 months ago • 100%

As previously mentioned in the first attempt, I spoke to Demigrodrick, the instance admin of Lemmy.zip, about how their bot processes reddit posts and might have found a solution. They have put in a lot of work to get their instance bot to work on here as I originally envisioned it: not only linking to reddit posts but rather creating proper image posts including the post's body. Now, there seem to be some issues with how these posts are displayed on the numerous Lemmy apps, specifically on Jerboa where it's just linking to the original post. I'd like to ask of you to be patient with me/us (the SoulsFetchBot) for the time being since this is just an early implementation that can be iterated upon should any of you find something missing or not working as you'd like the bot to. Do feel free to reach out and report any issues - I want to get this working! Edit: The issue seems to have been resolved. The update should roll out soon-ish Edit 2: Videos cannot be pulled by the bot properly via RSS, so I will just delete video posts whenever I see them for the time being

Bloodborne v4ld1z • 4 months ago • 100%

I was a little sceptical about the game because while not actively trying to be Bloodborne 2, the media and fans have been hyping it up to be. After trying the demo, I wasn't really convinced either since the game felt quite clunky to me and the mechanics hadn't hooked me in. Now after having jailbroken my PS4 and having given Lies of P another try, I'm actually quite enjoying my time. The mix of bleak atmosphere and colour palette paired with music very reminiscent of Bloodborne, the parry mechanic that reminds me a lot of Sekiro when it comes to boss attacks and their timings, and the new mechanics - like a free heal after dealing enough damage when out of heals - that add a certain quality of life to the genre, makes me enjoy my time quite a lot so far. Mind you, I've only played for around 3h or so, but what I've seen so far has been convincing, indeed. Have you guys given Lies of P a try? What is your opinion on the game? Where would you rank it in your Souls tierlist?