Ulysses

You have a point in the potentials of MF; especially since t6 is not a challenge for most players, stacking MF and losing a few % of CDR and eDPS isn't really a problem. In the end it's probably difference in perspective and attitude. I just find that rushing through rifts (usually without leorics and topaz socketed in helm) the more efficient way of getting legs. Especially considering leg rate boost relative to MF is only 1:10. In an experienced party, more CDR benefit more almost all the time (damage and movement) - drop sentry (in a confined room scenario, you barely have time to drop 1 before you move to another), dash more often, more wormholes, and etc.; for some gearing/builds you also take out the need for RORG, allowing for a gg set ring (like Endless Walk combo)/SOJ/Unity or even a gg Nagelring. Two sides of a coin.

Just some news on ESO for anyone interested. Console coming on June 9th. Source: http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-gb/news/post/2015/01/21/eso-heads-to-consoles-june-9th ESO-Tamriel Unlimited - core game being re-launched on March 17th. New system: You pay for core game, then you can play without subscription fee. You can opt to pay for individual additional contents (called DLCs) to play in, or to pay a lump sum monthly fee to get access to all of them. Very similar to the GW2 system. Source: http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-gb/news/post/2015/01/21/your-guide-to-eso-plus-premium-membership Update 1.6 consisting of the first part of the Champion System and Justice System, new provisioning mechanics and class and skill re-balance and some smaller tweaks is now up on PTS. Expected to go live in 6 weeks, coinciding with the ESO re-launch.

not sure about console but on PC, MF is next to useless in my experience. 2.1.2 bought higher 'rare leg' rates as well. I'd rather having the old rate, the feeling of a leg drop used to be great; now it's like 'oh great..more mats', then it gets decon straight away. 2.1.2 is does fairly well to rectify some existing problems with D3. The end game is still very dull and barring maybe high 40s GR not very challenging. If you are at that stage, I highly recommend moving to PoE if you haven't already done so. It's the more hardcore and darker alternative in the ARPG genre; the end-game is much less monotonous, the community is much more vibrant and the skill tree is..well see for yourself.

10 days until FIFA 15. I wonder what the background soundtrack for the Donbass Arena will be. ESO; waiting for 1.4..probably coming next week.

Well, when 2.1 rolls on to console, t6 will seem like a walk in the park. The utility of monks (slow, stun, pull and etc.) is very well respected among the group I usually run with, especially on G36 upwards. So it could be handy to have a decent monk around for those GRifts should you find that you can't survive with a Jade WD. Of course I am not familiar with the scenes of console D3, but I'd imagine it wouldn't stray too far from that.

I think so as well. IMO it is a good move by him (career-wise, given the state of the game when he took over, and the Present), and good for the company as well (for the same reason more or less). Got to give MMG credit for acknowledging that he and his team have made multiple mistakes over the years (I am sure nobody would disagree on this). Whether things could have gone better does not matter anymore; damage has been done, game has arguably been tarnished. Could the new team rectify the problems? Probably not in the foreseeable future. In the discussion from a few months ago about the 200 --> 138, game decline, power to player and etc., I have mentioned that it was not entirely their fault for the perceived decline of the game. Time has changed; people move on. Perhaps it is time for newer ideas and a 'fresh face' CEO to come in and revitalise the game and its community. It is certainly going to be a tough job for the new team. Either way, wish MMG all the best and pray for the gamers/audience for whatever project he is engaging in next.

He gambled on De Jong and it backfired. The formation is built to not concede and to break on counter. Argentina played very cautiously and conservatively - which left no room for any wingers/Robben to run into. Higuain found a few gaps due to positional error on the left - including that incorrect offside call later in normal time. Irrespective of what changes LVG makes, it would not have made a difference to the scoreline on the Dutch side. There's also a limitation to the movement of players out of their position, given the solo potential of Messi - we could see that in the Brazil game, without this 'burden', everything was back to normal, of course, not helped by the still stunned Brazil side. This is a meaningless game nonetheless, as LVG have said, it should have been abolished long ago. Hope this raises the profile of the Eredivisie. Perhaps someday I won't be ridiculed as much for following the league or for saying things like x team should get De Vrij. slightly off topic.., ~75m is quite a bit less than what I expected. He is a much better player than Bale even with his discipline problems. For a players who has played for Ajax, the Barca style should be like second nature. It's just down to how Enrique fits him in with Neymar and Messi in October. Of course, it could also turn out like Ibra, who unsurprisingly has also played for Ajax.

Legacy combat is frankly a step backwards, as is 138 and all that. It appears they lack the idea or drive to move on from their past mistakes. I have no idea how the poll gathered 80% support, perhaps a decision made simply on the basis of a Yes/No poll is appropriate. I would personally applaud them if they come up with something new, for better or worse, as opposed to reverting back or drawing old ideas. Given the post above depicting the quick poll on how likely people will use Legacy Combat, it may just represent another failure on the developer's part - whether that's because people think Legacy isn't ready for launch, not appropriate for the game at this stage or that they were among the 20%. Given what I understand about the changes that will be bought on by the Legacy Combat and associated update, there isn't really anything worthwhile to motivate OSRS players (who were only really opposed to EoC rather than the entire post 07 evolution) to return to the live game; for on/off players, one or two weeks is probably most they will spend before their self-imposed exiles. As things stand, I am excited to see what effect (if any) the Legacy combat update will bring to the game, happy for people who were anticipating its implementation and sympathetic with those who are against its inception.

Aerial (2005) by Kate Bush. Found this in my archive a little while ago, very nice if you are into the semi-prog/art rock songs. Well worth the money.

Another step towards that 1974... I guess Neymar can feel a little better now knowing that he didn't really miss out on the final. Klose, that was very professional, the way he responded in the post-match interview. The death of Di Stefano (RIP my 2nd favourite player), might fire up some of the Argentines. Also, Di Maria will be a big loss. Dutch were not particularly convincing judging by their performance against Costa Rica, regardless of how well you rated the Krul penalties. They can do without RVP, but definitely not without Kuyt. What they say about Feyenoord and total football, Kuyt really did prove them wrong.

As mentioned above, hand cannon if you have done the quest, it requires lvl 75 ranged. Otherwise, I would suggest skipping the task. The crossbow is fitting for a level 80 requirement, fairly cheap to purchase (cheaper than all other equal and higher level alternatives) and repair, but could be difficult to assemble depending on your combat ability and levels. Whether that's any good is entirely up for you to decide.

I hate to spoil the feel-good atmosphere around the potential of the USA team, but they have a long way to go before even replacing any one of the historic top 8...decades. I have rewatched all of the round 16 games, imo they were the most outplayed team (regardless of what the scoreline suggests) out of the 16. I do appreciate all the internet memes and applauds on Howard though, very amusing...the Wikipedia one is a personal favourite. I agree with @BloodAngel, that they are too reliant on Neymar and attacks driven from the wings. They are also lacking adequate midfield support in the final 1/3. France is showing what a strong team it can be if they don't rebel and fight among themselves...one can only wonder what could have happened in 2010 - though traditionally it's the Netherlands who fight..some sort of Ajax/Cruijff-esque theorist vs BVM/LVG pragmatist, like the rumoured Sneijder vs RVP in qualifying.

Seems like some are converging on my prediction some weeks ago. But I do hope for a different outcome this time around. That said, it is becoming an increasingly remote possibility; I cannot see the Oranje going through without De Jong and possibly Fer. And even if Germany win against France, they will struggle vs either Brazil or Columbia. While I respect Hitzfeld with his approach to this WC and the Argentina game, there are some serious questions with regards to decision to substitute Drmic and bench Barnetta. Keeping a clean sheet vs Argentina for 117 minutes in round-16 is remarkable for an overachieving Swiss side nonetheless. I read about the FIFA panel considering the possibility of a 4th sub for extra time starting from WC2018. Thoughts?

I actually think that LFC should stick by him like they did with the Ivanovic and Evra incidents. One rationale for doing so is that he is their key player and with all the speculations on potential transfer, issuing their own punishment just gives him a reason to move - something that LFC cannot recover from (much like Tottenham last season, regardless of how much they receive). With LVG at ManU, this will probably send LFC back into Oblivion. Especially if Uruguay FA decides to back him later on today, there's no reason for LFC to punish him. Any punishment is likely to be handed down via FIFA and only enforced domestically by the English FA if they are mandated. 12 months might be something they would work off, realistically that means 10-15 games. Any publicity can become good publicity - I'm sure there are still plenty of clubs who would want him in their team. Just think of him like other troubled stars in the football circle and beyond.

The multi-million dollar question we should ask is 'how would one build a case to defend Suarez?'. Often, it's easy to victimise the offender for a certain offense based on crude assumptions and some level of prior information; but we very rarely consider the opposing case. I'm not saying that such behaviour is justified on any level, but an analytic treatment is worthwhile. We know that FIFA isn't going to do that because they are (..), and run things straight off their rulebook on top of whatever (...) certain powerbrokers within receive and try to make it look legit. So, consider that as a conundrum. I have an impression that he could only be suspended for International games. It is unreasonable for the local FAs to issue punishment for offense committed outside of their jurisdiction, but FIFA might have some power over what suspension they issue are to be enforced by certain members in games played under their jurisdiction .But I haven't read the FIFA rules recently, so someone else might want to double check on that. On another note, Cassano should have started. Di Natale should have been selected (let him retire after the World Cup). Also, Sweden would have done better than Portugal - don't you think?

I think it's more down to the tactics employed and the mentality of the players. In the first Dutch game, the players really had nothing to lose against Spain (having lost in the previous final), and if you look at how they go forward via the wings when the Spanish fullbacks are up the field, it really looks like 4 on 3 or 4 on 2 in attack. For Australia though, no one really know what their style of play is, there's no particular tradition they follow, whether they sit deep or pressure high up is anybody's guess. In the Dutch game versus them, they played higher up than in the Chile game; so there's really a lot of pressure on the wingers' positioning (and that's how they score their first goal). Soon as you switch back to 4 at the back, the gaps narrow as the presence of wingers higher up eliminated much of the forward runs made previously by the now fullbacks. Against Chile, which fields a lot like the Spanish but also combines high pressure and robust defensive tackles, they should really pose a significant challenge to the Dutch. Argentina has a major problem in that they have no genuine attacking options from the midfield and lack players who are actually capable of playing in from the wings (especially if Di Maria gets fielded in mid). Had Tevez been selected it might have been better. They only really deserved 1 point in their last game. It's a longshot, but Iran versus US is still possible. US must win the group by beating Germany, then they play second place of Group H (likely to be Algeria). Iran must beat Bosnia Herzegovina and hope Argentina beat Nigeria (overcoming 2 goal swing at the same time), to finish 2nd in Group F. Then they need to beat France in round-16. This will set them up against the US in the quarter final. ...If these fail, we could either see France against Germany or the US.

Well...not entirely. Is La Liga overrated then? After all, they have won the UCL and UEL this past season. The problem is that many of the top EPL teams are foreign players dominated, as a result not many homegrown players get their chance to develop at the high level you would normally associate with EPL. This is irrespective of whether the team has a rich youth programme or not - you got to see it from those who gets promoted and played in the first team, and possibly in reserve games or those NextGen series. Chelsea for example, has an extensive squad of reserves many of whom came through either their own youth programme or from another club they work with (Vitesse for example). These players rarely ever get through to the 1st team because they weren't afforded to opportunity to play in the first place. They are loaned to lower leagues, other leagues and released when they turn 21/2/3 etc.. How many Chelsea players are in the England squad? This England squad this year has 5 Liverpool players (excluded Lambert), who are all starters for the team. This is something they need. As a contrary example, for a small country, the Netherlands are really doing quite well on the International stage over the years. Their youth programmes are quite successful over the years; younger players get their chances in the league and the top young players from other peripheral leagues are bought in to further their skills. The problem here is that soon as some richer clubs come in and buy the best for other leagues displacing their own homegrown players. You very rarely see this happening the other way (because they really cannot financially compete), barring from the transfer from peripheral leagues I mentioned earlier (e.g. Luis Suarez and Zlatan). So I guess the point is that poorer leagues (financially) may to some extent develop better homegrown players. edit: 88 mins, Belgium scored. Capello should have started Kerzhakov and Dzagoev. Barring anything spectacular, I think Russia's return to the WC will end on Friday.

It almost feels like you overpay for games if you buy them outside of these seasonal sale periods. The feeling to have bought Sleeping Dogs for like $75, as an example. I guess the unspoken rule of thumb is NOT to buy games outside of sales periods unless you are really that keen.

How about that? The not-100%-fit-Suarez plays and now England is almost out. The defence work rate for Chile and Uruguay are just impressive. I can see them beating the Netherlands if Chile can also pressure them higher up the field like what the Australians did, (remember RVP gets suspended as well). Big game ahead with Switzerland vs France and Russia vs Belgium. I've only missed all the Group C games, the Ghana game and the second Croatia game so far, but it's really messing up my day/night body clock (games run from 2am to 10am GMT+10). Thank goodness I can access the lab at uni outside of standard hours and can still get research done. Must be so much more convenient living on the other side of the world.

Uhh, I accidentally backpaged this and lost about 20 mins worth of thinking and typing. So I'll just outline some of my points again. I still do not think Legacy Mode is the answer to all the problems people have with EoC. Going backwards definitely should not be the theme for Jagex. As I have argued on the RSOF some time ago when they did the polling, both systems have their flaws and reversion back to the old system in that case is a very poor solution. Why do people need two sets of armours for lvl 1 def? The current tier system works because it helps spread out the items available - sure, 99 smithing for rune armour-ish artisan progression is counter-intuitive, and GM/Master quests for access to lvl 60 equipment is a bit dumb, but from the perspective of the user (of the equipment), it works. Having logged several hours into the beta, despite the nostalgia, it just doesn't feel the same again. It might be just me, but I am so used to using the Manual system that it has become second nature to me on RS; and pressing 'enter' to chat has become the norm to me, for that reason alone I struggled. While I do appreciate what hard work they have done to reintegrate Legacy Combat back with EoC, including the specs and the food delay attack cycle mechanic, it's just too late. For me personally, the image I have of 'legacy combat' was the dragon scimitar/whip and unholy book/rune defender training, the 100% prayer and the time where the high level item tiers were a lot more competitive (-ly priced and accessible in that regards). Changes to the EoC and addition of Legacy Mode just doesn't resolve that. One could argue that 07 offers that, it does - it offers a partial solution but what you end up with is what we can see now: a 07 base version with later additions like slayer helm and rewards, or new/modified additions designed to mimic some of the current features - e.g. agil courses. That alone says that some players simply want the 'vanilla' version right before EoC (Nov 2012). A complete reversal of the changes back to this point will be a full admission of mistake and pretty much 1.5 year of failure (some might say that it started way before then) - so that's why we ended up with what we have. What would they do next? I have forgotten the rest already -_-. Will edit them back in when I remember what I was typing.

Nerf hammer coming to most DH in the proposed 2.1.0 patch. Where they say promote build diversity, they are actually doing the opposite. Seasons looked to be as expected - they need something to challenge PoE after all (although as a PoE player as well, it doesn't provide sufficient incentive to switch). New changes to rifts are always nice. They are also changing a set effects I think...including the Shadow Bane set, the Firebird set and the monk one (whatever it's called).

Ghana was actually pretty competitive vs the USA; although I highly doubt either team has the quality and depth to get past round of 16. Some nice predictions there as well. Group A - Mexico played well - it could really go 50/50 with Croatia (I wonder whether the photos affected their mentality lol) Group D - depends on whether Suarez can come back in time for England and Italy. If Uruguay can beat England then draw Italy in the final game, I can see them meeting Brazil in quarter. Group H - I actually think that South Korea might edge past Russia - depending on how well they cope without Shirokov. I too have entered into a pool of about 15k a few months ago when they made the draw, and when everyone was fit and healthy, that Germany could win - not that I support them...actually they are my arch rivals, and my judgment hinged on history repeating itself (1974). Germany tops group G, plays Russia in round-16, then plays the Swiss (who top group E ahead of France) in quarter and beat Brazil in semi. The Netherlands would have won group B, beat Mexico (2nd group A), beat Italy in quarter and Belgium in semi - that said, the Italians could very well find themselves at the final if Pirlo stays mercurial. edit: The Brazil v Mexico game had been the best so far, unquestionably.

Well that was a great game with Germany (regardless of the false 9); cannot read too much into the Portuguese for now, I think they are still in position to come 2nd. Although I feel that Sweden would have done better. Belgium game should be good - eyes on KDB and Mirallas. Why wasn't Jelle Vossen chosen anyway? Januzaj should not have been selected. Surprising Lukaku wasn't targeted by Rodgers...then again they probably wouldn't sell after Sturridge. Haven't seen a Russian World Cup team in a while. I do wonder if they will stick with 433 without a archetypal midfield playmaker (Shirokov). 451 with Dzagoev (still remember him from the last Euro?) and Viktor Fayzulin on wings might be more plausible. I still think they would have been better off for selecting Ryazantsev or Alan Kasaev instead of Ionov, to give more midfield versatility.

I guess the main thing about the perceived declining population is that it was once an over-inflated figure because of bots. On top of that people move in and out of the game just like any other - in the instance of a good update, some of these on/off players might come back for a week or so. Then there is also the factor that players will eventually move on to other games and other things in life. I would think that most people in the 120k global population era to have started around the miniclip era. Considering the average age of people (to my knowledge) who would begin to have access to computers, 'fairly stable Internet' and perhaps money for membership, the sector would have reached maturity age (18-24) by now. It would not be a surprise that most of whom have other things to do, and simply leave their gaming days behind them. If we look at what kids these days have access to in their spare time, the plethora of entertainment options ranging from some very appealing TV shows, various consoles (old and new), plenty of music (Spotify, iTunes radio, CDs and maybe vinyls if you are more retro) and even games on PC. More options, often at a lower cost (subjectively speaking - people who like subscription vs those who like upfront lump sum payment), have less commitment (non-subscription based meaning greater flexibility) and are more enjoyable (partly because of how gaming is scrutinised in kids' and adolescents' culture; but also the undeniable fact that improvement in efficiency in other aspects of our lives may reduce our attention span, which leads to less interest in repetitive and mindless tasks (i.e. grinding in most MMORPG)). All these contribute to the idea that the potential market has gotten more competitive and smaller at the same time (reduced birth rates over the past decade or so, across the MEDCs and NICs). To some extent, it also signifies the decline of other similar MMORPG, namely WoW. I think it is just coincidental that the GE, safe wilderness and the new Pest Control reward system came out about the same time when many of the first group of gamers reach their 'maturity age' and it may have just exacerbated their departures from the game. Around the same time, you have the influx of the Miniclip generation, which would have reached maturity by the time that EoC came out. I think it is just coincidental. In the year or so that precedes the EoC, the advent in technology and improved accessibility to computers and other gadgets meant that kids no longer have to 'settle' for a game; instead, they are free to try new things (of course, this isn't helped by the reputation that RS is an elementary MMORPG). I would propose that Jagex failed to recognise the other non-gaming related reasons to why players depart from the game, or have underestimated the impact of improved technology (especially over the past 5 years with development of smartphones and their applications, social media and popular cultures) on their potential market. These factors facilitated the decline of RS even before EoC. EoC merely exacerbated the process. The simple answer is 'no'. EoC contributed to the decline, but is by no means the primary reason. Disclaimer: Of course, I am assuming that the majority of gamers fit into the high school/adolescent and university/young adult age categories. I cannot recall any specific sources but wasn't there some sort of a census some years ago about the demographics of RS players? The 'decline' that I am referring to refers to the perceived global population drop from the 120-150k average to 30-50k average in recent times - which provides a snapshot of the potential active players (minus the varying number of bots for the former set of figures) despite the limited credibility to any conclusions that are drawn from these figures. Are the population numbers given in various places on their website even an accurate reflection of the reality?

I have followed the Oranje, Eredivisie and Ajax for a very long time. The Spain game is very good publicity imo for an otherwise underrated league; its significance and style reminded me of the 1995 UCL final - the LVG factor once again. Although this time it's like Feyenoord (as opposed to Ajax) - Vlaar, Martins Indi, de Vrij, Janmaat, Kongolo, Clasie, de Guzman, Leroy Fer, van Persie and Kuyt. The problem with Spain (ironically, playing the classic Oranje style) is that the players have played like 60 game-season before the WC, fatigue and form loss is understandable especially with age. I am hoping for a Brazil v Spain (need Spain to finish 2nd though) round of 16. England had the same problems as Liverpool last season; but that said, Pirlo is magical (remember the last Euro?). Shame Antonio Di Natale retired, he could have made it at 35. I am a massive fan of Klose; with Reus out and the inconsistency of Ozil, I am curious to see what tactics will be employed by Low in final 1/3 (4231-ish..but who plays 10?). Penalties given so far are just disappointing...very soft claims. Diego Costa is lucky not to have been sent off. Again, none of the decisions are particularly game-changing (Brazil game..maybe), but it does highlight a problem with trusting the refs' judgment with so much at stake. Switzerland game in around 1.5 hr time should be good. I have my eyes on Barnetta and Stocker.