#Review Rating Impact

[ennobletechnologies]

The Power of Online Reviews & Reputation Management

Introduction

In the digital age, where the internet reigns supreme, the influence of online reviews and reputation management cannot be underestimated. Consumers today heavily rely on the opinions and experiences shared by others before making purchase decisions. This article explores the significance of online reviews and the art of reputation management.

The Impact of Online Reviews

The New Word of Mouth

In this digital age, the landscape of recommendations has undergone a significant transformation. Online reviews have emerged as the new gold standard, effectively replacing the traditional “word of mouth” recommendation. Today, individuals eagerly turn to the vast expanse of the internet in search of valuable advice from complete strangers.

The power of online reviews cannot be underestimated. A single positive review holds immense potential for your business, acting as a powerful endorsement that can catapult your brand’s reputation to new heights.

It is crucial to recognize that in today’s competitive marketplace, consumers place tremendous trust in the opinions shared by other consumers online. A well-crafted review not only showcases the quality and value offered by your business but also fosters a sense of authenticity and transparency that resonates deeply with discerning individuals.

Embracing this paradigm shift by actively encouraging and engaging with customer reviews can prove instrumental in propelling your business forward. By consistently delivering exceptional experiences and encouraging satisfied customers to share their thoughts online, you create a virtuous cycle where positive endorsements attract even more clientele.

Therefore, it is evident that harnessing the power of online reviews holds great promise for businesses seeking to thrive in this digital era. The impact is undeniable: these testimonials offer profound social proof that influences purchasing decisions, establishes credibility within your industry, and ultimately solidifies your position as a trusted brand worthy of consideration.

Boosting Trust

Customers are more likely to trust the experiences of fellow consumers. A high number of positive reviews can help establish trust, making your business more appealing to potential clients.

Search Engine Visibility

Search engines, like Google, consider online reviews in their ranking algorithms. Positive reviews can improve your website’s visibility and bring in more organic traffic.

Reputation Management: The Art of Shaping Perceptions

Proactive vs. Reactive

Reputation management can be proactive or reactive. Proactive management involves taking steps to build a positive image from the start. Reactive management deals with addressing negative feedback and restoring your reputation.

Social Media Presence

Active engagement on social media platforms is vital. Responding to comments and feedback in a friendly and professional manner can work wonders for your reputation.

Continue Reading: https://ennobletechnologies.com/digital-marketing/power-of-online-reviews/

[falderaletcetera]

gotta say, pretty much everyone who left a poor review on the tsuranga conundrum on imdb (the episode has an alien dude who's heavily pregnant, treated serously by the story) would not survive hanging out with aliens at an outer space bar, and would not survive diplomacy with any alien race. they can stay home while we go out and dance greet the universe, okay? okay.

[yukihime242]

Honkai Star Rail (HSR) is the latest Mihoyo game released within 2023, and players are immensely enjoying both the game, and the new game experience. However, like everything in life, HSR does has its pros and cons.

To explore those areas, I will be comparing HSR with its sister game, Genshin Impact (Genshin). The reason is because the game mechanics are similar to that of Genshin, hence comparing them seems reasonable. However, I will only be touching on the features lightly since HSR is still an infant at this point. Comparing a toddler to a teenager does not seem fair.

I also have to preface that in no way is this post meant to discriminate either games. This post is just to explore what are the game features and mechanics present in HSR and Genshin.

1️⃣ Movement features

(Picture Source: GameWith thru’ Google Image Search)

Okay, this is the most obvious and the first thing that will definitely come to everybody’s minds. 

First of all, I understand why HSR does not have a gliding feature in the game (for now) as the game is set in space. And even if there is, it most likely will be redundant to copy exactly as Genshin. HSR is set in a futuristic/cyberish setting. If there were to be gliders, I think jet packs strapped to the body, or boots enhancement to make the characters fly like Iron Man would make more sense.

Secondly, climbing. I have to admit, I don’t really see any potential need to climb in HSR... Imagine climbing inside Herta’s Space Station. Like, where on earth would you climb to? 

Thirdly, HSR characters can’t jump. This is very hilarious. HSR characters can’t jump. That is the most basic movement feature that should be included in every game. I don’t really understand why the developers did not let HSR characters jump. Players who experienced this started poking fun of HSR by making short videos of Genshin characters being able to jump.

And finally, sprinting. I have to say that HSR sprint is a lot better than Genshin. There is no stamina bar that limits your sprinting in HSR. You can sprint as long as you want in the game.

2️⃣ Battle Mechanics

(Picture Source: Hoyoverse thru’ Google Image Search)

This is another obvious difference between the two games. HSR provides a new battle experience by introducing turn-based battle. In a turn-based battle, characters each take turns to deliver an action (attack, defend, withdraw etc.) and receive damage from the enemies. The good news about turn-based games is that they are generally one of the easiest strategy and attack games. The bad news... well, it’s Mihoyo.

Both game battle types has its good and bad. In Genshin, players may struggle during battles if they do not build and use the politically correct team composition. However, it is still possible to overcome the battle with the “wrong” team composition as the battle mechanics does not restrict you to waiting for a turn. In other words, you can attack with a fire element, and quickly follow up with an electric element, apply healing effects to your character, and apply a shield afterwards. Those actions continuously applies damage to your enemies. And all of this could happen within a few seconds.

(Picture Source: PC Invasion thru’ Google Image Search)

On the other hand, turn-based games requires you to think strategically on how you should attack and/or defend, and even consider withdrawing from the battles. Think of it like a game of chess. Both players take turns to move their pieces, but at the same time, they have to ponder quickly and wisely on what their next move should be so that they could win the game.

In most of the turn-based games I have played, the sequence you place your characters in the team usually isn’t the biggest issue; it is the attack power your team has. The same can be said for HSR. The attack power of your characters in the team makes a difference to whether you can survive the battle. In my experience (with other turn-based games), my strongest characters would always be able to carry me through majority of the game.

As mentioned earlier, the sequence in which your characters are placed in the team for turn-based games isn’t usually an issue. However, in HSR, it is. 

(Picture Source: Polygon thru’ Google Image Search)

The reason is because in each battle, whoever is placed on the extreme left end of your team will be the first to attack, followed by the second, third, and the fourth. If we use the picture above as an example, it means that when a HSR battle begins, Bronya will be the first attacker, followed by March, then yourself (Kiwi), and finally Serval. After one round, the sequence repeats.

During a HSR battle, there is no way for you to switch your other characters in the team. Meaning if it is Bronya’s turn to attack, but you want to switch straight to Serval, you cannot do it. The only time you are allowed to “skip” to Serval is if you use Serval’s ultimate skill. Afterwards, it goes back to Bronya, or March, depending if you have already used Bronya’s attack prior to utilizing Serval’s ultimate skill.

3️⃣ Healing

(Picture Source: Prima Games thru’ Google Image Search)

There are a couple of ways to heal in Genshin. The first is to visit a Statue of the Seven. The second way is to use your healing characters. The third way is to stuff your dying characters with healing food.

Visiting the Statue of the Seven during a battle is possible, it disrupts the battle and when the player returns, they will have to start from the beginning again. This is why many players in Genshin tend to stock up on healing food and place a healing character in the team. If one of their characters is dying during the battle, the players can use either the healing food midway through the battle, or just apply their healing characters’ healing skill to heal their dying characters.

In HSR, while we do have a healing character, it can be difficult to receive heals from her during the battle. As mentioned in the previous point, each action in a turn-based battle is considered as an action. Once that action has been taken, the game will move on to the next character or enemy. Hence, letting Natasha, the only healer in the game, to help provide healing during the battle is something that all players has to consider.

(Picture Source: Dot Esports thru’ Google Image Search)

Now, I am not saying that players should not equip healers into their team; healers are great assets to teams especially when encountering tough battles. But players should make wise decisions when equipping healers. Not only do they take up a slot in your team’s 4 character space, they most likely do not provide much damage.

Moreover, the high damage dealers may perish earlier before the healer could heal in turn-based games. While they are great assets, my personal recommendation is to focus on making your team as strong as possible. Healers should be considered the last resort to add into the team.

4️⃣ The system features

(Picture Source: Item Level thru’ Google Image Search)

Players who has played Genshin will have an easier time navigating their way through most of the system features in HSR. Most of it is very similar to Genshin’s system layout.

Given that Genshin is not HSR, it is understandable for HSR to adopt other monikers for their respective system features. But I feel that some of the names are quite confusing.

(Picture Source: Silicorne thru’ Google Image Search)

One of those confusing names is the cooking. In Genshin, it’s simply called cooking. In HSR, it’s called Synthesizing. 

I hope as time goes by I will get more used to HSR’s system features. But I also hope that the developers of HSR make it as simple as Genshin.

-------------------------------------------------------

Alright, that is it for now. I can see that I am running out of brain juice towards the end of my post 😂

I would like to remind once again that the post is not meant to discriminate one game against the other, but just an overview of the comparison between the two game features.

[todayworldnews2k21]

Rajasthan lags behind in women empowerment and economic measures | Data

Rajasthan election campaign: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot during public meeting for the upcoming assembly elections, in Jaipur, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. The Rajasthan Assembly elections are scheduled to take place on November 25. A comparison of the economic, social, and environmental indicators of the poll-bound State with the indicators of other States shows that Rajasthan improved its…

[godforg1veme]

Funny how JG (the epitome of sexism in all of its forms) is worse at his own job than LR (a woman)

[mercuryhc2024]

How Hyper-Hypothermia Units Enhance Patient Recovery: Mercury Healthcare 

In the realm of modern medicine, precision and control over patient conditions during and after treatment are crucial for successful outcomes. Hyper-hypothermia units play a significant role in this aspect, providing essential temperature regulation that enhances patient recovery. These units, designed to either elevate or lower body temperatures as required, are vital in various medical treatments and surgical procedures. Mercury Healthcare, a leading manufacturer and supplier in India, stands at the forefront of this technology, offering top-quality hyper-hypothermia units that ensure optimal patient care and recovery. 

Understanding Hyper-Hypothermia Units 

Hyper-hypothermia units are medical devices used to control a patient's body temperature. Hyperthermia refers to raising the body temperature, while hypothermia involves lowering it. These units are equipped with advanced technology to precisely manage temperature, ensuring that it stays within the desired range. This control is crucial in various medical scenarios, including surgeries, post-operative care, and specific treatments for conditions like cancer and cardiac arrest. 

Enhancing Patient Recovery 

Optimizing Surgical Outcomes 

During surgeries, maintaining an optimal body temperature is critical. Hyper-hypothermia units ensure that the patient’s body temperature remains stable, reducing the risk of complications such as infections or excessive bleeding. This stability contributes to better surgical outcomes and faster recovery times. 

Post-Operative Care 

After surgery, patients often face the challenge of maintaining stable body temperatures. Hyper-hypothermia units aid in this by providing consistent temperature management, which is essential for healing and reducing post-operative complications. Patients benefit from quicker recovery times and improved overall outcomes. 

Cancer Treatment 

Hyperthermia therapy, where body tissue is exposed to high temperatures, is a promising approach in cancer treatment. It can enhance the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy. Hyper-hypothermia units enable precise control of the temperature, ensuring the therapy's effectiveness while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. 

Cardiac Arrest and Trauma Care 

Inducing hypothermia in patients who have suffered cardiac arrest or severe trauma can significantly improve survival rates and neurological outcomes. Controlled cooling slows down the body's metabolic processes, protecting vital organs, especially the brain, from damage. Hyper-hypothermia units are indispensable in emergency settings for such critical interventions. 

Neonatal Care 

In neonatal care, maintaining the right body temperature for premature or ill infants is vital. Hyper-hypothermia units provide the necessary thermal support to these vulnerable patients, enhancing their chances of survival and reducing complications. 

Why Choose Mercury Healthcare? 

When it comes to selecting the best hyper-hypothermia units, Mercury Healthcare emerges as the leading manufacturer and supplier in India. Here’s why: 

Advanced Technology: Mercury Healthcare’s hyper-hypothermia units are built with state-of-the-art technology, ensuring precise and reliable temperature control. This advanced technology is crucial for enhancing patient recovery in various medical scenarios. 

Quality Assurance: Mercury Healthcare adheres to stringent quality standards, ensuring that every unit is thoroughly tested and certified. This commitment to quality guarantees that healthcare providers receive only the best equipment for their patients. 

Comprehensive Support: Understanding the critical nature of their equipment, Mercury Healthcare provides exceptional customer support, including training, maintenance, and technical assistance. This ensures that healthcare facilities can effectively utilize their hyper-hypothermia units to enhance patient care. 

Customized Solutions: Recognizing that different medical scenarios require specific temperature management, Mercury Healthcare offers a range of hyper-hypothermia units tailored to various medical needs, ensuring optimal functionality and effectiveness. 

Conclusion 

Hyper-hypothermia units are pivotal in modern medical treatments, significantly enhancing patient recovery by providing precise temperature control. From optimizing surgical outcomes to supporting critical care and neonatal patients, these units are indispensable in healthcare settings. Mercury Healthcare, as the best hyper-hypothermia units manufacturer and supplier in India, stands out with its advanced technology, commitment to quality, and comprehensive support. Trust Mercury Healthcare for top-tier hyper-hypothermia units that ensure optimal patient care and recovery. 

[yujofficial]

yuj: Top Digital Design Company in India & USA

yuj, a global UX design company, is thrilled to announce another significant milestone! We are honored to be recognized as the Best Digital Design Company in the India and USA region by Clutch. This accolade underscores our dedication to crafting impactful designs and assisting our clients in achieving their desired ROI. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for their trust and belief in our work.

[reasonsforhope]

Green energy is in its heyday. 

Renewable energy sources now account for 22% of the nation’s electricity, and solar has skyrocketed eight times over in the last decade. This spring in California, wind, water, and solar power energy sources exceeded expectations, accounting for an average of 61.5 percent of the state's electricity demand across 52 days. 

But green energy has a lithium problem. Lithium batteries control more than 90% of the global grid battery storage market. 

That’s not just cell phones, laptops, electric toothbrushes, and tools. Scooters, e-bikes, hybrids, and electric vehicles all rely on rechargeable lithium batteries to get going. 

Fortunately, this past week, Natron Energy launched its first-ever commercial-scale production of sodium-ion batteries in the U.S. 

“Sodium-ion batteries offer a unique alternative to lithium-ion, with higher power, faster recharge, longer lifecycle and a completely safe and stable chemistry,” said Colin Wessells — Natron Founder and Co-CEO — at the kick-off event in Michigan. 

The new sodium-ion batteries charge and discharge at rates 10 times faster than lithium-ion, with an estimated lifespan of 50,000 cycles.

Wessells said that using sodium as a primary mineral alternative eliminates industry-wide issues of worker negligence, geopolitical disruption, and the “questionable environmental impacts” inextricably linked to lithium mining. 

“The electrification of our economy is dependent on the development and production of new, innovative energy storage solutions,” Wessells said. 

Why are sodium batteries a better alternative to lithium?

The birth and death cycle of lithium is shadowed in environmental destruction. The process of extracting lithium pollutes the water, air, and soil, and when it’s eventually discarded, the flammable batteries are prone to bursting into flames and burning out in landfills. 

There’s also a human cost. Lithium-ion materials like cobalt and nickel are not only harder to source and procure, but their supply chains are also overwhelmingly attributed to hazardous working conditions and child labor law violations. 

Sodium, on the other hand, is estimated to be 1,000 times more abundant in the earth’s crust than lithium. 

“Unlike lithium, sodium can be produced from an abundant material: salt,” engineer Casey Crownhart wrote ​​in the MIT Technology Review. “Because the raw ingredients are cheap and widely available, there’s potential for sodium-ion batteries to be significantly less expensive than their lithium-ion counterparts if more companies start making more of them.”

What will these batteries be used for?

Right now, Natron has its focus set on AI models and data storage centers, which consume hefty amounts of energy. In 2023, the MIT Technology Review reported that one AI model can emit more than 626,00 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

“We expect our battery solutions will be used to power the explosive growth in data centers used for Artificial Intelligence,” said Wendell Brooks, co-CEO of Natron. 

“With the start of commercial-scale production here in Michigan, we are well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for efficient, safe, and reliable battery energy storage.”

The fast-charging energy alternative also has limitless potential on a consumer level, and Natron is eying telecommunications and EV fast-charging once it begins servicing AI data storage centers in June. 

On a larger scale, sodium-ion batteries could radically change the manufacturing and production sectors — from housing energy to lower electricity costs in warehouses, to charging backup stations and powering electric vehicles, trucks, forklifts, and so on. 

“I founded Natron because we saw climate change as the defining problem of our time,” Wessells said. “We believe batteries have a role to play.”

-via GoodGoodGood, May 3, 2024

--

Note: I wanted to make sure this was legit (scientifically and in general), and I'm happy to report that it really is! x, x, x, x

[headspace-hotel]

data about where carbon emissions are coming from is so frustrating cause there's all kinds of huge, sprawling, just fucking vast breakdowns of What Causes The Most Carbon Emissions Out Of All Everything In The Entire World, but those are aggregations of numerous smaller but still vast aggregations of data, which are processed and polished from various aggregations of crunched numbers, which are patched and pieced together from various studies, estimates and calculations, which are sieved out of numbers crunched from various measurements, estimates and records, which have been collected, estimated or otherwise conceived through an unspeakably huge variety of methodologies with unspeakably huge variety in limitations, reliability and margins of error.

Even if some of the data was very fine-grained at the beginning, it was filtered through some very coarse number-crunching techniques for the sake of the coarse data, so the results are only as good as the wrongest thing you did in any part of this process, but the plans of action are getting thought up from the top down, which makes the whole thing a hot fucking mess.

For example. And I just made this example up. Say you want to know whether apples or potatoes have a worse impact on climate change. So you look at one of these huge ass infographic things. And it says that potatoes are bad, whereas apples are REALLY good, the BEST crop actually. So it's better to eat apples than potatoes, you think to yourself. Actually we should find a way to replace potatoes with apples! We should fund genetic engineering of apples so they have more starch and can replace potatoes. Great idea. Time to get some investors to put $5 billion towards it.

But actually. Where'd they get that conclusion about apples? Well there's this review right here of the carbon footprint of all different fruits, seems legit. Where'd that data come from? Well it's citing this study right here saying that tree-grown crops are better because they sequester carbon, and this study right here about the distance that different fruits get transported, and this study right here where different fertilization systems are compared in terms of their carbon footprint, and this study over here that sampled 300 apple, peach, and orange farmers comparing their irrigation practices and rates of tree mortality, and this study...wow, okay, seems really reliable...

...what's the first study citing? oh, okay, here's a study about mycorrhizal networks in orchards in Oregon, saying that there's a super high density of fungal mycelium in the 16 orchards that they sampled. And here's a study about leaf litter decay rates in Switzerland under different pesticide regimes, and...okay...relationship of tree spacing to below ground vs. aboveground biomass...a review of above and below-ground biomass in semi-intensively managed orchard plots...

...That one cites "Relationship between biomass and CO2 requirements...carbon immobilization in soil of various tree species...mycorrhizal fungi impact on carbon storage...

...wait a second, none of these are talking about apples, they're about boreal forests...and orange trees...and peanut farms! They're just speculating on roughly applying the non-apple data to apples. You have to go backwards...

Yes! "A review of belowground carbon storage in orchard cropping systems!" Seems like overall the studies find potentially high carbon storage in orchard environments! Walnuts...pears...oranges... intercropping walnuts and wheat... intercropping apples and wheat... wait a second, what about orchards with only apples?

Time for you to go back again...

"New method of mulching in apple orchards can lower irrigation and pesticide needs..." okay but if it's new, most farmers aren't doing it. "Orchards with high density interplanted with annual crops show way more mycorrhizal fungus activity..." "Mycorrhizal associations with trees in the genus Malus..."

...And pretty soon you've spent Five Fucking Hours investigating apples and you've got yourself in this tangled web of citations that demonstrate that some orchard crops (not necessarily apples) store a lot of long-lasting biomass in their trunks and roots really well—and some apple orchards (not necessarily typical ones) have high amounts of mycorrhizal fungi—and some techniques of mulching in orchards (not necessarily the ones apple farmers use) experience less erosion—and some apple trees (not necessarily productive agricultural apples) have really deep root systems—

—and some environments with trees, compared with some conventional agricultural fields, store more carbon and experience less erosion, but not apple orchards because that data wasn't collected in apple orchards.

And you figure out eventually that there is no direct evidence anywhere in the inputs that singles out apples as The Best Crop For Fighting Climate Change, or suggests that conventional apple farming has a much smaller carbon footprint than anything else.

The data just spit out "apples" after an unholy writhing mass of Processes that involved 1) observing some tree-grown crops and deciding it applies closely enough to all tree grown crops 2) observing some apple orchards and deciding its applicable enough to all apple orchards 3) observing some tree-including environments and deciding its close enough to all tree-including environments 4) observing some farming methods and deciding it applies closely enough to all farming methods

And any one of these steps individually would be fine and totally unavoidable, but when strung together repeatedly they distort the original data into A Puddle of Goo.

And it wouldn't be that bad even to string them together, if trees didn't vary that much, and farming didn't vary that much, and soil didn't vary that much, and mycorrhizal networks didn't vary that much, and regions that grow apples didn't vary that much, and pre-conversion-to-apple-orchard states of apple orchards didn't vary that much, and economic incentives controlling apple farming didn't vary that much, but all of these things DO vary, a Fuck Ton, and if the full range of variation were taken into account—nay, intentionally optimized—the distinction between apples and potatoes might turn out to be be MEANINGLESS GOO.

anyway big size piles of data about Farming, In General, make me so bitchy

[hattedhedgehog]

My (spoiler-free) thoughts on Dragon Age: The Veilguard

The review embargo has lifted and I can officially say that I've played through Dragon Age: The Veilguard early! 

Here are my spoiler-free thoughts and personal opinions on the overall gameplay experience: 

Narrative:

Rook's dialogue and decisions impact SO MUCH of the game, and come into play later on. From companions remembering your beverage preferences, to whether someone you spared shows up later to help or harm you, it feels like the game is paying attention and that you matter.

The stakes are unbelievably high. The Evanuris are utterly terrifying villains, in ways that Corypheus wasn’t. You really feel the magnitude of their power on a personal level as well as a worldwide level.

Whatever your thoughts on him, Solas is FUN as a character. He’s fun to talk to, fun to talk strategy with, fun to rile up and verbally spar with and fun to grudgingly ally with. Now that he can drop his former act and appear to you as the Dread Wolf, and you get to see his memories, you and he team get to decide how to utilise his knowledge and how far your trust extends.

The setup and payoff of the story beats are absolutely superb. The emotional turmoil as a player of being ensnared by things that was foreshadowed earlier in the game is utterly exquisite. Every thread of the larger tapestry has been woven with so much love by the writing team, and every character’s arc tie into the larger story in interesting ways.

The characters feel like they have full lives outside of the player character. You frequently go exploring their home turf and can meet their friends and family. They interact with each other on their own and move about the Lighthouse to spend time together, leave notes for each other, and talk about each other even when the other isn’t there. The team feels like they all really care about each other as well as you. 

You can tell what your approval rating is with characters, but if you want to romance them you have to put some thought into it. Interactions and world events besides the heart on the dialogue wheel influence their attraction to you.

Gameplay:

The combat is very engaging, and I enjoyed how unique all the enemies were.

Abilities in the skill tree can be refunded so you can redirect to a different specialization, which is really handy if you’re indecisive and overwhelmed at first (like I get when choosing abilities).  Most companions can get healing abilities no matter what class, so you don’t have to worry about balancing your rogues/mages/warriors (most of the time).

Climbing, balancing on ledges, using ziplines and sliding down slopes made environments feel more immersive. Additionally I like how each companion has unique abilities that let them interact with the world (fixing mechanisms, breathing fire, summoning bridges from the Fade, etc), and learning their abilities alongside them helps you grow closer.

The wayfinder light makes everything feel streamlined, so it's way harder to get lost while exploring an area. I hardly had to look at the mini map at all, and usually I’m glued to it! This meant I could actually look around at the beautiful environments and appreciate how lively they were, even without NPCs.

The upgrade system is far less overwhelming than in Inquisition; there are a finite amount of weapons/armour/accessories to be found, which are designed for each specific character like in DA:O and DA:2. There's also no longer crafting from scratch. If you loot an item you already have, it automatically upgrades the single item rather than giving you duplicates.

You know that frustration of coming across higher-level armour that just isn’t as flattering as your current one? Not to worry, you can collect “appearances” which you can toggle on as the visual for the armour while still retaining the benefits of the original.

I cannot stress enough how simple and easy to use the inventory is. It's heavenly. 

Using the shops of specific cities increases your reputation within those cities, which is a good incentive to explore and use the shops. I usually hate in-world shopping but here it was simple, and thinking about it tactically worked pretty well.

Quests sometimes reach a point where you can't continue at your current place in the story, and must return to in later acts. When re-exploring familiar areas, everything feeling big enough to be fresh with each visit, and new loot and codex entires appear.

Edit: something I forgot to mention. In character creator, you get to make your Inquisitor after you make Rook. The build menus are all the same, so manage your energy accordingly for doing it all again immediately after for your Inky. I spent an hour and a half building my Rook and wanted to get right to playing, and had to re-wire my brain a bit to be patient and keep going with the CC. (Seeing my Inquisitor with new graphics was awesome though).

A couple little things I appreciated:

The control sounds are very pleasing. From the whoosh of opening the combat wheel to the clinking of upgrades to the subtle whir of holding the decision button, they're a nice touch.

If companions are interrupted in conversation by combat, they resume it afterwards with a "what were you saying before?".

Photo mode is so fun to play with, and you can adjust blur/brightness/lens/depth within the scene. You can also toggle on and off the visibility of your Rook, your party, NPCs and enemies!

Assan learns new interaction tricks at the Lighthouse as the game goes on.

Nitpicks:

Overall I had an incredibly positive experience. The gripes I had were tiny things like:

I genuinely like the new art style of the game as a whole. However, the blurriness of some of the features in contrast with some elements being very crisp was distracting.

When trying to sell valuables for faction points without using Sell All, it takes quite a long time to count up all the individual sales, and it isn't a live counter. So it's kind of annoying if you get +3 points for each item you sell, need 150 points to get the next tier of items, and over 10K worth of valuables that you want to sell to other factions. 

If you do lots of quests without returning to the Lighthouse often, occasionally companions at the Lighthouse will have dialogue pertaining to the quests you've just finished as if you haven't done them.

You can pet the dogs and cats in the cities, but Rook turns their back to the camera to do it and it blocks most of the action unless you rotate quickly.

Gender stuff:

I was incredibly moved that not only can Rook be trans/nonbinary in the character creator if you so choose, but they get options to feel differently about their identity and journey, and it impacts their dialogue and how they relate to other characters! To access this make sure to interact with Varric's Mirror in your room in the Lighthouse. There are many conversation options throughout the game to discuss your identity with other characters, or relate your change of self to other situations. Crucially, it comes up when entering a romance and you have to communicate with your partner about it, which I never even THOUGHT of including in a game because it seemed impossible to even allow trans main characters to begin with.

There are also multiple trans and nonbinary characters throughout Thedas. What I found the most realistic was that just like in life, it is a consistent presence in any character's life, and comes up in conversation more than once. I have never seen a game this forthcoming and open about the topic of transitioning, and it was so validating. 

Final thoughts:

I adore the other games in the franchise. Something about The Veilguard affected me in a way no other game has. I cried multiple times while playing this game, both from joy and sadness. What struck me most is that the people who worked on this game REALLY listened to feedback from previous games, and were very set on making a piece of art that meant something to people. Even during the last few years of me testing the game, things have been adjusted and changed in direct response to our reactions and suggestions. It's surreal and quite touching.

Mileage will vary, but my playthrough was 70 hours on very low difficulty and I haven't done every side quest yet. I could easily have spent more than 100 hours in the game if I wasn't pressed for time.

I hope you enjoy this game as much as I have. See you in Thedas.

[ennobletechnologies]

Unlock the power of online reviews for effective reputation management. Enhance your online presence and build trust with customer feedback.

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[princealberich]

HOW DO I COMPLAIN TO HOYOVERSE?

It's easy, and there are MULTIPLE things you can do! I recommend doing each item on this list.

1. SIGN & SHARE THE PETITION

The petition will be delivered to the appropriate cultural reps, in order to complain to the CCP about the negative impression this is leaving on Chinese companies. Genshin Impact is highly favoured by the government for the positive press it gives the country, and putting pressure on the 'big daddy' is FAR more likely to make Hoyoverse buckle.

As of right now, the petition has nearly 38k signatures.

2. EMAIL HOYOVERSE

Email them directly at genshin_cs@hoyoverse.com to state how this has affected your desire to continue playing their games.

3. USE THE IN-GAME SURVEY OR FEEDBACK

Genshin Impact has frequent update surveys, and there is a permanent option to give feedback at any time. You can find it in the Paimon Menu.

4. REVIEW BOMB

Rate Hoyoverse's games, particularly Genshin, with one star on the app store. This has already proven in the past to have an effect, when this caused the team to review the anniversary rewards.

Here is a guide on how to do this!

5. POST IN OFFICIAL HOYOVERSE ACCOUNTS' COMMENTS

Do not be silent! Speak up about your displeasure. It's important that these comments outweigh the rest! Show that we are the MAJORITY.

6. SPEAK UP

Use the tags!

#BoycottHYV #WhyAreTheyWhiteHoyo #GenshinImpact #FixNatlan

Be relentless.

FURTHER DETAILS UNDER THE CUT!

WHAT SHOULD I NOT DO?

The following actions should NOT be taken:

DO NOT spend money on Hoyoverse games.

DO NOT sent threats, to voice actors OR customer service staff.

DO NOT engage with trolls or racists. Block and report.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

It's easy to dismiss this in the face of 'more important' issues in the world at the moment, but Genshin Impact (And by extension, Hoyoverse) is a very influential game and company. It is extremely popular, and directly influences MANY other games and players through this popularity.

This isn't an issue of 'just stop playing'- This is not anger for a game's decisions, it's anger for a precedent. It's a demand that not only should Hoyoverse care about representation, but other, smaller, companies too. If Hoyoverse can get away with it, so can others- But if Hoyoverse is held accountable for their exploitation of culture, then it sets the precedent that other companies have no chance of doing the same.

Like it or not, Hoyoverse has a lot of influence, and the CCP itself values the company for giving China a positive image in other countries. This is bigger than just being mad at character design.

EDIT: It was also pointed out to me that if POC were to simply stop engaging with hostile content, they would have nothing left. 'Just stop playing' isn't fair, plain and simple. POC deserve to play the things that they enjoy WITHOUT being ostracized.

DOES HOYOVERSE LISTEN?

They listen if there's no money lining their pockets, they listen if their reputation is damaged, and they listen if the CCP gets involved. We have direct evidence of this.

Review bombing alone caused Hoyoverse to reconsider the first anniversary rewards.

The CCP forced Hoyoverse to reskin various characters to comply with their laws, which HYV did. (This isn't necessarily a good thing, however, it is still evidence that CCP has influence over them.)

This is by far the largest outcry the company has seen so far, and MANY of HYV's voice actors have spoken out in support for the movement as well. This is not just playerbase complaints, but staff, too.

I recommend following AvenOfStrats on X/Twitter for further updates on the petition's progress, and on other ways to contribute. They also share plenty of resources on why this is important, and guides on how to complain.

[yukihime242]

It is at that time of the year where I review my games played and is still currently playing for the year. This is the post for the Currently Playing games, so if you are wanting to see my opinions for other games, you can visit either my Completed or Anticipating posts.

Now, on to the Currently Playing games!

1️⃣ Genshin Impact

(Picture Source: Pocket Tactics thru' Google Image Search)

I will keep this short because it is one of the games that I constantly update about on.

Yes, it's also no surprise that this game is still in my currently playing list. The story of the game is getting more and more interesting as we are very deep into the lore at this point. Many players are now finding out whether or not their age old theories are coming true. And because we are deep into the lore, many of the questions we have from the beginning of the game are also being answered in some aspect.

There isn't much for me to say at this point because I am working very hard on my characters and trying to build them up. The other thing about the game I need to catch up on is the event story and my exploration of the regions. I also have other world quests that I have yet to complete so that is quite a pile for me to take on.

2️⃣ Honkai Star Rail

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

I know I hardly talk about this game but it is also in the same basket as Genshin. So while I have not caught up to the current events, I am quite grateful that the game has set aside the events I have yet to play in a separate folder and I can visit it whenever I am free to do so.

Anyway, just like Genshin, I am focused on building up my characters in the game. The great thing about it is, due to the battle mechanics, it is easy for me to know what to focus on. But it can also get quite boring because there isn't really a "picking at your brains" to determine what is the best build for your characters.

Moreover, unlike Genshin where you can explore the vast open world to get your materials, solve puzzles and such, Star Rail is more of like within a sandbox and the puzzles are just... like that.

(Picture Source: Honkai Star Rail Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

It's probably mean of me to say this as the game is still in its 1.0 patches. I mean, Genshin was kind of in the similar vein back then. Well, it's not like I will abandon the game, but I just hope that there is more to it than the sandbox style we are experiencing.

3️⃣ My Tribe

(Picture Source: Steam thru' Google Image Search)

You all probably have read my one tiny post about this game, I think... I cannot remember if I ever wrote a post about this. But, just for refreshers' sake.

This game is technically the same as Virtual Villagers, or any other survival game that you may have picked up. However, it has better graphics and the villagers at least look nicer.

(Picture Source: MacGameStore thru' Google Image Search)

The game is about this prospering tribe where a selected group of villagers went out to explore and inhabit another island (think of Disney's Moana). Unfortunately, they encountered a storm and got shipwrecked onto an unknown island. It is your job, as the "guidance from heaven", to help your villagers prosper once more and become Moana again.

To start the game off, you get to choose the island you want your villagers to be shipwrecked on. Each island has three different mysteries that your villagers need to solve (with your guidance). My suggestion here is to pick an island that has the Moondust pillar. It looks like that Stardust Pillar in the picture above but it is blue and has a crescent-shaped moon instead.

Allow me to explain quickly. In the game, you will have two dust falling onto your island: Stardust and Moondust. Stardust are more common than Moondust. For the mystery pillar you see in the picture above, once you solve it, it acts as a beacon for its respective dust to fall more often onto your island. It makes more sense to take the island with the Moondust pillar instead, doesn't it?

After you have selected your island, that's when you start the game proper. There is a crate near the shore where you can drop a villager onto to acquire the tools needed to farm stuff (wood and rock pile).

(Picture Source: Linda G. Hill thru' Google Image Search)

For the record, that is not my tribe. Anyway, my next advice is to go into the details page of each of your villagers. Just select one villager and you can click on the Details tab on the right.

(Picture Source: Steam Community thru' Google Image Search)

Okay, this is a poor example but it's the only picture I can find. In the details page, you will see your villagers' attributes, such as physical and mental strength. 60 and above is considered great as you can see in the picture above.

This is very important. Assign one task (Fishing, Wood Gathering, Rock Gathering, Construction) to your villager. ONLY one task. The reason being is because you are just starting out and you need to quickly gather supplies. If you select multiple, your villager will multi-task. It seems great, but they may not get things done which could be the demise of your village.

The next advice is to quickly build a hut and a science station. To help speed up the construction progress, use the stardust on the hut first. That's because your villagers need to sleep. In order to get a proper rest, the hut is an essential. However, I won't recommend you building multiple level 1 huts at the go because once your science station is up, you can very quickly get a level 2 hut after you gain enough science points.

(Picture Source: My Tribe for PC Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

In order to gain science points, you will need to assign a villager to do research. However, do that only after the science station is up. Also, the hut is essential to help your village reproduce. You don't really expect them to do it out in the open, right?

A last piece of advice I have, which is quite optional, is that you can add a letter to the back of your villager's name to create a "couple system". You can also do the same for any babies you have produced from the couples. This is completely up to your own decision and not a big necessity.

Another way you can help yourself to the "couple system" is after you have build the craftworks station. You get to make new clothes for your tribesmen. Because I am more of a visual person, I create clothes of the same colour for my couples. The downside of it is that there is a colour limit. While shades do exist in the game, you can easily mistaken it for another colour.

Another huge tip I would give for this game is that it has a pause feature in the game settings. Meaning that unlike most of such games, the game will pause the progress of your villagers if you will be away from your gaming device for a long period of time. This will prevent your villagers from dying unnecessarily because of your lack of supervision.

Overall, it is quite a relaxing game to play.

[kerink]

in light of people's confusion over cecil's longevity in @sexymanotd i wanted to document a bit of his history for those unfamiliar or nostalgic

welcome to night vale is a podcast written by joseph fink and jeffrey cranor. cecil gerschwin palmer is the main character and voiced by cecil baldwin.

it debuted on june 15, 2012 it reached its peak in popularity in 2013-2014

despite this, wtnv has been one of tumblr's top fandoms since staff started tracking fandom-related data in 2014

for the longest time the only thing we knew about cecil's appearance was: "He is wearing a tie. He is not tall or short. Not thin or fat." and that wasn't until episode 19 which aired march 15, 2013. for almost a full year we had no idea what cecil looked like. so tumblr's collective unconscious kicked into high gear and we did what we do best

we created a tumblr sexyman

from know your meme: "Defining traits of the archetype include skinny body type, trickster or villain role and dapper clothing."

know your meme identifies wheatley (portal 2, 2011) and the onceler (the lorax, 2012) as being likely tumblr's first sexymen. and the onceler fandom was at its peak in 2012-2013, the same time as wtnv. in addition to this, the hannibal fandom has been cited as one of the contributing factors to wtnv's success on tumblr.

so tumblr had created an archetype that worked and the wtnv fandom was made up of mostly hannibal fans - the foundation for putting cecil in a suit was there. and honestly? cecil's at work in the show, why wouldn't he be well dressed?

however, while this explains his attire it doesn't explain some of cecil's more unique sexyman features, namely the tentacles. for this we have to return to the 2014 fandom review analysis where you can see the most popular fandom at the time: homestuck

haven't you ever wondered why almost a quarter (189/923 at time of writing) of E rated wtnv fics on ao3 are tagged tentacles or tentacle sex? why cecil having tentacles for a dick is such a seemingly popular headcanon? well look no further then homestuck cultural hold over.

throughout all of this, the development of the sexyman archetype on tumblr and the rise of homestuck, one creator really stands out: kinomatika

kino was one of the most popular homestuck artists on tumblr at the time, popular for their eridan fanart. if you google image search "welcome to night vale" kino's art is still one of the first results you'll get

their design was so popular in fact it was featured in wtnv related articles from the time

and yes there were absolutely other artists giving cecil tentacles and moving tattoos at the time, but it can't be understated the reach kino had and the influence their homestuck roots had on their design choices

i recommend going through the archive of @nightvaleartclub to see how cecil used to be portrayed back in the early days. unfortunately the earliest fanart i've been able to find is july 2013 and i find it hard to believe it took tumblr a year to draw him. although, i started listening at episode 5 and didn't start drawing him until then myself so who knows...

cecil has had tumblr's heart in a vice grip since episode 1, with "20,000 posts, 183,000 blogs and 680,000 notes using the #Night Vale tag" during its first week. tumblr's love for wtnv has always been fairly genuine, from the impact the writing has had on tumblr humor and future story telling, to how wtnv paved the way for lgbt+ representation in indi media, to how it popularized podcasts as a medium for story telling, to the little comforts some of cecil's quotes still bring people today

cecil is not only a founding father of tumblr culture, but also a blorbo of the people. cecil the character in canon has a tumblr account where he posts his art and slash fanfiction.

although cecil's character has developed over time and we've come to see what a ditzy, eccentric, brat he really is, changing his status from sexyman to babygirl, cecil is absolutely a character you should embrace. and you know what... despite what i've said in the past

#cecilsweep

[ID: Images one and two are Google analytic graphs for the search terms "welcome to night vale" and "wtnv" between June 15, 2015 and January 27, 2023. They both depict very sharp spikes around 2013-2014 until the lines decrease greatly over time.

Image three is a drawing of Cecil from Welcome To Nightvale. He is white, with white hair, glasses, a third eye on his forehead, and he is wearing a suit. In the background is the silhouette of a neighborhood from the WTNV official art, a galaxy, and a moon. It is tinted purple. Image four is the always has been meme. Instead of the earth is the tumblr logo, and the text is: “a wtnv fansite?” “Always has been”. End ID] id thanks to @princess-of-purple-prose

[centrally-unplanned]

As I have mentioned before, its very hard to track any economic impact of new LLM models because a lot of systems are built with the "quality check" of "human effort as demonstrated by text responses" in mind, and in particular those have been the targets of application. Peer review, letters of recommendation, analytical reports (no one reads those!), certain legal briefs, etc. Now some systems are agnostic on the quality of those, its pure bureaucracy, so automating it is still a gain. But in the case of peer review, this is essentially an active loss, its shredding value, since current LLMs have dismal accuracy rates, coming to whatever conclusion their prompt implies (or just dice rolls), and that accuracy is why we care about peer review.

So whenever you see claims of "academics have reported 50% decreases in time spent on task X", it needs to be asked if that reduction is freeriding on systems slow to adapt to new ways of cheating.

Though to balance this, peer review is already a pretty broken system; if mass-scale delegitimization is the kick in the pants to make academia actually reform its practices, then that is a huge win. That second-order effect just has to happen first!

[lilyruthere]

This post came from Twitter, after people have been review bombing to get the rating down to 3.6, they’ve started using bots to get back up to 3.9

JUST A REMINDER TO REVIEW BOMB GENSHIN AND THEIR OTHER GAMES (honkai star rail, ZZZ, honkai impact) You can do this by:

1.) Rating them 1 star, and then writing a detailed review about the lack of darker skin colors!