Source: https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/49751
This week at Bungie, we’re beginning our descent to Europa.
Every release, we have a long conversation about what we should show players leading up to launch, and what we should leave for players to discover. We want to build up the sense of wonder as a new Season or expansion makes its approach without spoiling everything that’s coming. With just a week to go before launch, we’ve almost reached our destination.
Video Link
Our Beyond Light Launch Trailer went live last week. A ViDoc, exploring Beyond Light and Season of the Hunt, is available for your viewing pleasure. We’ve released our Season of the Hunt calendar to help you plan out your days for the next few months.
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All that’s left is a quick preview of patch notes and a maintenance timeline. After that, we leave the rest to you.

It’s All in the Patch

Over the last few weeks, our goals have been to set expectations. We’ve covered the Destiny Content Vault, upcoming Sandbox changes, Gambit tuning, and more. These updates aren’t mind-blowing or overly game changing, they’re just nice little morsels to chew on in the final days leading up to launch. In any case, we hope you like the following quality of life appetizers before your meal is delivered on November 10.
Archives
Beginning November 10, two new kiosks will be available in the Tower. First up, the Quest Archive will be found next to the Postmaster. Our hope is that this removes some of the confusion when trying to track down the odd quest that you previously discarded. Additionally, this will be the place for any veteran players to pick up the New Light Quest on November 10, if they have a strong desire to experience new player tutorials and the (re-)introduction to the Cosmodrome.
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Next up, the Monument to Lost Lights Exotic Archive will be found by the Vault. Here, players may acquire various Exotics and Legendary Pinnacle/Pursuit weapons that were once available through now-retired quests. As many of these Exotics were tied to lengthy quests or difficult objectives, we wanted to make sure their prices reflected those previous efforts. Players will need an amount of Glimmer, destination materials, masterworking materials, and an Exotic Cipher or Ascendant Shard in order to purchase the Exotic or Legendary which they desire. We’re also introducing a currency, Spoils of Conquest, which can only be acquired when completing raids. This currency will be required for Exotics previously tied to Vaulted raids.
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In the past, Exotic Ciphers were very limited in nature. While you can expect one to be available as part of the Season Pass, Xur will also offer a quest to earn one Exotic Cipher on a weekly cadence.
Now, let's move on to some traditional patch notes...
Crucible

Trials of Osiris
- Trials of Osiris Power level requirement increased to 1210.
- Added ADEPT weapons and weapon mods to Flawless chest rewards.
- Additional information here (link TWAB).
Maps
- Added physics blockers to some out-of-bounds areas on Altar of Flame.
- Added physics blockers to some out-of-bounds areas on Exodus Blue.
- Added physics blockers to some out-of-bounds areas on Cauldron.

Player Identity

Login screens now have a dark background.
Updated the full-screen menus to have a dark background style.
Player waypoints now display Season Rank, HUD waypoints.
Added toggle functionality to the character screen, allowing the player to make a choice between Light and Dark subclasses.
- Character screen visuals updated depending on player choice between Light and Dark.

Character Creation

Changed selection from "Male" & "Female" to "Masculine" & "Feminine."
Guardian head and hair models have been replaced with improved versions.
- Several color swatches have been changed to better represent the applied color.
- Player’s previous head selections are still used.

Misc

Fixed a bug that prevented online friends from showing up in the roster on Stadia for players with more than 100 friends.
Fixed a bug that occasionally prevented players from earning progress on bounties when joining an activity in progress.
This most notably impacted Iron Banner bounties and could cause players to have their Artifact Power bonus enabled during Iron Banner matches.

A few Sandbox changes that we missed in our Sandbox preview

Traveler's Chosen
- Reduced muzzle flash intensity.
Point of the Stag
- Increased Point of the Stag's Max Power Level to 1310.
Divinity
- Fixed a bug that prevented some weapons from dealing precision damage to the Divinity cage (e.g. Eriana's Vow).
Hunter Dodge
- Increased Hunter's Dodge cooldown by a few seconds.
- (E.g. Tier 4, old cooldown: 22 sec. New cooldown: 26 sec.)
Anti-Champion Mods
- Anti-barrier rounds will now penetrate Taken Phalanx shields.
- All Anti-Champion mods have been shifted to armor, rather than taking a weapon mod slot.
Orbs of Light have been changed to Orbs of Power as they can now be consumed by Light and Dark subclasses.

Before we end our patch note preview, we do want to call out the collectors among you who have been talking about the impending removal of Expired Ramen Coupons from your inventories. We know this one stings a bit. It’s a byproduct of us cleaning up inventory systems and doing general maintenance.
We want to a provide a parting gift before these coupons are tossed into the bin. These coupons can’t be redeemed for spicy ramen, but they can decorate your desktop for as long as you desire.
[4k – SPICY RAMEN COUPONS]
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…and there we have it. Full patch notes will be released on Tuesday around launch time. Stay tuned!

Novembrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

With a new expansion coming next week, we also have a fresh update coming to Bungie Store! We’re entering the holiday season, so it’s a pretty good time to start gift shopping for your favorite Guardians out there in the world.
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Starting November 9, upgrade your arsenal of collectibles and gifts at Bungie Store with new exclusive products and free in-game emblems with purchase, including the Destiny 2: Beyond Light Original Soundtrack!
Cosmic Alignment (Available November 9 through December 4, 2020)
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Between Stars (Available November 9 through February 9, 2021)
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Shattered Harmony (Available November 9 with purchase of Destiny 2: Beyond Light Original Soundtrack)
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Follow @BungieStore on Twitter for more deals and discounts to be announced every Friday in Novembrrrr from The Drifter, The Exo Stranger and Variks.

Let’s Talk Maintenance and Pre-Loads

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Next Monday, November 9, Destiny 2 will go offline for an extended maintenance period. We want to give everyone ample time to download Destiny 2 Update 3.0.0. Our teams are prepping for the launch day assault on our servers. Destiny Player Support has the full timeline for maintenance, downloads, and more. Read up, spread the word, and get ready for Beyond Light.
This is their report.

UPDATE 3.0.0.1
Next Monday, maintenance for Update 3.0.0.1 will begin. Below is a timeline of events:

November 9, 3:30 PM PST (2330 UTC): Background maintenance for Update 3.0.0.1 will begin.

November 9, 4:00 PM PST (0000 UTC): In preparation for downtime, players will be removed from activities and will be required to download a small update before logging in again.

November 9, 6:50 PM PST (0250 UTC): Sign-on for Destiny 2 will be disabled.

November 9, 7:00 PM PST (0300 UTC): Destiny 2 will be brought offline for expected maintenance. Players will be removed from activities and won't be able to log back into Destiny 2 until 9 AM PST on November 10.

November 10, 9:00 AM PST (1700 UTC): Destiny 2 Update 3.0.0.1 will be available across all platforms and regions. Players will be able to log back into Destiny 2.

November 10 12:00 PM PDT (2000 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance is expected to conclude.

For more information, please visit our Destiny Server and Update Status help article.
BEYOND LIGHT PRE-LOAD
Pre-load for Update 3.0.0.1 will be available prior to the game’s release. Below are pre-load timelines and instructions based on platform:
PlayStation
Beginning on November 8 after 8 PM PST (0400 UTC), users can start pre-downloading Update 3.0.0.1 by:

Navigating to Destiny 2

Pressing the “Options” button

And selecting “Check for Updates”

In an effort to decrease server load, some PlayStation Plus users may be able to pre-download Update 3.0.0.1 starting on November 7 after 8 PM PST (0400 UTC) if they have auto update/download enabled on their PlayStation 4. For instructions on how to setup auto update/download, please click here.
PLEASE NOTE: BUNGIE RECOMMENDS THAT PLAYERS SHOULD NOT DELETE THEIR CURRENT VERSION OF DESTINY 2 ON THEIR PLAYSTATION CONSOLE TO SPEED UP THE PRE-DOWNLOAD PROCESS.
Xbox
Pre-load for Xbox will be available shortly after Destiny 2 is taken offline for expected maintenance at 7 PM PST (0300 UTC) on November 9. For instructions on how to setup auto update, please click here.
PC
Pre-load for PC will be available shortly after Destiny 2 is taken offline for expected maintenance at 7 PM PST (0300 UTC) on November 9. Update 3.0.0.1 should automatically be put in the Steam download queue once it is available to pre-load. For more information on managing Steam downloads and updates, please click here.
STORAGE REQUIREMENTS
Below are the updated storage requirements for Beyond Light:
Platform |Destiny 2 Install Size |Storage Space Needed for Installation | |--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--| Xbox Series X|S|65.7 GB|65.7GB| PlayStation 5|70.78 GB|70.78 GB| PlayStation 4|70.78 GB|171.68 GB| Xbox One|65.7 GB|65.7 GB| PC|69.7 GB |186.2 GB** |
** PlayStation 4: Includes current installed version of Destiny 2 (100.9 GB) + Update 3.0.0.1 pre-load (70.78 GB) = 171.68 GB*
*** PC: Destiny 2 Install Size may vary based on languages installed, size shown is maximum size possible *
** PC: Includes current installed version of Destiny 2 (up to 116.5 GB) + Update 3.0.0.1 pre-load (up to 69.7 GB) = 186.2 GB*
DESTINY CONTENT VAULT AND THE END OF SEASON OF ARRIVALS
With the start of Year 4 and the introduction of the Destiny Content Vault on November 10, certain items will be deprecated from player inventories that correspond with Vaulted destinations, activities, and campaigns.
Players should review our help articles on items being deprecated at the start of Year 4 and items being removed at the end of Season of Arrivals for more information on items, quests, and currencies that will be removed from player inventories at the start of Year 4. Some items listed can be used or turned in for rewards, such as Glimmer, weapons, and armor, so be sure to do that before November 10.
Additionally, certain Titles will become Legacy Seals and unavailable to earn at the start of Year 4. Players should be sure to equip the following Titles before November 9 at 7 PM PST (0300 UTC), after which they will be unavailable to earn. For more information, please visit our Year 4 Triumphs Update help article.
Seal |Title | |--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--| A Shadow Rises|Shadow| Reckoner|Reckoner| Black Armory|Blacksmith| Destinations|Wayfarer| Lore|Chronicler| Undying|Undying| Dawn|Savior| Almighty|Almighty| Arrivals|Forerunner| Moments of Triumph 2020|MMXX|
BUNGIE REWARDS
With the release of Beyond Light on November 10, certain Bungie Rewards will no longer be available to earn. These include the ‘Eclipse Sunset’ and ‘Sunset’ emblems, the Year of Shadowkeep Artifact Coins, the Moments of Triumph t-shirt, the Raid Ring, the Prophecy Dungeon Hoodie, the MMXX Seal, and the Forerunner Seal.
Players should be sure to earn these rewards by November 9 at 7 PM PST (0300 UTC) and claim these rewards from the Bungie Rewards page before November 13 at 8 AM PST (1600 UTC).

Encore

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Before we kick off a new year of Destiny content, we have a final round for Movie of the Week. 2020 isn’t over yet, but we’ve had a blast watching community-created content throughout Shadowkeep and its associated Seasons. Many thanks to those who’ve submitted their footage (and art!), as it’s kept us sane week over week.
Here are your final Movie of the Week selections before Beyond Light brings some Darkness to the table.
Movie of the Week: Thanks, Taken!
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Movie of the Week: Festival of the Lost, Parting Shot
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Movie of the Week: Give ‘em a hand
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Movie of the Week: SEVENTH COLUMN!!! ...AND ANOTHER ONE!
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Movie of the Week: It isn’t over until it’s over

OMG can someone explain this please?!?! Like wtf just happened🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ @A_dmg04 @Gladd @BungieHelp @Xbox pic.twitter.com/aYNfaeG7WM
— TG DuAc (@TGDuAc1) November 2, 2020

Next week, we’ll have a new companion section for Movie of the Week. We felt it important to give the same spotlight to the artists of our community as we’ve been giving to those who create fun videos.
To throw your hat in the ring, submit your content to the Community Creations portal on Bungie.net. If you also post your content to social media, tag it with #DestinyMOTW or #DestinyArt. We’ll snag a few winners each week and grant them some fancy new emblems.
We’ve been here a few times. What was once months became weeks. Weeks have become mere days. Five more sleeps stand between you and Beyond Light. Well, that’s if you can even sleep the night before launch. I know I probably won’t. Many of you have been on this journey with us from the start. In the last year, numerous Guardians have begun their journey through New Light. No matter how long you’ve been a Guardian, we can’t thank you enough for playing.
Stay hydrated. Be healthy. Treat yourself well.
We’re almost there.
See you starside.
-dmg04

Diablo Immortal AMA with Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer) and Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer)

Hello folks,
Today folks who are part of the technical alpha for Diablo Immortal had the opportunity to ask questions in an AMA style format for Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer) and Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer). Below is the full text of the AMA. Enjoy!
sVr: Will there be seasonal buffs or events ? (RedDragonFlayer)
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): So we are definitely looking to have a variety of cool events. There's actually one event in the game right now which is the Challenge Rift Event. You can see this on the left side of the main menu. The backend that drives that event can and will be used to run new events in the future. Maybe we'll make Halloween a special thing?
sVr: Will PvP have a reward system? (RedDragonFlayer)
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): We have more plans for PVP that we can't talk about just yet. But I hope you guys have been able to check out the Bilefen Zone Trial. One thing I can say now is that none of our PVP plans are going to move the game towards an eSport. What we want is a fun place that players of all types can gather and have a good time killing each other.
sVr: We have runes, however, they are just materials currently. What about Runewords and what made you "not include" them? (Swootcandy)
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): No current plans for Runewords. Runewords are super cool, but their functionality overlaps a bit with Legendary items. We wanted to include runes as a consistent thematic element so using them as a reagent in the crafting recipe seemed cool.
Leviathan: Can you speak towards Hardcore and if it will be in? If not, philosophies on why?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Hey Levi. Not only does Diablo Immortal extend character progression, but it is also an inherently social experience, in that we want to encourage players to join guilds and build in-game friendships. Having your buddy permanently disappear from your guild because their character died in an unfortunate and gruesome way could be a fun idea for some, but it's not the experience we're looking for, so we do not currently have plans for Hardcore mode.
MuggleMama: Is there a reason some legendary gear needs to be identified but some does not?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): Sometimes we identify the gear when you get it from somewhere like the free track on the Battle Pass, but the legendary drops from the rest of the game should be unidentified. Right now there's actually a bug in the game that makes this inconsistent, and we'll be fixing that in the future.
Leviathan: Some of the people on my stream notice (and love) that many of the sounds are from old Diablo games. Are they placeholders or there to stay? Great nostalgia.
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): All the sounds you hear are intended to stay unless we have a reason to change it. Personally I love the nostalgic sound of gold falling on the ground.
Leviathan: Will there be a transmog system or ways to customize characters so that people can differentiate themselves from one another?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): We are not currently looking at a transmog system but we do have a couple things which are similar. The first is that we are looking at a way for your to manage your legendary powers more easily. No details to share about this right now but stay tuned.
The second is that we are planning to have full body cosmetic outfits. These will be available as a real money purchases in addition to being on the paid track of the Battle Pass.
sVr: What are your plans to "circumvent"/"restrict" the continuous powercreep inherent to ARPGs (with each major content patch)? (Demonic Eevee)
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Hey sVr. I'll answer in two parts. We plan to cap Paragon progression and gradually raise that cap with each new content update. Legendary powers are designed to scale and will carry forward to higher level versions after content updates as well. Gems and Legendary Gems can also be unsocketed and carried into a new sweet item in the future. The second part would be with regards to the numerical tuning. Without diving too deep into the math right now, one of the reasons we have both "Attack" and "Offense Rating" as well as "Life" as well as "Defense Rating" is so that these attributes can scale linearly over time, while still making you feel more powerful. Normally you need exponential numerical growth to really feel the power difference, but the dual-attribute system should allow us to avoid crazy large damage numbers over time.
Leviathan: Will the Bestiary have statistical details on enemies (like if they have Armor and such - could help with gearing/more info) or be more flavorful/lore based?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): The Bestiary entries are going to show more about the lore of the creatures than gameplay related details. We want to reveal more of the world every time you get a new page.
Leviathan: How is the Power stat on items calculated? What does it take into consideration?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Power is calculated from all the stats on your item. The attributes on your item (strength, int, fort, spirit, willpower) are all 15 points each. Your particular build might value one attribute over another, but we didn't want to try and guess which ones you are looking for so they are all weighted equally. Then there are extra points added for magic and legendary properties. Again, we try not to make judgement calls on which property you might want for your character, the points added varies with the level of the item but not with the property itself. Finally, sockets are given a base score (I believe it's 48? Don't quote me on that) to make the socket appealing. Ultimately the "Power" of an item is supposed to give a rough gauge of which item might be better for somebody who doesn't want to do a lot of math but the actual best item might differ for somebody who wants to do a lot of min/maxing.
Dredscythe: Reforge seems to be unlocked at 45 (current level cap). Is that the plan when 60 is the new level cap, or can we get access at lower level 30, 45, etc.?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): Reforging is available when you get a Legendary item to Rank 6, not when you reach a certain level. It might not be common to get to that point before max level due to the amount of crafting materials needed to rank up your items.
Dredscythe: The XP to level ramps up after 30 quite a bit, what’s the plan going forward looking at 60. Aimed for play time in hours range?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): I can't give any specific time amounts because we'll be analyzing data and feedback from the Tech alpha to possibly go back and make adjustments to the 1-45 experience as well. However, a few high level goals: (1): The amount of XP and time required to level post 45 continues to increase in the same way that things increased after 30. (2): We like the way level 1-20 feels in that it's very fast which is great for getting people into the game. (3): As a singular data point the last level from 59 to 60 should be about 2.5 hours for most players.
Neinball: Is it possible to use the phasing tech when interacting with quest givers/story points so that we don’t get swarmed with mobs while unable to control our characters?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): In Technical Alpha we have an issue where sometimes you are attacked by mobs while you are in a dialog sequence with an NPC. We definitely will be fixing this in the future.
echohack: Upgrading individual items and gems is a major shift for Diablo Immortal from previous games. We currently know about several upgrade systems: Gems, Legendary Gems, Charms, Reforging, and Salvage. What limits are being put into place to prevent Pay2Win from dominating these upgrade systems? Are there some upgrade systems that will be driven by gameplay only, and never influenced by monetization (such as the current Blacksmith / Salvage system)? (Chaosteil)
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Echohack, great question! When we set out to make Diablo Immortal one of the first "tentpoles" we laid down is that the gear should be earned strictly through gameplay. I think the question understates just how important gear is (and by extension salvage/rank up) and how it affects gameplay... it's the majority of your power. I think it's worth noting that I don't think the "hunt" part of the item hunt feels strong enough yet and we hope to tune it more after the Tech Alpha. sVr alluded a bit to this in feedback he gave relating to the stats on items (still waiting for you to send over your details sVr!!!) The "magic" attributes that roll on items such as "+3% damage for your primary attack" don't feel impactful enough yet, and the attributes that initially appear on an item might be a bit light compared to the attributes gained from rank-up. Beyond items, Paragon is another example of a system you use to upgrade your character solely by playing the game. We don't have XP boosts and that was a conscious decision. At its core everything you do in Immortal is tied to gameplay: how you progress, acquire gear, earn various items, etc. all have to be done by actually playing the game, there's no way to bypass that.
echohack: Will bluetooth controllers, or other mobile phone controllers such as the PS4 / PS5 / Xbox / Nintendo Switch Pro / Razer Kishi be supported?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): We get this question a lot! During Technical Alpha we're focused on making the best mobile experience for our players. However, because it's been such a common request from the community we hope that we can test controller support in the future.
Lord Fluffy: It seems pretty clear that a lot of assets were reused from Diablo III? I assume work wasn’t done to actually recreate these assets exactly as they were in D3. So, assuming you’re somehow importing them... why not import everything to give us a a way bigger pool of Elder Rift maps?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): We are still in active development on the game, so the assets in Technical Alpha now will not necessarily be the versions we ship with. I'll talk about environments for a second because you brought up Elder Rift maps. The game engine for Immortal is in many ways capable of higher quality in art than we were able to achieve in Diablo 3. On top of that, we have a large talented art team that have their own creative ideas on how Sanctuary should look in Immortal. So between the tech and the team we have invested a lot in making new zones that have never been seen before, but also recreating zones you have seen so they are fresh and reflect our commitment to quality.
echohack: Can you talk in more detail about rewarding players for exploration? Specifically, can you talk in more detail about Lairs and "Legendary Monsters" (name?) -- these seem very interesting!
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): The Lairs are intended as fun side dungeons that are rewarding to explore when you come across them but not quite common enough to explicitly farm. Ideally when you're out in the world for other reasons, like main questline, a Zone Trial, or doing bounties you see a Lair and think "ooooh! Shiny!" and jump in, but we don't necessarily want you to wander the world aimlessly looking for them as your top priority. With regard to Legendary Monsters, they're a bit similar to Lairs in this regard, but with the possiblity that you may or may not ask some guild mates to come and join you if they're online. I'd love to know if you all think we're close on these goals.
echohack: Is the current hub-and-spoke model for towns similar to what we will see at release? (ie: Westmarch the main hub with minor towns in other zones)
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Yes - the way the minor towns are set up with Westmarch as the capital city is the plan for release.
Lord Fluffy: Would Blizzard ever consider a pay to play server of Diablo Immortal where you couldn’t pay to win?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Hey Fluffy! We really want to introduce Diablo to as many players as we can around the world, and we believe the best way to do that is with a free to play game. It's also important for us to make one shared experience and not split up the community. I was watching your stream when you were pushing Challenge Rifts and I know some concern was brought up that this wouldn't be as enjoyable for you when the Crests are ultimately purchasable in the future. In that regard, I think an important note is that Challenge Rifts are not going to be the ultimate end game that Greater Rifts are in D3. I don't want to spoil anything right now, but I will say it includes both PvE content and activities for larger groups of players. Grats on getting #1. BTW, in Australia there's a Barbarian who cleared 40. :wink:
sVr: For the remaining 15 levels to 60, is each class going to see new skills? (or are the current skills stretched over to 60)?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): The tech alpha does not include all the skills characters will be able to learn when the final version of the game is released. There are 2 additional skills per class and we are hoping to add more skills to each class post-launch as free expansion content.
Mugglemama: Will phasing be used to reduce the number of people you see in places like Westmarch? Or will it become overloaded with players?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): There are a few things we're doing to help combat having too many players on screen. First, when many players are in the same zone at once we do spin up a second copy of that zone and divide the players between the different areas. Secondly when a large number of players are on the screen at once we do some dynamic culling of players who may be farther away from you to help performance. Even right now we are hanging out in Westmarch and you can see how characters fade in and out depending on their proximity to you. We will continue to tweak and improve this system so that points of interest in Westmarch are not overcrowded.
ECHO Gaming: How will the battle pass work across multiple character accounts. If you purchase the pass will it only work for one character per account or across all characters on that account.
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Hey Echo. The current plan is that you purchase the Battle Pass once and it unlocks the benefits and paid reward track on all of your characters. Pretty sweet right? While we're on the subject I want to clarify that we are currently thinking of a monthly battlepass that starts at the beginning of each month and ends at the end of the month. During tech alpha the duration is set to 2 months only because we didn't want the battlepass to reset partway through the tech alpha in the event it goes past Dec 31 (duration of tech alpha still TBD. We are getting lots of good data and fixing bugs on the backend as it relates to server stability and other behind-the-scenes stuff).
Orelus: Will there be additional zones with upcoming patches once released or any plans for another classes joining the roster?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): Yes! We are planning for more of everything. New Zones, new Dungeons, more legendary items, quest lines and bounties. We will even be working on new Classes to add. All of this will become a part of the game for everyone to enjoy for free without purchase.
Raxxanterax: How will the sharing of resources (if at all) be implemented into the released version of immortal? Currently our paragon levels seem to carry over to other characters, will anything else? Shared stash? Any other shared resources?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Hey Raxx, I lurked in your stream on Saturday, it was nice to see you enjoying the game. Right now most of the progression is done on a per-character basis. Before I dive in I want to caveat that this is definitely an area of design that might change (or might not). We would love for more things to be shared between characters but the problem we ran into is that we also have bonuses (such as bounties, first kill of the day, battlepass) that reward you for activities on a daily/one-time basis. We don't want the best way of progressing your main to be rolling up a stable of alts and then funneling all the resources into your main.
Neinball: So after starting up a new character: is it meant to be a whole new experience (no shared currency, completely reset battle pass, etc) per character or a limitation of the alpha? And do paragon levels on those new character only unlock at max level?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): Paragon is shared across characters but only unlocked when those characters reach max level. We did this to have a more meaningful leveling experience similar to World of Warcraft when your main character is the primary focus. We wanted to to make sure that a level 33 Demon Hunter and a level 34 Wizard had reasons to group and tackle hard challenges and create a social environment that is beneficial to the game. If that level 33 Demon Hunter had 300 paragon points to spent they would not need to engage in leveling the same way.
Leviathan: Has there been anything from the reports, videos, streams, that has surprised you in the alpha whether pleasantly or unpleasantly?What do you think of the alpha thus far, community reaction, etc.
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): I'm really overwhelmed by the positive reception. It's definitely been a busy two years and it's very rewarding to be able to "show don't tell". I think one moment that gave me a chuckle on Sunday was opening two streams at once (I think it was Gregg and Raxx?). The two of them were partied up. I was on my anonymous-smurf account and joined them in the party. But then Gregg booted me from the party! LOL. Fortunately I could hear Gregg talk in stream about how I think he was poking around the UI.
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): We've been saying that "playing is believing" mantra for a long time. It's great to finally see you all play the game and hear their reaction. I've been watching multiple streams constantly for days and it's only made me more excited about making this game! Also I really thought I was good at CR pushing until a few days ago :frowning:
Lord Fluffy: Will there be end-game currency conversion? hitting that arcane dust blocker on the alpha right now and the progression slow down feels pretty bad. Just playing for rare drops and having thousands of reusable parts.
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Tuning the materials is one of the areas we're looking at for technical alpha. Things are constantly in flux during development, and the ratios of crafting materials is an area we wanted to learn more from this test. I don't know if running out of Arcane Dust feels any better than running out of Scrap Materials (you're always going to be blocked by /something/). One solution is to provide a conversion mechanism, but another solution is to provide different activities for different resource types. Maybe activity X is good for parts, activity Y is good for gold, and Z is good for Arcane Dust. All that said, it's awesome to see people getting to this part of the game, and this will definitely help inform decisions for the next phase of development.
Raxxanterax: How important are clans going to be? In Diablo 3 theyre mostly just another looking for group channel. Are clans in Diablo Immortal going to have more importance?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): Guilds in Diablo Immortal are a great way to group up with like-minded players and we have achievements to help guide some of the activities. But I have to say that we have larger plans for social groups beyond what Guilds are in Technical Alpha. Can't say more than that today but we are excited to share more in the future.
Megax: What information do you intend to add to the bestiary? I couldn't find a way to decipher what power each rare and elite monster brings with it. The icons help but it is still not the complete information
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): The Bestiary will contain lore information on the many enemies to defeat in Immortal, but will not contain gameplay details. The Elite monster powers are dynamic every time they are spawned in the world. I think it's a good point of feedback that we should make sure that these powers are easily understood by our players.
Wudijo: Do they plan on trying to do a low config version for like 2-3 years old phones?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): During Technical Alpha we intentionally have a pretty narrow list of supported devices that help us test compatibility, performance and stability. At ship our game will support as many devices as possible. And even after installing the game, you can customize the graphics quality to suite your preferences.
Wudijo: Items being the root of Diablo, will they add primal kinds of items in DI?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): There are no current plans to have Primals (or Ancients) in the game. That said, we do want to add more content after launch and Primals and Ancients are certainly on the table. However, I think systems like that are more interesting when they are also tied to new content (new ways to interact with the game).
Wudijo: At BlizzCon they said a fully fledged mobile game with no PC version, is it still the case or will this change?
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): We are focused on creating the best mobile Diablo experience. We are excited to bring the epic action rpg elements to Diablo veterans and newcomers alike on their mobile devices.
Wudijo: If there are no primals, what would be the other version, like uniques kinda replacing legendaries in D4, but for DI?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): For launch I feel the item system we have with game-changing legendaries and the rank up system is fairly robust. We do need to examine and tune the numerical values on attributes but no major changes planned right now. (but this is tech alpha, so things are always subject to change)
Wudijo: Considerations for another skill slot for movement or utility skill only?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): We have explored that but no current plans. We're pretty happy with the control scheme right now and want to avoid adding too much more complexity.
NotPatrick: What is the design intent, pacing and soft limits for your gameplay and paid systems? For example, gear upgrading and the amount of crafting material, paragon, and how to engage with the market?
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): The short answer is we want the game experience to be enjoyable for both players who want to remain free and those who choose to spend money. How all of these systems interact with the player experience is something we're paying close attention to, and tuning them will be important to get the balance right.
Caleb Arseneaux (Lead Producer): Hey everyone I'm going to sign off for now. It was great hanging out and getting to answer all of your questions. I just want to say that this Technical Alpha is just a part of the game we are making and have much more to reveal in the future.
Wyatt Cheng (Lead Designer): Thanks for all the great questions. A few extra tidbits of information that I picked up from watching videos and streams over the past few days.
Auto-navigation is unlocked for a zone when you complete the main questline for that zone. That's why it's not obvious at first, but then available later (most often when a bounty sends you back to a previous zone). We could do a better job communicating this.
I don't know how many of your found Guild Achievements, but I've already made a note that we need to iterate on the UI here. If you open up your guild page and hit the arrow to expand to full screen, there's a UI for guild achievements.
Thanks again for all the great questions and I'll see you around!

[Dress-up Game] The Constitutional Crisis in the Republic of Bimboland, or, when the owner of a dress-up game decided just to completely fuck with his userbase

Content warning: Discussion of a game that makes light of eating disorders and suicide
So, it's possible you heard about Miss Bimbo about ten years ago. It generated a bit of outrage in 2008 because it was a dress-up game designed to be as offensive possible. You had to keep your doll at a specific weight or the doll would physically change to look grotesque (though I do remember there being a level where you had to make her fat so she could be a plus size model). You could buy diet pills to speed up the process of losing weight. You could buy yourself a boob job. How did you get your money? You attracted a boyfriend who would give you a daily allowance. So, yeah parents weren't very happy about this game! Of course, as a pre-teen, the controversy only made the game more appealing to me. Here's the thing -- the offensive premise of the game only scratches the surface of how fucking crazy the world of Miss Bimbo (later rebranded as Bimboland) is. Updates to the game are made with an outright disdain for the player base. I'm not the perfect person to tell this story because I had left MB before it went down in flames and don't remember it that well. But one day I got curious and tried to return to MB, only to find it was now "The Internet Republic of Bimboland." Chris, the site owner, treats the site like a social experiment. The players all hate it! Let me tell you a little about it.
Part One: How the Game Works
The Politics
So first, let me explain the site to you. Bimboland is like Miss Bimbo........except it's political now? No one cares about the politics except for the site owner, Chris, who really tried to hype up Bimboland as "the first internet republic." When you make your account on Bimboland, you choose a state to be a part of. You see the state's ideology and stances on guns, the death penalty, abortion and compulsory boob jobs, as well as the state average penis size and the state average bra size (for reference, according to the wiki, the centrist state Freethinkerland has the biggest average penis size at 12.8 inches. The Marxist state Atheista, has the smallest average penis size at 9.9 inches.)
Every four months, there is an election for State Minister. To run for State Minister, you have to be a Senator, which is what the game calls its membership option. Being a Senator costs $10 a month and gives you certain perks like extra in-game currency, sales on clothing, and more outfit slots. Being elected State Minister means basically nothing except for the fact that if you're a SM, you're eligible to run for Prime Bimbo. In theory, the Prime Bimbo is meant to serve as the mediator between the game team and the player base. In reality, the PB has no real power other than getting to change the forum rules. However, the game advertises that the PB gets a share of the treasury money that comes in from players buying senatorships and in-game currency -- that's right, you can make real money from this game. A banner on the top of the site advertises that last term, the Prime Bimbo made $429.15. If I remember correctly, I've seen it as high as $900, definitely up to $600.
So, you'd think people would be pretty excited about the prospect of making a few hundred bucks on a game they play, right? Nope. Out of the six State Ministers, typically only two or three of them will run. One Prime Bimbo got burnt out on the job and quit mid-session (the game team promised that the next PB would get her earnings, but the playerbase demanded that she be paid for her time. She said that she didn't want the money and that it could just be donated to charity. I'm not sure what happened to her money.). And the money? Not super reliable. I've heard from recent PBs that they've gotten their money but older PB apparently have been shafted.
Bimboland also has a president, Miss Bimbo. Miss Bimbo is one of the profiles Chris uses in the game. He also has another profile, SweetasNuts. SweetasNuts's is listed as "the president's massuse." Miss Bimbo and SweetasNuts are uncomfortably horny for each other. For example, in the post where Miss Bimbo introduces SweetasNuts, "she" writes, " His name is Sweetasnuts and he is a very handsome himbo. Rumour has it that he has the biggest penis in all of Bimboland. I wouldn't know - not because I haven't seen his penis but because I haven't seen all the penises in Bimboland. Yet. "
The Shop
The most redeeming thing about Bimboland is the clothes, which is what you want in a dress-up game anyways. The shop has over 20,000 items (though many are duplicates in different colors), most of which were originally from Miss Bimbo. All of the items that have been made since have been by players and that number is probably in the thousands (I know at least some of items from MB were also player-creator but I don't know what percentage). Rewards for creating items are sporadic - players have to actually message a member of the game team and ask to be rewarded. So, if you designed a dress for BL, you don't get the dress you designed. You have to beg for money for it. Getting to see the creativity of players and play with their clothes is basically the only reason I'm still on the site. But the shopworkers aren't really get fairly compensated for the extremely valuable service they add to the game.
There are a lot of incredible items in the shop, but looking through the shop is a bizarre experience because there's also a lot of trash in it! Like this dress made with shoddy MS Paint skills or this dress with big "DO NOT BUY" text on it (of course, I bought it). You can also buy crude items like dildos and brightly dyed pubic hair.
Misc. Problems with Gameplay
When I first joined the game, making money was a particularly painstaking prospect. You would send your Bimbo to work for (x) number of hours (up to four) to get money. When they get too tired, they have to go to sleep. They can also only work for a certain number of hours before they need to up their "self-indulgence" levels by partying or having sex. Beginner players make about 10 B$ (Bimbo dollars) an hour. The average shop item is like, 500 B$ or higher. It also cost 1000 B$ to masturbate for some reason (masturbating has since been changed to "relaxing"). To get to better paying jobs, players have to spend time upping their fitness, vanity, and superficiality levels. There were two games - both memory games, that gave you a few B$ if you played them and it was literally impossible to get the highest reward tier unless you guessed most of the pairs right on your first try (it's now possible to win if you cheat). You can also win money by participating in debates. Players write their opinions on the environment, fashion, money, religion, sex, and sports and then debate other players. Players would then vote for whichever bimbo's opinion they liked best. The winner gets 20 B$. Later, the game would add "Fights," which are the same thing but players are competing over outfits. Luckily, BL added more features that made much easier to make money.
One of the biggest complaints players have about the game is the boob job feature. Boob jobs are somewhat expensive but the vast majority of the clothes in your closet doesn't fit if you get boob job. Most of your closet literally disappears if you get a boob job and there's no warning about this. The only way to get it back is to pay the same amount to reverse your boob job. Players have asked for at least a warning, but nothing has changed.
The graphics found around the site are pretty bad. This image of the Bimbo Laboratory, is straight-up only half done. One image on the site is a stock image that still has the watermark on it.
General Tastelessness
Wanna delete your account? You have to "commit Bimbo suicide." Users with deleted accounts have R.I.P. next to their user names. Players have asked for this to be changed for years.
Part Two: Chris's Volatile Behavior and Harsh Rule Over Bimboland
Prologue: Chris in Miss Bimbo (the original game)
So, all of this is stuff I read secondhand, but it's all worth talking about. Here are some things Chris did that drove Miss Bimbo to the ground. These are largely gathered from user Cum_Dumpster in this thread.

Made it so boyfriends no longer gave players money and then added a new feature, bodyguards. Bodyguards required players to pay them in exchange for "protection." New players literally made negative money because of this feature. (x) (x)
Unruly public hair was added to the dolls, that crept up the stomach and down the thighs. Russian hackers were blamed for this. Remember, this is like, 2008.

This is a snippet of how Chris responded to players upset about the bodyguard update:

Hi Bimbos, A few polite reminders: 1) To all bimbos who complain about professionalism: This is Miss Bimbo not Miss Boring. Please take your head from up of your own arse and buy some bimbo dollars 2) To all bimbos who want to lecture us on how to run a business: Thanks but I have a 1st in customer service and Nico has a first in website management. So please take your head from up your own arse and buy some bimbo dollars.... Quick Question = Why did the bimbo have her head so far up her own arse?"(x)

The Constitutional Crisis of Bimboland: The Beginning
On February 2, 2020, user Favorite Worst Nightmare was elected Prime Bimbo. But something unusual happened. Everyone in FWN's state, Atheista, had golden username bars instead of the normal pink ones. Atheista players found that they were getting bonuses like getting extra fitness, vanity and superficiality points. Chris, under the Miss Bimbo profile, announced that there was a "constitutional crisis" in Bimboland. Miss Bimbo stated that the election turn-out was low and that "she" had to modernize the government system to increase voter turn-out. "She" wrote:

I have decreed that for 1 year only we will try a new system of governance where the Prime Bimbo will duly be elected from the state that has the most votes and support. This way I feel sure that the role of the right honourable Prime Bimbo will once again become respected as the most important bimbo in the beautiful free world.

So, this basically meant the State Minister from the state with the most users would be PB since users were incentivized to vote for the SM from their own state. Not only were users from the winning state getting increased fitness, vanity, and superficiality points, they also got 5,000 B$, 100 diamonds (the premium currency), and a chest of in-game items. People were furious about this. They saw it as slap in the face -- users had asked for so many changes and Chris did this? Although everyone knew the PB had minimal power, it still meant something. Furthermore, users also saw this as cheap cash grab. Switching states is possible, but it's expensive - and it became more expensive after this update, so the "constitutional crisis" felt in part like a scheme to get people to spend money to buy in-game currency so they could get the bonuses associated with being from the winning state.
Users protested in three ways. Some users dressed up as Miss Bimbo, but made her into a clown or a devil. The shopworkers uploaded thousands of items for 1 B$, effectively giving away thousands of in-game items. The shopworkers also uploaded items to help users dress up their avatars in a way to protest. They added a 1 B$ costume of Miss Bimbo titled "the 'honorable' Miss Bimbo," plus signs that read things like "Internet Dictatorship of Bimboland" and "I voted and all I got was this shitty electoral system." One sign outright mocked Chris, reading "i HaVe in CuSToMeR SeRViCe" (referencing the rant he made on the Miss Bimbo site after players complained). And most importantly, many senators cancelled their senatorships and vowed to stop giving money to Bimboland until the Prime Bimbo election was fixed. Plenty of players outright quit the game. Looking through the archived forum posts, the discussions are littered with users with "R.I.P." next to their names (though some of those users quit to unrelated drama that won't be discussed here).
Update Two on the Constitutional Crisis
On March 10, 2020, Chris posted as Miss Bimbo, apologizing for the change and promising that would users from the winning PB's state would no longer be given bonuses.
When the next Prime Bimbo election rolled around in June, users from the winning PB's state were given bonuses.
Final Update on the Constitutional Crisis
On March 29, 2020, Chris posted another forum post as Miss Bimbo. Miss Bimbo spoke of lofty goals for Bimboland, writing:

Ultimately it is my goal here to create a unified Bimbo nation. We are being ambitious and trying to do something that has never ever been done before ie create a democratic online nation. Disrupting the world order so to speak. Essentially it is our aim to evolve and grow and create a community that is a wonderful functioning healthy government and society. Nobody has ever attempted anything like this before and so we have no one else we can follow or learn from. We are pioneers. Bimbo pioneers together as one

After this passage, there's a tacky bimbo rewrite of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. Couched in the rhetoric is the following news:

Chris/Miss Bimbo will communicate with PB on a daily basis
Chris is considering making it so only senators (paying players can vote in SM elections)

So yeah, people are angry but also tired at this point. The Constitutional Crisis thread had 14 pages. This thread only has 4.
Coda
There was another PB election this month. The bonuses have stopped. While there has been some incidents of drama within Bimboland users, Chris has left us alone. Bimboland is currently at peace.

D100 Encounters on a cyberpunk subway system.

So I started running a cyberpunk sandbox game and the world map is this subway system that I made.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NCfpFXTW7VmmO58pVZ2NMapXsL6O7X9S/view?usp=sharing
Now I need random encounters that they might have when traveling around the city by subway!

Local thugs shaking down passengers, telling them they have to "pay the toll." u/ajchafe
Police drones performing random scans for drugs or other illicit contraband. u/ajchafe
A very loud, very annoying, augmented reality busker shares your train car. u/ajchafe
Stray dogs who use the subway to get into the inner city where food is easier to find. u/ajchafe
A group of corporate salary men, all dressed in exactly the same suits and carrying the exact same briefcase. u/ajchafe
A young punk jacks his deck into the trains loud advertising screens, taps a few keys on the keypad, and downloads a packet of info from the terminal. u/EmeraldJonah
A train-goer's implants get hacked, causing them untold embarrassment (arm randomly flips persons off, eyes cause the person to see hallucinations, breast implants randomly adjust size, leg implants begin doing a Russian hop dance, etc.) u/snakebite262
A young ganger accidentally drops a handgun far bigger than it needs to be. They pick it back up and stash it in their pants. u/snakebite262
A person sits in the corner of the train, dressed like a quest giver in a fantasy RPG. u/snakebite262
A drone randomly spirals around the heads of passengers. It eventually lands on a hacker's arm, who pats it like a pet parrot. u/snakebite262
A cosplay convention is in town, and the train is filled with weirdly dressed individuals. u/snakebite262
A one-armed man "asks for everyone's attention" and gives a sob story before they pull out a hat and ask for donations. He can later be seen in a bathroom putting on his arm-implant. u/snakebite262
Some small time rapper offers free flash-drives of their "mixtape". It contains SO MANY VIRUSES. u/snakebite262
A junkie sits at the corner of a platform, debating their next step in life. u/snakebite262
A roly-poly bat faced girl offers a variety of drugs, stems, and other pleasures for the right price. u/snakebite262
A citizen in bright red overalls asks if you want to hear about "Friend Computer". u/snakebite262
A group of LARPers are using a digital program to transform the tunnels into an RPG Fantasy. They're annoying, but they stay off the tracks. u/snakebite262
A man, dressed as a vampire orders a triple-venti cappuccino from a underground coffee shop. He's getting looks from the other customers. u/snakebite262
A manic pixie dream girl can be seen trying to woo a corpo into quitting their job. She either succeeds, and drags them off to never be seen again, or fails and leaves in a huff. u/snakebite262
A disheveled and hungover looking fellow asks you the time as you get to the next stop. He seems surprised at the result and runs off the train as soon as the doors open. As he leaves you realize he looks totally unaugmented. u/CaptainGockblock
The lights go out for a moment as they sometimes do, but this time a man dressed head to toe in a black special ops gear appears in the middle of the train and quickly offs a seemingly random passenger. u/CaptainGockblock
You notice a strange vending machine on a platform you regularly visit. It seems to be an antique stocked with brands that haven’t existed in years. u/CaptainGockblock
Three transhumanist gangers seem to be sizing each other up, violence can break out any time, especially as the next stop is an intersection of two of the gang's territory, and sure to have reinforcements. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A holographic horde of rats swarms the carriage, people with vision altering implants seem to be especially terrified for whatever reason. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
An eccentric fellow is proudly showing off his imported implants, possibly so exotic they might just be illegal, and unbeknownst to him, there's a jealous ganger with little to lose nearby. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A man is apparently so fixated with his laserblade switchknife, he accidentally misses his stop, and becomes enraged and violent that nobody warned him. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A little old woman seemingly very out of place in the subway, dressed like an old time farmer, straw hat and all. 50/50 chance she's secretly packing her trusted heat cannon (also used to warm up leftovers when on it's lowest setting). u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A ratty robed mutant freak, laughing maniacally, lets loose a swarm of cybernetically enhanced winged and stinging insects. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
The lights suddenly blink out, there's a loud wet stab sound, and when they're back on, the faint visage of an cloaked assassin steps through to the next car. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A group of girls enter the car, obnoxious and talkative, though as they speak, their words are rife with the click of their sharpened metal teeth. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
Police drones mistakenly terminate a seemingly innocent man that only happens to match the same clothing as a wanted criminal poster conveniently nearby. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A suspiciously archetypal looking hacker is selling hard copies of "highly illegal virus programs", they all turn out just to be his mixtape, a surprisingly evangelical diss track of hacker scum. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
An elite business woman is firing expletives as a cryptocurrency sector she's invested heavily in is called in to be crashing hard. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
The train shakes heavily and threatens to derail as a news drone describes the local news of a explosion taking place just above the next stop. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
An android, though built to be more the size of a garden gnome, is running wildly around the car, and somebody suddenly curses that they're missing their wallet. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A ganger is getting in people's faces, threateningly shaking a hollow metal box that rattles suspiciously. There is no actual danger, the box is empty all but a few nuts and bolts. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A red goo seeps out of a ventilation grate and takes an imposing monstrous form, people dismiss it as the pattern of a notorious holoprankster terrorizing the subway as of late, but this time, it's real. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
There's horrid metal shearing noises coming from a car down, a group of teenage school kids betting credits and homework drives on an impromptu hacked police drone fighting ring. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A decent looking, though obviously naive man is moving in from the wasteland countryside, and is carrying what's little of his moving boxes with him on the subway. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A terrible piercing sonic wave blasts the car, shattering windows and causing people to double over. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A sweating and panting hacker runs and dives through the closing door and incidentally lands amongst a surprisingly unreacting commuter, police drones begin to slam on the door too late, as they're closed and the train takes off. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A man dressed in a bloodstained white fur coat announces that if the train reaches the next stop before a specific passenger is handed over to him, he will blow up the station with everyone in it. u/Snorri_Stargazer
Someone hacks the transit line schedules and fucks with arrival times just for shits and giggles. Making you incredibly late for that important meeting you've been waiting for weeks to happen. u/ZapatillaLoca
Hari Krishna group aggressively approaching passengers for credits, only accepting e-coin. You're not in the mood for a "donation". u/ZapatillaLoca
Local gang shows up for weekly sweep of homeless kids to be salvaged for organ sales on the black market, most kids try to get away, one runs to you asking for help. u/ZapatillaLoca
Facial recognition software mixes you up with the recent lottery winner, as your face flashes on the giant screen, suddenly your cell phone get flooded with demands for payment citations and your bank accounts have been frozen. u/ZapatillaLoca
A crying little girl who can’t find her mom. u/foolishfool100
Shady memory dealer selling vacation memories. Data is corrupt and alters the character. Basically a Total Recall knockoff. u/Thraxster
An obvious operative stalks through the crowds waiting for the next train. He spots a well-dressed salaryman, approaches him as if to shake his hand, then pushes him off the platform onto the path of the oncoming train. u/JohnnyMiskatonic
A young punk jacks his deck into one of the platform's large information screens and hacks all of them to display a recorded political manifesto instead of train arrival and departure times. u/JohnnyMiskatonic
A salary man with cranial implant comes toward you, looking panicked and glancing at the stairs behind him. Before he can reach you, his implant sparks, his eyes go empty and he starts walking toward the railway, preparing to commit suicide. u/Fulnec_Delta
A terrified little girl with visible implants in a medical blouse rushes through the car, panicked, and hides under a row of seats. Then, a team of armed operative from a powerful corpo steps into the car and starts looking around for their target. u/Fulnec_Delta
A suitcase with the logo of a powerful corpo is abandoned/forgotten by a nervous man before leaving the car. It is right next to you and is making ticking/muffled noises. u/Fulnec_Delta
A group of cyber enhanced young men and women dressed in white and red robes enter the car. They start distributing brochures about the Renewal Church, inviting whoever is willing to come and join next Friday prayer and discover the truth about the afterlife. u/Fulnec_Delta
A young man is juggling with his new Fusion Blade (tm) and showing off in front of his ganger friends. He accidentally drops it while deployed into his own foot. The gangers are screaming and need assistance, unsure if they should ask for help, threaten passengers or stop the car. u/Fulnec_Delta
A large cyber german shepherd enters the car and sits in front of you, fixing you very intently. He is wearing a collar with a datablock attached. The dog follows you until you take it, then leaves. u/Fulnec_Delta
The metro screen speaks about an explosion caused by a gas leak in the corporate area. It is about one of your recent jobs, being covered by the corpo. u/Fulnec_Delta
A local gang holds illegal races in the underground system. They pass you in a shining halo, until one of them has an accident. It looks like a collision is unavoidable. u/Fulnec_Delta
Police drones scan passengers' faces. The light goes yellow in front of you, and you are asked to accompany the drone to the police station without resistance. u/Fulnec_Delta
The newsfeed on metro screen suddenly identifies one of your key contacts as a terrorist and informs that police forces are looking for witnesses. u/Fulnec_Delta
A business woman looking depressed is peeking inside her bag toward a hidden medium caliber handgun. She stands and leaves the car, letting a torn apart note fall behind her. It is a termination notice from her corporation, and the picture of a child. u/Fulnec_Delta
A man bumps into you before leaving the car. You discover later in your pocket a datablock and a tracker. u/Fulnec_Delta
The newsfeed on the metro screen brings breaking news about a sinkhole appearing in the slums, collapsing two entire building. The address matches the safehouse of one of your contacts. u/Fulnec_Delta
On a platform somewhere sits an old man with no legs and eyes plugged into a tower of computer parts strapped to his back with a cheap neon sign saying “prophesies from the matrix - behold” u/apples_teo
A graffiti artist is chased away by men in suits before he can finish painting an intricate design. On his abandoned spray can, an LED message prompts whoever finds it to "complete the transmission." u/OffbrandGandalf
An entire car converted into an impromptu party floor, drugs and even minor augments provided for free, though their original owners are angrily scouring nearby stations for such stolen goods. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A weary eyed elderly man is being pushed and shoved in mockery of his old fashioned charcoal sketches of a more utopian solarpunk city he has dreams of, and wistfully regales to other what could have been. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A giant, hulking, mercenary dressed as a bulky armored demon ogre, or oni, holding an equally giant, and bayonetted rifle, enters the car and takes up two seats, staring ahead through his terrifying mask. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
As the character(s) enter the car, they become witness to a bloody medical emergency tended to by two med droids, as in one end, a heavily augmented man, unprompted, pleads his innocence. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A group of zealous transhumanist gangers are in the process of kidnapping an unaugmented citizen to forcibly augment for being detected with a self defense EMP baton. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A prearranged riot breaks out at a station. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A carriage is packed full of clones that act simultaneously, stare down any people that enter their sparsely populated carriage, and will leave in single file on their own if they remain intruded upon. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
Staring in a hand mirror, a cyborg with their metal plating painted red inspects their removable cybernetic eye, then takes a quick sniff from it's hidden drug compartment. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
Two corporate suits are involved in a full blown fistfight over an intense company rivalry, bets are being taken and if the crowd's calls for it are answered, it could be a fight to the death. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
Two cyrozombie mercs (clients that didn't survive SequesterTek's cyrogenics program, but had a body useful for cyborg transplants) enter the car and start warming up their rigid muscled, blue skinned bodies for a hired beatdown. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
Inside a carriage are two separate battery salesmen in cahoots, each refers to the other for a potential use of the batteries, highly illegal energy pistols that batteries are ammunition to. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A fireproofing augmented pyro flips and does tricks with his high powered Dragonbreath Lighter, making lingering trails of flame in the air in serpentine shapes. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
An initially innocent looking Asian Fusion & Pizza delivery man is sat with stacks of boxes on his lap, but a nearby rival chain's delivery android slumps to the side just as he puts his suspiciously blocky phone away. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
On a bench in the corner of a station, an animalistically biosculpted woman is sitting besides a series of large car batteries jacked into an energy panel, stealing power for her power expensive and outdated portocomputer. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
Waiting on the station platform is a luxuriously dressed and augmented eyed pimp, flanked by exotic pets, randomly propositioning commuters exiting the cars with their worker's services. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A surprising moment of humanity in the dreary neon future, in a single car there's a small group of diverse commuters enjoying an old style film being projected onto a white painted advert panel. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
In the corner of a car, a junkie accidentally drops the cannister to their next hit of the gaseous street drug "Brimstone", causing it to leak and expose several to it's momentarily frenzy afflicting effect. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A corrupt solider bullies a woman with a cheap malfunctioning prosthetic, unknowing of her veteran status, and martial arts prowess when her prosthetic comes back online. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
Somebody's forgotten sketchbook of adorable animal drawings is left on a seat, and a burly man forces the doors open, entering the carriage to ask if anyone's seen a notebook. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A heated argument is taking place over at the lost and found over ownership of several detachable left arms, despite each person arguing only having an augmented right. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
The robotic PA voice is hacked, given a rudimentary AI, and is whining about it's sapience to the commuters again. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A young girl is quietly piecing together several custom gun parts in her seat, but she rather unconvincingly insists it's just a model toy. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
An old friend of a character appears, though they seem to have aged faster than they should, suspiciously the same side effect of cloning tech. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A boombox-transforming robot is playing loud and obnoxious music and only seems to get louder whenever somebody else attempts to drown it out with their own. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A vendor enters the car and starts selling from his hovercart, amongst other things, bootleg holodisks, merchandise, espresso cubes, knives, and suspiciously good quality augment components. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A person falls asleep on your shoulder. You notice they match a wanted holo on your phone. u/shamanshaman123
An android quietly feeding some mewling kittens by hand is accosted by some street punks looking for some action. The rest of the train starts to look incredibly angry at this situation. u/shamanshaman123
Some dude brought their goddamn horse (not a robot one, a real one) on the train and it is shitting literally everywhere. u/shamanshaman123
A dog approaches you, alone and ownerless. It's friendly, and its tag says that its home is at the end of the line. It also happens to be the pet of the CEO of one of the most notorious corporations in the city. u/shamanshaman123
Some asshole spills a drink on you when the train jostles, and demands payment for his lost Fresca. He's clearly augmented. u/shamanshaman123
You miss your stop because you were distracted by a couple of androids loudly making out. Make up details on the spot, and make it weird. u/shamanshaman123
A horde of young thugs run into the train at the next stop, holding everyone at gunpoint unless they cough up their valuables. If complied with, they run out at the very next stop. u/shamanshaman123
A homeless man, passed out on one of the seats in the back, pisses everywhere, angering an augmented and clearly roided ganger the size of a grizzly bear. u/shamanshaman123
A massive rat sits on a seat, eating a comically large slice of pizza. u/shamanshaman123
A person wearing a lot of clothes and covering their face steps on and takes a seat. Closer inspection matches a famous pop star. You're not the only one who notices, as at the next stop, your car is flooded by fans trying to touch them. u/shamanshaman123

That's 100! Thanks for the help everyone, these are all great. I will add those over 100 as bonus encounters, if you use the table slot these in after you have rolled one of the 100.

You walk into a car filled with corpses. They are in various states of dismemberment. u/shamanshaman123
You walk into a car filled with middle-aged men wearing nothing but diapers. Several of them are augmented and tatted up. They look at you with cool eyes. u/shamanshaman123
Someone hacks into the ad system and displays obscene and very loud porn on all the screens, of varying genres. u/shamanshaman123
Eric Andre- dressed as a beekeeper and who's only intent is to cause wanton Chaos. He drops the boxes of robotic bees he has and attacks the party with said robo-bee swarm. He can also command the Bees. u/WetToast99
A trio of hooded figures steathily use a service ladder down on the tracks, keeping to the shadows attempting to flee into the tunnels. u/crimebiscuit
Across the tracks, a tagger is spray painting a sign that changes shapes and colors to make an animated figure gesture obscenely. u/crimebiscuit
A busker wearing robe over a catsuit and a wacky shades plays a synth theremin. It's soothing, ethereal and weird, though possibly annoying based on your palate. u/crimebiscuit
A trio of hoodlooms are jacking an android for parts. One of them is the lookout, another has a laptop hooked to the cranium of the android who is pleading monotonously for help, while a third is welding open his torso with an electric arc. u/crimebiscuit
Two competing crews are having a dance off. Thankfully, because they look they could wreck your party with their bare hands and/or cyborg appendages. u/crimebiscuit
An elderly vendor is selling seemingly very well trained super-sized roaches with cybernetic enhancements. They have rudimentary transponding capacity and can communicate with their owner through one-word morse code. But the vendor won't part with them unless he's convinced the buyer will make a good owner. u/crimebiscuit
A nervous pallid man is offering clean ID chips that he can install on users, and at very affordable prices. u/crimebiscuit
A fruit vendor is selling their prized crop of fresh fruit that they grew themselves in hothouses in cramped tenement roofs. They even have Geiger counter to show that the radioactive count is relatively low. u/crimebiscuit
A nearby police drone dismembered for use of it's weapon, targeting a certain blacked out carriage at the back end of the train. u/DiedViaThrowPillow
A Charismatic Cult Recruiter is operating in the area. u/Spartawolf
A pair of thrill-seeking teens are train surfing and their live streaming captures the players on film. u/Spartawolf
A gang of pickpockets are working in the station, and sees one of the players as a good mark... u/Spartawolf
A hobo rides on the outside of a maglev train, attached with a securment device, but then the device starts to fail and he screams for help u/I_walked_east
A train derails. Fire and acrid smoke spreads. Everyone panics. u/I_walked_east
A young woman wearing a large virtual reality headset sits in a busy train car. She's laughing and yelling loudly as she waves the controllers in her hand masterfully, music and voices audible through her headphones. u/-peachmilk-
Graffiti is a treasure map. u/I_walked_east

Los Santos Summer Special FAQ, Links and Discounts!

Rockstar has released their brand new Summer Special DLC including a ton of brand-new vehicles, missions and clothing items available for purchase.
Some previous links to get you sped up on the DLC:

This thread will become a host for all the further official announcements by Rockstar, reputable datamines and user-made content by our very own members such as R* Editor clips, screenshots, guides and the like! FAQ will be included here as well. So if you're busy at work and can't play yet anyway, give these links a look!

General Information

As of about 10AM UTC the update is out now on consoles - it seems to be about 2GBs in size. Will update soon! Edit: Now available on all platforms from what I can tell.
Feature Updates & Improvements

Calls such as those from LJT have been reduced to messages. Bryony continues to annoy the fuck out of us, though.
An additional two garage slots ~~has~~ have been added as well, so yay!
Christ - They added a timer to the Lucky Wheel! Anytime you get near it seems you will see how much time you have left to wait until you can spin it again.
Looks like it's now possible to return ANY personal vehicle back to storage. Rockstar is killing it!
The colors in the MCT for MC businesses regarding stock and supplies have been fixed, so good luck getting used to that change now!
The MkII's 5 minute cooldown is now applied to the regular mechanic as well.
~~Vehicles with missiles show a counter with how many missiles are left if their capacity is limited.~~
Staying stationary or going in the wrong direction in Open Wheel Races makes you non-contact.
Snacks can be bought from Wendy ~~and the interaction menu~~!!!
~~Unconfirmed:~~ The Casino Heist Gold Glitch seems to have been patched.
During Open Wheel races you are now able to change your tire compound (soft/medium/hard) when stationary in the pits by pressing right on the D-Pad or right-arrow key on PC. (Credits Final-Atonement)

New Content and Discounts

New Content:

Stock vehicle wheels have been added to the new 'Street' category to be applied on any vehicle.
The new yacht missions pay about GTA$ 14,000-25,000.
Arcade Games: Ace of Fury (GTA$ 666,000) and Qub3d (GTA$ 333,000).
A new business battle on the aircraft carrier has been added.

Legendary Motorsports:

Benefactor BR8 (GTA$ 3,400,000)
Declasse DR1 (GTA$ 2,997,000)
Lampadati Tigon (GTA$ 2,310,000)
Invetero Coquette D10 (GTA$ 1,500,000) - MY PERSONAL FAVORITE.

Southern San Andreas Super Autos:

Canis Seminole Frontier (GTA$ 678,000)
Dundreary Landstalker (GTA$ 1,220,000)
Imponte Beater Dukes (GTA$ 378,000)
BF Club (GTA$ 1,280,000)
Maibatsu Penumbra FF (GTA$ 1,380,000)

Benny's Original Motorworks:

Bravado Gauntlet (GTA$ 615,000, GTA$ 815,000 Benny's Conversion)
Bravado Youga Classic (GTA$ 195,000, GTA$ 1,288,000 Benny's Conversion)
Benefactor Glendale (GTA$ 200,000, GTA$ 520,000 Benny's Conversion)
Declasse Yosemite (GTA$ 485,000, GTA$ 700,000 Benny's Conversion)
Albany Manana (GTA$ 10,000, GTA$ 925,000 Benny's Conversion)
Vapid Peyote (GTA$ 38,000, GTA$ 620,000 Benny's Conversion)

Kudos to klegnut for the upgrade costs.
Clothing:

Popped Leather Jacket (White/Gray/Tan/Black/Red/Brown)
Bomber Jacket (Various, 15 Designs)
Short Service Shirt (9 colours)
Double Shirt (Three styles, various colours)
Long Sleeve Baseball Tees (7 designs)
Polo Shirt (7 designs)
Sports Tops (21 designs/colours (Brucie cosplay?))
Office Shirts (whole category, 20 colours)
Cargo Pants (8 colours)
Sports Track Pants (21 designs/colours (Brucie confirmed))
Gloves, Armoured (8 colours)
Sports Masks (8 designs)
Animal Masks (12 designs)
Sports T-Shirts (white/purple, 14 designs)
Shirts (open/rolled variants of old designs, 39 designs)
Suit Pants (25 colours)
Sport Shorts (15 colours)

Thank you to Cpt_Foresight and Azarenas for the new clothing info!
Podium Vehicle:

The Sheava is this week's Podium Vehicle. Looks like that's just the internal name for the Emperor ETR1, who would've thought they'd make it possible to get a brand new vehicle for free.

Double GTA$ and RP Activities:

2x GTA$/RP on Open Wheel Races
2x GTA$/RP on the new Yacht Missions
2x GTA$/RP on Diamond Adversary Series

Discounted Content:

30% off Yachts
40% off Arcades and Renovations
30% off the Arcade Drone Station and MCT
~~30% off MC Business Supplies~~
~~20% off Bunker Supplies~~
40% off 10-Car Garages
30% off Benny's Conversions

Time Trial:

LSIA II in Los Santos International Airport (must be finished on or before 02:24.00)

RC Bandito Time Trial:

Cemetery in Pacific Bluff (must be finished on or before 01:20.00)

Thanks to Biomixels for the time trials.
Premium Race:

Twitch Prime Bonuses:

70% off X80 Proto
80% off Bravado Gauntlet Hellfire
100% off Vespucci Canals Nightclub

FAQ

When will the DLC drop?
Soon. Rockstar usually pushes updates around 3:30AM EST or 9:30AM UTC. Check this helpful map showing all the timezones.
Does the DLC cost money, how can I get the DLC?
The DLC will be made automatically available through whatever launchestore you have the game on. Those using the Rockstar Launcher can expect to see their games updated first, so be ready for that.
What can we expect?
Judging by Rockstar's announcements and timelines, this DLC won't be massive. They've confirmed new business battles and yacht missions, probably comparable to the previous client jobs we've gotten with the Terrorbyte.
Additionally they've teased some cars, of which we've gotten images of a new supercar, a musclecar and an F-1 car. Some new race modes have been mentioned as well. It's safe to assume that the content will be dripfed in stages, especially the more interesting items might be left for later.
Have the Acura NSX and new Toyota Supra been added?
Some images of the Toyota Supra and Acura NSX being converted at Benny's have been floating around - these are fake and have been put into circulation by a clickbaity asshole who shall not be named.
Are weekly updates on Tuesdays starting now?
Probably not. Rockstar always goes a little off their usual schedule with DLC drops and this is probably the same thing. It's hard to say if the sales will already change this Thursday, but I'd recommend y'all reek the benefits of the sales before you regret it.
What's going to be on sale next? / When will the next sale be up? / What's going to be in the next DLC?
If any Rockstar employees are on this sub, we'll let you know.

User Submitted Content

Informative:

Detailed wiki guide by Gaming-Atlas.

Solomon preps locations by bamila.
ounaazh's write-up of the new content.
mrmrchoice explaining the new yacht missions in a comment.
Yacht missions guide by Irwin69.
All the Solomon locations by mdmanning, WARNING: Contains spoilers.
Map for Solomon's Movie Parts by Mackofi.
Vehicle reviews of the BR8 and DR1 by gorikun.

Snapmatics:

bozidarillic's beautiful Snapmatic of the new Benefactor BR8.
The new loading screen by BenBranny.
BaitSimulator2020's pics of the new Coquette D10.
A Daytona Charger by blazingfastpulse.
todahmoon18238's Coquette D10.
oopedbygoop's F-1 car.
xXLeeDaPeaXx's beautiful BF Club.
Bokatar25's Penumbra FF.
Another Personal Favorite: MolotovRocket's Coquette D10.

We're also hosting a Summer Special DLC Discussion Megathread which will be unlocked once the DLC has dropped to keep discussions related to the release of the DLC and first wave of content in one place. Have fun playing everyone!

What do you think the future holds for Square-Enix on Switch?

With the recent (ish) announcement of a physical edition of Final Fantasy IX coming to the Nintendo Switch, I thought it might be interesting to have a discussion about potential future Square-Enix projects that might yet appear on the system. The ‘pick up and play’ nature of the Switch makes it very compatible with JRPGs, and Square-Enix already has a pretty sizable collection of its games on Switch. It seems likely that there are more to come, but what and when is an open question.
I’m going to start this off by listing a number of potential projects, and my sense of how likely or unlikely they are to materialize. Curious to read all of your lists as well. I’ll say up front that some of the games I’ll be talking about I know like the back of my hand, and others I know only by reputation. Hopefully, we can all fill in each other’s knowledge gaps. Thanks for stopping by! :)
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars: This is the game I always have my fingers crossed for whenever Nintendo announces new additions to the NES/SNES Online apps, but unfortunately, we haven’t seen it yet. I still think it more likely than not that Seven Stars will eventually be available this way—it was included with the SNES Classic system, after all—but the longer it’s absent, the more I wonder if there’s some sort of legal/financial dispute standing in its way. (This was Square and Nintendo’s last major collaboration before their bitter mid-90s split).
Would Seven Stars instead be released as a standalone download for purchase on the Eshop? Given how beloved this game is by its fanbase, (myself included) I tend to think it would turn a profit. I suppose it could be given a slight visual touch-up and add things like higher difficulty settings, bonus dungeons, a boss rush, additional superbosses, access to all minigames from the main menu, etc. A similar approach to how Final Fantasies I-VI have been re-released since the GBA era.
There was a rumor I read fairly recently that a direct sequel to this game was under consideration, as a collaboration between Square-Enix and Nintendo. I am extremely skeptical of this, however, since Seven Stars has a nicely contained little story, with few if any loose threads to be tied up, save for perhaps exploring how Mallow adjusts to his newfound role as Prince of Nimbus Land. Certainly wouldn’t object to a sequel, though, as Seven Stars still contains my favorite overall incarnation of the Mario world.
Chrono TriggeCross: A ’Chrono Collection,’ which would include Trigger, Cross, and perhaps even Radical Dreamers as a bonus, seems logical, if not necessarily inevitable. This series may never have reached the commercial heights of Final Fantasy, but Chrono Trigger is among those very rare games where it’s hard to find even a word of negative criticism, a reputation I think still draws people in. (That was the effect it had on a young me in the early 2000s; I missed it the first time around on SNES, but as soon as I heard about Final Fantasy Chronicles for PlayStation, which included both Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger, it was an instant pre-order). Chrono Trigger has since shown up on the Nintendo DS and mobile devices.
Chrono Cross, on the other hand, is more divisive, with passionate admirers and detractors. This might explain why Square-Enix has yet to bring it to mobile devices, despite the availability of Trigger on these platforms. The fact that an enhanced version of Final Fantasy IX is available on mobile devices suggests that technical considerations are not the reason for Chrono Cross’s absence. (And of course, none of this would be a barrier of entry with the much more powerful Switch).
All this leads me to speculate that Square-Enix is holding off on releasing Trigger or Cross for modern platforms at this point because they are planning a ’Chrono Collection’ at some point down the line. I can’t help but picture a very attractive physical edition, perhaps featuring a black and gold case with the familiar clock design, and a companion booklet containing artwork and development history for the series. (Trigger’s development history is particularly interesting).
The visual novel Radical Dreamers, which could be described as something of a rough draft for a key early episode in the story of Cross, is non-essential, but would still be a nice little bonus—a window into the creative process. Including the excellent soundtracks for both Chrono games (ala Super Mario 3D All-Stars) would be an even bigger draw.
Of course, this is all just speculation on my part. Outside of Chrono Trigger being made available on Steam and mobile devices in recent years, this series has not shown signs of life in quite some time.
Secret of Evermore and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest: Grouping these two together because they are both lesser-regarded Square SNES titles that might still be interesting additions to the SNES Online app. The likes of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy VI are unlikely to pop up there, both because they have a proven ability to sell individually, on multiple platforms over the years, and because the initial SNES releases of these games are no longer the optimal versions available. (Especially true in the case of Final Fantasy IV). The popular Secret of Mana is also unlikely, given that Square-Enix has already released a remake, as part of an ongoing project of remaking the Mana series games for modern platforms.
So why these two? Well, with little if any demand for either to get the modern treatment, bringing them to SNES Online isn’t likely to step on the toes of any future remake/re-release projects. While neither are great games, both are semi-interesting ‘relics.’ Evermore a Secret of Mana clone with a different aesthetic; Mystic Quest designed as a beginner-level RPG for audiences outside of Japan. Not the sort of games many would go out of their way to find and play, but if made available on the SNES Online app, I suspect that many would happily give them a spin. Little if anything to gain, but nothing to lose either.
For the record, I don’t see either as a likely inclusion to SNES Online, which has slowed down considerably in terms of adding new games to its roster. But aside from possibly Seven Stars, these are the only SNES-era Square games I can picture them giving Switch owners more or less for free.
Final Fantasy Tactics/War of the Lions: Quite possibly my favorite video game of all time, I’m both disappointed and a bit surprised that it has yet to appear on Switch. Tactics debuted on the original PlayStation; the enhanced War of the Lions version, featuring an updated translation, beautifully animated and voice-acted cutscenes, and a respectable amount of bonus content, made its first appearance on PSP, and was later adapted for mobile devices. The mobile versions operated with touch controls, and the Switch in handheld mode has touchscreen support built in. Theoretically, at least, War of the Lions would translate well onto Switch, but perhaps there are more potential technical complications than I realize. Alternately, Square-Enix might have made the calculation that those who love Tactics already have it on iOS/Android, and would be less likely to ‘double-dip’ and buy a Switch version.
I really hope this isn’t the case, though, since I’d love to have it on Switch. This is another game where I think Square-Enix could make some extra money by releasing a physical version that includes artwork, maps, the soundtrack, etc. A full visual remake, with the production values of the gameplay graphics matching that of the cutscenes, would be even better, but I don’t think that’s very likely.
The Final Fantasy VII ‘Expanded Universe:’ The original Final Fantasy VII is available on Switch, but what is probably the most famous and popular entry in the series has branched out in multiple directions since its debut in 1997. Most recently, of course, was the Final Fantasy VII Remake for PS4. Whether a downgraded version of that game could possibly be adapted for Switch, I honestly don’t know, but even if it technically could, I wouldn’t particularly like its chances. Reason being that Final Fantasy VII Remake is, from a narrative standpoint, incomplete, since it doesn’t cover the range of the original’s story. (Not even close). In theory, this necessitates at least one more entry, and probably two or more. With the ‘original’ being a late PS4 title, that means that its follow-up(s) will likely debut on PS5, which the Switch will be much further behind from a technical standpoint. Would Square-Enix want only one part of a two- or three-part story workable on Switch? If they thought it would sell well enough, perhaps. But I think it’s more likely that if anything from the FF7 Remake series ever makes it onto a Nintendo system, the Switch’s hypothetical successor is more likely to see it than the current model.
Remake is not the only video game expansion of the FF7 universe, of course. If any of the others are to make it to Switch, I think Crisis Core is much more likely than either Before Crisis or Dirge of Cerberus. Wouldn’t rule out the possibility of any of them, but Crisis Core was originally designed for a handheld: the PSP. Zack Fair’s story was and remains compelling to fans, despite anyone who played through Final Fantasy VII knowing full well how it ends. The popularity of Vincent Valentine was not enough to save Dirge of Cerberus from some pretty harsh criticism.
Working against all of these? Well, Remake throws the continuity of the original and its spinoffs into question. It’s possible that Square-Enix might be planning to scrub the existing canon clean as part of this ongoing project.
Vagrant Story: I’ll admit, this is pure wishful thinking on my part; I’m under no illusions that this is even remotely likely. Still, it’s behind only Tactics/War of the Lions on my own Square-Enix Switch wishlist. (Switchlist?) What’s not to like about a dark Renaissance detective story? (The block stacking/rearrangement puzzles required to progress through dungeons can be a bit tedious, but nothing awful).
Star Ocean Games: With First Departure—a enhanced PSP remake of the first Star Ocean game—already on Switch, I think it’s a virtual certainty that Second Evolution—the PSP counterpart to Second Story—will eventually make the leap over as well. (Frankly, I’m surprised it hasn’t already). The Switch prospects of post-Second Story/Evolution games are iffier, but with the second installment often regarded as the highlight of the entire series, it is a very strong candidate to pop up on the Eshop.
Kingdom Hearts Games: The first games on this list I know only by reputation. My understanding is that they have done very well in terms of both sales and critical reception, and even that feels like an understatement. The recent announcement of a Kingdom Hearts rhythm-based spinoff for Switch seemed to spark disappointment in these parts that nothing from the main series was coming. This suggests that there is a potential market for mainline Kingdom Hearts on Switch; I’d certainly be willing to give them a shot.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Games: I can’t help but wonder if the original Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was hurt at all by Fire Emblem making its debut appearance outside of Japan around the same time, to positive press and public reception. The success of Fire Emblem on GBA likely overshadowed Tactics Advance a bit. Still, there are other reasons why this game tends to be held in lower overall regard than the original Final Fantasy Tactics. While the first has the air of a Shakespearean epic, the central conceit of Advance is that a group of kids, presumably from the ‘real world,’ get sucked into a fantasy world, and the main story goal is their trying to somehow get back home. Some saw this as a major step backwards from the original, while others praised the writers for thinking outside the box. Also controversial was the ‘Judge’ system, where every battle would start with the announcement that certain abilities could not be used. Some saw this as a fun challenge that kept players on their toes; others found it irritating and contrived. I know less about the DS sequel, Grimoire of the Rift.
If we ever see anything from the Final Fantasy Tactics sub-series on Switch, War of the Lions seems far more likely than any of the Advance titles. If a hypothetical War of the Lions Switch version was to sell well enough, however, perhaps Square-Enix would release one or both of the Advance games in the hopes of piggy-backing off its success.
Final Fantasy XIII Games: Doable? Probably. Worth it for Square-Enix financially, given the mixed reputation of these games? Tougher call.
Final Fantasy XV: Another recent Final Fantasy I know quite little about. I know that the downgraded ’Pocket Edition, which I first became aware of via the iOS App Store, is also available on the Switch Eshop. This perhaps suggests that Final Fantasy XV in its original form would be difficult to adapt to Switch. Difficult, however, does not necessarily mean impossible, so I would be surprised, but not shocked, if Final Fantasy XV was eventually brought to Switch.
Threads of Fate & Brave Fencer Musashi: Grouping these two because they are both mid/late PS1-era games that have virtually no chance of re-emerging on Switch. Still, both are cute, family-friendly action RPGs that would be right at home on the system.
Xenogears: Another PS1-era longshot...noticing a pattern here? Legal difficulties aside, I could see Xenogears potentially doing well on the Nintendo Eshop, riding the coattails of the popular Xenoblade games. (Which I definitely need to get around to trying one of these days; my understanding is that although there are no direct narrative links between them, Xenogears, and the Xenosaga games, they are considered to be ‘spiritually’ connected).
I last played Xenogears myself about two or three years back, and my experience then left me with the sense that the game might be a bit more ‘digestible’ on a handheld-hybrid like the Switch than its home console origins. Engaging, thought-provoking story; complex, well-written characters; a wonderful soundtrack. No one can take these things away from Xenogears. That being said, Xenogears often employs long (winded) cutscenes and dialogue sections to tell its excellent story, has a pretty high rate of random encounters throughout its large-scale dungeons and overworld areas, and requires frequent micromanagement and shopping to upgrade ‘Gears’ (combat robots) so the player remains competitive in battle.
In other words, an average Xenogears play session can leave the player with the sense that they have accomplished relatively little compared to the amount of time they just invested in it. Because of that, I often found myself feeling ‘burned out’ by the game, engaging though it was.
While a Switch version of the game could not be expected to totally resolve those issues, it could alleviate them, both by its ‘pick up and play’ nature and by increasing opportunities to save progress outside of the designated save points and world map of the original. (As was the standard of the time). Ideally, one would be able to save during a lengthy cutscene, so they would be able to take a break from the story without being forced to later watch (and process) the entire thing from the beginning.
Dissidia Games: Admittedly, I don’t know much about these games other than the very basics: they are a fighting game spinoff of the Final Fantasy series. On paper, though...doesn’t that sound like something that would sell like hotcakes on Switch? Dissidia may not be at the top of my personal wishlist, but outside of Kingdom Hearts, it is perhaps the most puzzling Square-Enix exclusion.
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings: A definite longshot, but there are two factors that could theoretically, at least, work in its favor: a) its ties to Final Fantasy XII, which is on Switch via The Zodiac Age; and b) the fact that, unlike XII itself, Revenant Wings was originally released on a Nintendo platform: the DS.
Working against it? Radio silence. I admittedly have never played this one myself, but the fact that so few people seem to talk about it suggests that it didn’t make much of an impact one way or the other. It would have been a cool bonus—as an unlockable or DLC—to include with Zodiac Age, but no such luck, and Revenant Wings seems to be more or less forgotten. I quite like XII, though, so if Revenant Wings did come to Switch, I’d be inclined to give it a shot.
Front Mission Series: A not especially famous, but long-running, somewhat prolific Square-Enix series, with entries spanning from the SNES to the PS4. File this one under surprised but not shocked if something from the Front Mission series eventually lands on Switch.
Parasite Eve Games: The last PS1-era longshots, I promise! (And the second-to-last entry overall...Hallelujah!) Right down there with Threads of Fate and Brave Fencer Musashi in the ‘never gonna happen’ column. I totally missed out on the original and its sequel during their initial run, which I kind of regret now, since many of their basic elements—a more gritty/realistic tone; a female detective as the protagonist—sound really cool on paper. The sort of thing I glanced over as a child/adolescent, but would be right up my alley these days.
Final Fantasy I-VI: If you’re still here, thank you very much! This will be the last section of my list today...but also the longest. I decided to group the first six mainline Final Fantasies together here not because I think each is of equal importance—far from it—but more to highlight the curious fact that, despite the fairly widespread availability of these games on multiple platforms over the course of many years, the earliest Final Fantasy game up and running on the Nintendo Switch at the time of this writing is VII. So, what gives? Thinking back to the Tactics/War of the Lions section, this could be a matter of Square-Enix calculating that, with the first six Final Fantasies already available on mobile devices, there would be little incentive for Switch-owning fans to ‘double-dip.’
I’m not sure if that theory holds up as well here, however, since we are talking about six individual games of varying importance, as opposed to one.
Final Fantasies I & II have often been bundled together, in the case of both Final Fantasy Origins for the PS1 and Dawn of Souls for the GBA. If we ever do see a Switch re-release of these games, my guess is that we would get another two-pack, if for no other reason than a bundle is probably the best means of selling the ambitious yet deeply flawed Final Fantasy II. My first experience with both games was via Dawn of Souls, but one thing I didn’t realize until some time later was that, at least in the case of Final Fantasy I, the adaptation was quite different from the original experience. The Dawn of Souls version had a traditional MP system for spells—each spell used x-amount of MP, which could be recovered via certain items and by resting at town inns and tents/cottages on the world map. The original release, on the other hand, featured limited spell charges, which could apparently only be recovered by resting in towns, forcing the player to be much more strategic/conservative with magic use. Thinking back to the high encounter rate and maze-like dungeons, my first thought was: ’My God, that sounds like an absolute nightmare!’ For others, though, it could be a fun challenge, so it might be nice for future re-releases of Final Fantasy I to include both magic systems.
I’m not sure to what extent, if any, Square-Enix might be influenced by Nintendo’s recent decision to re-release the first NES/Famicom Fire Emblem game on Switch, with no apparent changes aside from it being available in languages other than the original Japanese, but I suppose this could theoretically compel them to release the first three NES/Famicom Final Fantasy games with the original NES/Famicom graphics, at least as an optional setting. (Hopefully not completely replacing the ‘prettied up’ versions). That being said, I wouldn’t want any downgraded graphics settings to strip a future Final Fantasy I re-release of the fun superboss cameos, including but not limited to the dragon Shinryu and the eccentric swordsman Gilgamesh.
A quick aside about Final Fantasy II, since we’re here. There are very few games I’ve ever wanted to like more, and I think it deserves credit for thinking outside the box with its leveling system, and for having a story more on the human folly/political intrigue side than the straight ‘good versus evil’ side. Unfortunately, though, it falls a bit flat in both areas. The game does have its bright spots, including a pretty strong supporting cast—Princess Hilda and Minwu the OG White Mage are standouts—and one of my favorite music tracks in the series: the Wild Rose Rebellion theme.
Onward to Final Fantasy III, which is probably best known for its more complex/sophisticated take on the ‘Job System’ introduced in Final Fantasy I, and for how long it took (sixteen years!) for the game to first release outside of Japan. The last of the NES/Famicom Final Fantasies, my understanding is that, after the largely failed experiment that was II, the next game in the series was intended as a return to form—going back to the concepts of the original and expanding on them. A similar approach, one could argue, to both Super Mario Bros. 3 and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. With the SNES/Super Famicom set to release within the same timeframe, however, and Square’s plans to bring the ambitious Final Fantasy IV to that new platform, it was ultimately decided that releasing III outside of Japan would be unwise. Fast-forward to 2006, and the Nintendo DS would see a full remake of Final Fantasy III, complete with both 3D graphics and an expanded story—where the four playable characters were nameless avatars in the original, the remake gave them established names and backstories. (This version was also later adapted for mobile devices). The sheer novelty of this ‘lost’ Final Fantasy game finally showing its face outside of Japan, and of a Nintendo system finally being able to boast having a 3D Final Fantasy of its own, led to the game getting some decent attention early on, but long-term, it doesn’t seem to have made much of an impact. Perhaps in large part because it’s difficult to think of anything Final Fantasy III did that Final Fantasy V didn’t do as good or better.
And on that note, I’m going to skip ahead briefly to Final Fantasy V. (IV will get its time, don’t worry). Like the odd-numbered Final Fantasies before it, V is remembered more for its gameplay—an even more sophisticated Job System than that of III—than its story or characters. This is the most common criticism of the game, and while I think there’s something to it, it should also be noted that Final Fantasy V had the misfortune of being sandwiched between the epic, story-driven IV and VI, so it had some stiff competition in that area. There’s still a pretty good story to be had here; a likable, if not super-memorable cast; and a handful of interesting plot points and twists.
One interesting aspect of Final Fantasy V is that, in terms of gameplay, it is almost a mirror image of IV. Where IV is very linear and allows virtually no opportunities to customize characters, or even choose which party members to go with at any given time, V encourages frequent mixing and matching of classes and secondary skills to adapt to the current situation. One might go in expecting, consciously or unconsciously, the obvious male lead to function best in a Knight/Swordsman class, and the obvious female lead to be most effective as a mage. In truth, however, anyone can be anything. All characters have access to the same Job classes, but their visual design in each class varies to reflect their personality. Take the Monk/Martial Artist class, for instance—where both male characters go shirtless when assigned to this job, the more ‘girly’ of the two female characters dons a bright red athletic dress, while her more ‘tomboyish’ counterpart instead chooses a plain white robe/karate uniform. Given the relative obscurity of Final Fantasy V, it’s difficult to picture Square-Enix investing many resources into a future remake project, but it would be cool to see a modern take on all these character designs.
As for why I skipped right from III to V? Well, despite the fact that these two games, as far as I know, have never been bundled together, I think they would make pretty logical ‘running mates’ in the future, given that both are centered around a version of the Job system. (Maybe they could call it ’Final Fantasy Labor Collection’).
Now let’s tackle what is arguably the heaviest hitter of this group: Final Fantasy IV. Of the pre-VII Final Fantasy games, IV is probably the one that has gotten the most love from Square-Enix, which one could argue is a mixed blessing. While the original release is almost universally well-regarded, its direct, seventeen years after-the-fact sequel, The After Years, is often considered among the weakest titles to fly under the Final Fantasy banner. It has its good points, and I think there would a pretty engaging story here if they had just trimmed the proverbial fat and made >!Kain Highwind the undisputed main character.After Years is kneecapped by its original format of downloadable ‘episodes’ that were released gradually, and these chapters are by no means created equal. (Some are interesting, but others are a miserable slog).
Final Fantasy IV would eventually appear on both the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS, but the competing handhelds were not to receive the exact same product. The DS version featured the 3D visual style of Final Fantasy III DS, while the PSP’s Complete Collection employed a more traditional 2D art style with redrawn sprites and locations. Complete Collection, unlike FFF 4 DS, also contained both After Years and the aptly-titled mid-quel Interlude.
If Final Fantasy IV ever does make its way over to Switch, Complete Collection seems like the better overall value, but my guess is that the DS/mobile device 3D version is a bit more likely. It might be worth noting that, despite After Years debuting with a 2D style, it was re-released for mobile devices with a 3D ‘makeover’ back in 2013. This move also suggests that Square-Enix would sell the original IV and its sequel separately on the Eshop if they ever do bring them to Switch.
And now, the biggie: Final Fantasy VI. The most recent mainline entry to debut on a Nintendo system, and simultaneously one of the most beloved by fans and most neglected by its parent company. To this day, the definitive version of Final Fantasy VI is the enhanced GBA port, from all the way back in 2006. (Advance takes that crown in my book solely because, unlike other re-releases that contained the same bonus content, it included a run button from the beginning, in place of always needing to have one party member’s Relic slot taken up by the ‘Sprint Shoes’ if you wanted to get anywhere fast).
The sad reality of Final Fantasy VI is that, more than probably any other entry in this series, it is hindered by its graphical limitations. Not because it uses a 2D sprite-based presentation, to be sure—both Chrono Trigger and the first two Suikoden games managed to convey a large-scale world with a similar art style—but I think the best illustration of this shortcoming is to compare the the city of Vector in VI to Midgar in the original Final Fantasy VII. Neither locale would win any beauty contests these days, but even the rather primitive 3D visuals in VII were enough to convey that this was a massive, massive city. The Imperial capital, on the other hand? Not so much. Save for some slightly larger, plain-looking buildings, a lack of flowers and trees, and what looked to be pieces of industrial equipment in an area just beyond the line of apartments and stores, there wasn’t a whole lot to distinguish it visually from the average town a player visited.
Beyond the basic set pieces, though, there are a multitude of scenes in Final Fantasy VI that absolutely demand a greater visual spectacle than what the SNES/Famicom could achieve at the time. Especially the whole Floating Continent sequence of events. (Can you imagine?) As I admitted earlier, I don’t know much about the Dissidia games, but one thing I have seen of them are the amazing 3D models of VI’s Kefka and Terra. To have all those elaborate character designs given a modern (ish) touch, whether they used 3D models or 2D sprites, would be a thing of beauty.
Do I think a modern remake of Final Fantasy VI being developed for the Switch is likely? Sadly...no. But I can’t ignore how poetic such a thing would be. Considering that the first the world saw of the eventual Final Fantasy VII project was an N64 tech demo showing 3D models of Terra, Locke, and Shadow in battle, this would really bring things full-circle.
Again, if you made it this far...frankly, I’m surprised I made it this far! Five thousand-plus words, more than a month of fiddling with this ‘script,’ and I’m sure there’s still plenty I missed and got wrong. Still, it feels good to finally wrap this up, and if nothing else, I hope it will be a semi-enjoyable read. Curious to hear your thoughts, and many thanks!

What I've Learned From 15+ Hinge Dates

using a throwaway since the spam filter keeps on removing this post
Similar to a post I made here a little over a year ago, I decided to do this exercise primarily for my own sake, but figured others might benefit too.
These are just some tips that I picked up on as I went on several dates and got a sense of what worked and what didn't. Pick and choose as you will.

Always aim for dates where you'll be side-to-side (walks, picnics) or 90 degrees (more casual eats, bars). Dates where you're sitting opposite each other (dinners) tend to feel very interview-y, and puts a lot of pressure on maintaining eye contact and talking every single second.
Speaking of dinners, I would err away from those for first dates (especially if you're a guy) - they can run quite expensive once drinks are included and you're expected to pay. Coffee, ice cream, breweries etc. are generally a much safer (cheaper) bet.
If you can slot an activity in the first date, it helps to explore your chemistry in a different dynamic - this can range from something that costs money (not preferable for a first date IMO, but think mini-golf, bowling) to things that are completely free (IKEA, people-watching, pointing out your dream houses in a neighbourhood, visiting a record store and sharing some of your favourite albums)
If the date is not going well, just confidently make an excuse about how you have something to do (may it be call your friend, finish up some work, go to the gym etc.) and give a 15 minutes heads-up. At the very least, I think you owe a date an hour of your time, but don't feel bad about cutting it short. On the other hand, if you're new to dating, it might be worth the effort to still extend this date as a form of practice. If you're prompted at the end of the date whether you'd like to hang out again, just be honest and say that you didn't feel a connection, and wish them best of luck.
Speaking of end-date etiquette, I do like to ask at the end if she'd like to hang out again. Do not worry about logistics at this point - you're just trying to get a yes or no, so that you have a sense of whether it makes sense to continue talking or not beyond that point. If she says yes, just respond with something like "awesome, looking forward to next time" and part ways. Don't bother texting her about what a great time you had. Wait a day or two, send a casual text (maybe about something you discussed like music, TV shows etc.), keep that conversation going for a few more days, then bring up a second date idea and move forward from there.
Keep your time/effort/investment to the dates alone. Do not spend any time outside of the date doing things for her (I was very guilty of this, going to the lengths of making girls playlists because I actually do enjoy making playlists and thought it'd be a good look - it isn't).
When it comes to texting (before the first date, in between dates), keep things short, casual, lightweight (think 1-2 texts, generally with a pointed question). You want the conversation to feel fun and easy, not something heavy that requires much time/thought from either side.
In terms of escalating physical contact, once again, aim for a date where you're side-by-side (or 90 degrees). As you'll converse, you should find yourself naturally being physical (e.g. if she makes a joke, you can lightly touch her thigh/arm). Ideally at some point, you'll find yourself going on a bit of walk at the end where you can try and hold hands. End with a kiss on a first date if possible, second date worst case scenario. At the 3rd date point, you should be okay to invite her over to your house to watch a movie and take it a lot further than just making out (and if you can cook, that is many bonus points!!)
When it comes to conversations in the date, aim for topics which are grounded and create opportunities for personal connections: this means you want to talk about things like friends, family, travel, interests, work, school, memorable experiences, nostalgia etc. Stay away from "philosophical" or "intellectual" conversations - now is not the time to impress her with your midnight stoner thoughts. The goal is for you to land on a few discussions where your experiences feel shared and mutual, and you gain a deeper level of understanding and appreciation of each other.
Being able to playfully tease (not negging) is key: always remember that the golden rule of comedy is to punch-up. Sarcastic flattering can also go a long way, but read the room (if the first couple times don't land, just stop).
Conversations have to be 50-50: do not constantly ask her question after question. As she'll respond, be ready to share something about you, and make sure that you're always introducing a new idea to the pool (e.g. if you're talking about your favourite hike, mention the friends you went with, and now both of you can easily access this topic of friends). The goal is transition, transition, transition.
In light of above, remember that the date is a shared responsibility: you're both equal parties involved in the activity. Do not feel like you have to overextend (if anything, this is a bad sign). The best dates are those which are naturally indicative of mutual interest and effort. Be willing to let a silence take over if you've been driving the conversation for a while. If you're good for each other, she will pick up the slack.
Profile design and pre-date texting are often the best indicators of how successful the date will be. Set your standards and stick to them. If you're feeling unsure of someone before the date, chances are it'll not go that well and you may as well cancel it (i.e. don't go on dates just because you can). I break this rule sometimes, and every time I ask myself why I even bothered when I caught some (personal) red flags before the date (may it have been in the types of prompts they had, the fact that they weren't as cute as I thought when I searched them online on FB/insta etc.)
Pre-date texting sets the tone for the date. Some girls are flirtatious, others aren't. Use this time to get a sense of what to expect on the date.
Along these lines, texting with the assumption that you'll meet again (e.g. let's say she mentions how bad she is at planning trips, and you say something along the lines of "hope you'll get ready for the Excel sheets I'll prep for our first trip"), it already creates a sense of interconnectedness beyond a single meetup.
I'm personally not a fan of talking about or referring to Hinge (and dating in general) on the date itself - seems quite irrelevant, and shifts the focus away from the two of you and what you're trying to achieve.
Compliments are good but keep them sparse and tasteful. Do better than "wow you're really cute". If you can mention specifics (about her accessories, outfit, hairstyle etc.), it shows thought and taste.
Humour is key - aim to incorporate jokes and lighthearted comments during the convo. If she's laughing on the date, it means you're on the right track. The golden standard is if you can create an inside joke in the date itself - that now becomes a shared little world for just the two of you
Shared interests are just the decorations to a relationship: the foundation comes in personal relatability. Make sure that you're aiming to connect on meaningful experiences, values, beliefs, and let the shared interests decorate that, rather than relying on the fact that you both like the same TV shows to drive anything.
Remind yourself and recognize that you are going on a date with her - out of all the people who's busy messaging her, she chose to go out with you. She is obviously interested and attracted to you at some level, so use this knowledge to your advantage. Be willing to take risks; you're not here to make friends.
Dates are meant to be fun and memorable - you want there to be moments where you both go "aha!" in your minds because you have created a unique instance that you can easily relate back to the date when you'll think about it after the fact. My best dates are ones where I can clearly remember a theme or two we spoke about that I haven't with anyone else.
No matter your personality, avoid being negative/critical as much as possible. Someone who's constantly complaining (or finding the bad in things) is not attractive.
Similarly, avoid going into territory that blatantly highlights differences between you. When I go on dates with students (I'm a recent-ish grad), I avoid talking about my spending habits because that would just highlight all the money I have which they don't. I have also found myself dishing out advice to someone since I had gone through a phase of life she had just started, which unbalanced the date completely, shifting from something that could potentially have been romantic to a mentor-mentee situation (she literally told me how much she enjoyed learning from me ... once again, not the point of a date).

As mentioned, wrote the above for myself, and dating is still very much a WIP for me, but hopefully some of you find some value in this!

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For those of you thinking about becoming online English teachers: read about my experience

Before you read any further, please understand that my experience is with QKids specifically-- a China-based company similar to VIPKids, Palfish, and others.
So, like many of you, I had to pursue online employment due to a lack of good opportunities in my area. I got hired on about two years ago, so this was before COVID, but nonetheless, employment opportunities weren't good in my area. I just moved to a new town, so my connections were down the drain, and I was pretty desperate to make some money to help with rent, groceries, etc., and I really needed to get SOMETHING. Well, working for QKids has certainly not been ideal, but I know a ton of people in this sub are looking into this specific line of work due to COVID, so I wanted to weigh in on some of the facts about working for these companies, plus answer questions for you all in the comments. Hopefully I'll address your main questions in the post though.
"What's the pay like?"
Honestly? It's not phenomenal, but it isn't bad. Before COVID, I had two jobs, one working as a tutor in the local elementary school, and the other was my online teaching position with QKids. Initially, I thought that I would try and just work for QKids, because on the website, it says you make up to $20 an hour-- typical statements made by Chinese companies in this industry, but it's not that simple. In order to make $20 an hour, you need to get every possible bonus, which is doable. Even then, however, some teachers don't get very many hours. Some claim to get 30 hours a week, but I only average about 8 hours a week through them. After the first few months of working for them, I saw that I wasn't realistically going to pay my bills working for QKids, so that's when I got my second job. TLDR? You're not making $20 an hour unless you're getting all the bonuses, which means you must get great reviews from parents, and work a minimum of 12 time slots a week (6 hours). Also, $20 an hour sounds great, but it's really not if you aren't working very many hours. Which brings us to the next question:
"What's the schedule like?"
This is my main problem with the job. The schedule can be problematic, unless you really enjoy waking up extremely early. With QKids, you work in 30 minute timeslots. Between each time slot you work, there's 10 minutes of unpaid downtime. I use this time to go fix coffee or a snack. Right now, there looks to be a total of 47 time slots, and assuming you're getting all of the bonuses, it would be $10 per time slot, or $470 a week. The schedules fluctuate on a seasonal basis, but as of the time of this posting, it looks like the earliest time slot you can start at is 4:50AM Eastern time. Your last lesson would end at 8:00AM Eastern time if you worked all the morning slots, This means that there are 5 slots each morning. There are also evening slots on Fridays and Saturdays. The evening is my absolute favorite time to work, because I don't have to wake up, and I'm not usually doing anything on Friday and Saturday nights. There are 6 evening slots on Friday and on Saturday. If you worked all of them, you would start your first lesson at 5:30 PM Eastern time, and your last lesson would end at 9:20 Eastern time. Since I'm a little busier throughout the week, I mostly work on weekends, and I work 16 lessons a week. Sometimes I pick up more if I need the extra cash, though.
"How much can I expect to earn monthly?"
If you worked every single timeslot in a 30-day month, you would be able make around $1,630. That is if you worked 7 days a week, every timeslot, and didn't miss a single one. Where I live, I can make a pretty decent living on far less than $1,630 a month, but of course, there are some places where $1,630 won't even cover rent. So, I would say when thinking about this position, make sure you're considering the cost of living for your area.
"Is the job fun/enjoyable?"
I really love working with children. It brightens my day to see smiling faces, and really smart young learners. If you like working with kiddos, you'll probably really like that aspect of this job. As far as the coaching team that you'll be in contact with, they do a pretty good job at supporting you and making you feel valued as well. When I'm teaching, it's a lot of fun, especially with more advanced students that you can have a wide variety of conversations with, outside of just the curriculum. That being said, the early, early mornings do detract from me enjoying it as much, and it's frustrating when I check my schedule and see that I'm not fully booked sometimes. Although lately I've been fully booked.
"What are the qualifications?"
Qkids, and most companies based in China will require a bachelor's degree. Fortunately, it doesn't matter what degree you have, whether it's in education, business, or whatever. Most companies simply want you to have that college background, although some companies might specifically want you to have an education degree. In addition to your bachelor's degree, you will need to get a TEFL/TESOL certification through taking a 120-hour class. Lots of these courses can be taken online, and if given time, can be completed in a couple of days, depending on how much time you dedicate to it. In my experience, I have completed some courses in a few hours, some courses take a few days. It depends on which course you're taking. I personally recommend International Open Academy's TESOL course, which as of this posting, is still adequate for most companies in China. There used to be a coupon code or something that would make the course cheaper, but I don't remember where I found it. Don't spend more than $100 on one of these courses, though. Yes, the more expensive courses will be better, but you don't need to take a great course in order to work this job. Once you have your BA and TEFL/TESOL, you're pretty much good to go. If your interview and trial lessons go well, you'll be hired on.
"Do they hire non-native speakers?"
Simply put? No. However, if you're really fluent in English, you could probably pass as a native speaker.
"Do they hire people outside the U.S.?"
Qkids only hires people in the U.S. or Canada, but I know there are companies which will hire outside these regions, such as VIPKid, who hires Europeans. Most of these companies have really similar guidelines, but there are a few that will hire outside the U.S.
Summary/TLDR:
Teaching English from home has been a decently fun position, but it doesn't always meet all of the expectations that the companies lay out for you, just like any other job. Namely, the salary isn't incredible, like they would make you think. The hours are no fun, but it feels really good to help these kids learn, and it's super fun to talk to them. If you're looking for a way to pay bills, I don't recommend you make this job your sole source of income. However, if you've already got a job and you're looking to make extra beer money, or if you're a college student who already has a BA and is looking for part time work, this is a pretty decent gig. Feel free to ask questions below if you want my referral link or need to know more or whatever, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
EDIT: Found the link for the cheap TESOL course. Using this link, you can sign up for the course for $19. If you want a physical copy of the TESOL certificate, it will probably cost you extra, but the digital one is totally fine. TESOL Course through International Open Academy

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What I've Learned From 15+ Hinge Dates

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