My Little Pony C: Friendship Carries On

[Aotrs Commander]

ARe. YOU. ******** KIDDING. ME.

Spoiler

Show

So, let's get this right. I get slapped RIGHT next to a frack-ton of silicoid swarms (that's not even all of them, they spread like wildfire). My expansion is crippled by the lack of decent worlds to expand to and then hard-capped by a colony traps, ancient ruins and unknown vessels of the Morrigi random encounter stuff. I do not get point-defence tech - you know the ONE COUNTER to both of those. I am taking HORRENDOUS casualties clearing out the swarms, but I've about managed. The AI, apparently after I did all the sodding dying and triggering the encounters until they go away, now gets to block my expansion and IMMEDIATELY sends a massive fleet so big I ended up having to auto-resolve, because it actually gave me a better result than trying to fight it (y'know, fighting the starship battles being the ENTIRE reason I'm playing). Oh and node tracking tech (90% chance - LIKE THE PD), that lets me see the humans coming? No, don't get that either,.

And then you stick the [EXPLETIVING] VON NEUMANN HOMEWORLD right next to my CAPITAL, placing it first in line for the late-game FREAKING system killers and stuff? ALSO not giving me any of the hard-counters (PD - again!) and Emitters - to regular Von Neumann stuff. After hamstringing me the entire game (and notably, on the ONE TIME, I thought I'd try something different to just phaving the AI on Easy, in the hopes I'd get some slightly larger starship battles towards the endgame AND after I decided "no, you know, what, I won't restart because of RNG" several times to tough it out).

I repeat.

ARE. YOU. ******** KIDDING. ME.


Edit: Looking at the destroyed DN count? Pretty sure I'M the only one that has had to fight the Swarm all game, since at this stage, no-one has any DNs to destroyed except for the encounters.



Edit edit: Nope. No, the AI just wouldn't let me do anything. It waited with a fleet twice the size of anything I could have because it locked me into a corner and didn't let me have the one technology that allowed me to fight it all the stuff it stacked up against me (also worth noting that humans extensively use torpedoes, which are also PD-countered). I had just hit dreadnoughts and FINALLY got PD tracking from the salvage, but in order to do that, I was building the economy so I coiuld actually afford to make ships and from there I could have got something like a foothold. But no. Despite me hitting the top income, apparently if you use team settings, you'e just not allowed to negotiate (to buy me some time). And then it came in with allies and wiped the fleet (the majority of all my combat vessels) and the colony.

So, yeah, that was a COMPLETE WASTE of several hours because of RNG, the PRCEISE THING I hate so very much. It's not fun, it's not entertaining (and if this was a PDX grand strat, I would be editing the CRAP out of the save and just deleting all the enemy fleets and going "no.")

Well, RNG, I guess you taught me didn't you? The one time I didn't save-scam from the very start and tried to put something that was slightly different from the usual, you slapped me in the face. Won't make that mistake again, then, ever.


Edit edit edit: Okay, so after SEVERAL restarts, I was happy enough with the initial conditions. I kept the enemy teams, but set the AI to Easy and gave myself 450000 instead of 50000 starting funds. That allowed me to get out of the gate MUCH faster, and get the research off. For an hour or two, it seemed to be going great. The unknown mances I ran into were faciliies I could run away from and maybe capture later. I'd picked a rift galaxy, so naturally the game had place me on one side of the rift with all the humans. Nevermind, I thought, one gate the other side and I an expand there. Carry on, beating the early human waves off trivially.

Then, coming up to turn 70, I ran into a swarm of 75 human destroyers. I had JUST got some cruisers, and the RNG had actually given me emitters (and frigging PD), ideal for this job. It took severe damage, but I held off the attack. Struggling for money at this point, since again all the planets that were habitable (very few) were really small. Then on turn 70 a fleet of 140 destroyers from another lot of humans appeared. Meanwhile, the first systemI headed to on the other side of the rift? Silicoids, because of course they were. Second one, after diverting? Occupied by the other hivers.

And rage quit again, because frack off.

Clearly, having the enemy in teams are just not plausible, because they somehow manage absurd fleet numbers, and the game clearly likes setting them closer to me than to the other opposing team (no, couildn't have put ME one side of the galaxy and the humans and hivers the other, could we?)

So we continue the theme of the year: irritation.

[otakuryoga]

ugh..this night

one of our nurses tested positive so we are doing terminal clean of entire 4th floor + ER + 4 elevators
in full PPE which if you have never worn it gets HOT real quick....

and list of stuff coming to Netflix? still no final season 8(

[Form]

I'm so happy I've found this thread. I've very much been in a MLP mood lately and I've pretty much exhausted most of the primary source material to the point where I've been looking more into the stuff produced by the fans, so it's great to have this thread. Both the links in the OP as well as the little additions made by posters themselves are great to have.

Anyway, I figured I'd just pop in and show my appreciation. It's amazing to see the fandom produce so much MLP themed content, which is often pretty good! It is a highly valued source of positivity to me.

[Topaz]

I've been keeping up with Equestria Daily; it's kind of amazing to me that the fandom is still producing the level and amount of creative work inspired by FiM that I see every day.

[DigoDragon]

Yeah, the fandom is still doing stuff. I as well, drawing earth ponies, a couple zebras, and some unicorns of unusual size.

I've drawn some other stuff around places, but that art doesn't consistently hit as many views/likes as my pony stuff still so I keep drawing what gets attention. :3

[b_jonas]

"Having half the States without a stay-at-home order is like having a pee section in a public swimming pool."

I'd be happy with a swimming pool with a pee section right now. I haven't been able to swim for more than a month, because all the pools are closed. I'm missing the exercise.

[Form]

I'd be happy with a swimming pool with a pee section right now. I haven't been able to swim for more than a month, because all the pools are closed. I'm missing the exercise.

I can relate. There's an outdoors swimming pool near where I live and it was supposed to open up soon with the start of spring, but obviously it looks like that won't be possible. Real shame, too. I was looking forward to some early morning outdoors swimming.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I'd be happy with a swimming pool with a pee section right now. I haven't been able to swim for more than a month, because all the pools are closed. I'm missing the exercise.

I can relate. There's an outdoors swimming pool near where I live and it was supposed to open up soon with the start of spring, but obviously it looks like that won't be possible. Real shame, too. I was looking forward to some early morning outdoors swimming.

My daughter (and wife, for that matter) will sympathise - my daughter is a Lifeguard/Swim Teacher, and is completely out of work and exercise at the moment. She is concerned enough about the lack of exercise that she is forcing herself to come out running with Daddy twice a week.

(Work isn't so much of an issue - she's still living at home, so not in as bad a state as some of her collegues who have to fend for themselves).

EDIT: She's also a bigger fan of MLP than me, for all that she used to leave the room whenever it was on... She's been watching it a lot lately...

[Rogar Demonblud]

Introduce her to Friendship is Dragons. You know you want to.

[Form]

EDIT: She's also a bigger fan of MLP than me, for all that she used to leave the room whenever it was on... She's been watching it a lot lately...

Awesome! Nice to see that the herd is still growing.

[Rater202]

Me: Finally gets mother to agree to stop buying Easter baskets because I'm a grown-ass man and can't keep eating that much candy.

Mom: Buys large amounts of candy anyway, just doesn't put it in a basket.

Am I weird for not liking having to eat nine servings of chocolate at once because the damn thing starts melting as soon as you open the box and it not storing well due to shape and size not being freezer friendly?

I keep telling her that crap like this is why we're all so fat...

[Manga Shoggoth]

Am I weird for not liking having to eat nine servings of chocolate at once because the damn thing starts melting as soon as you open the box and it not storing well due to shape and size not being freezer friendly?

Can't you break the eggs up (to take up less space) and store them in the fridge? That's what we do.

[Aotrs Commander]

Me: Finally gets mother to agree to stop buying Easter baskets because I'm a grown-ass man and can't keep eating that much candy.

Mom: Buys large amounts of candy anyway, just doesn't put it in a basket.

Am I weird for not liking having to eat nine servings of chocolate at once because the damn thing starts melting as soon as you open the box and it not storing well due to shape and size not being freezer friendly?

I keep telling her that crap like this is why we're all so fat...

Y'know, I've a good mind to Gate over there and swipe that. Oh no, I have too much chocolate (as if that's possible), how terrible. You can't see it, Rater, but I'm giving you SUCH a hard stare right now.

'Specially since with the all crap this year, I might not get much chocolate (Easter chocolate of which, I remind you, typically lasts me all through to August and even September, if I'm lucky.) Since while I (and therefore my Dad) had the foresight to get eggs for everyone else before this started getting serious, I don't know whether anyone else in my family did, nor whether I will (or Dad will, since he's doing most of the shopping at the moment) be able to pick up any extra stuff after today when they (under NORMAL circumstances) put it on sale to clear the shelves. I dunno whether that will even happen.

Though it's possible, I suppose, I will end up scarfing all the stuff I bought under the expectation that I would be running not one, but two day-quests over the period. But 'taint the same.

[Rater202]

Can't you break the eggs up (to take up less space) and store them in the fridge? That's what we do.

This is America, easter eggs are hard-boiled eggs died colors.

Our Easter Chocolate are hollow rabbits made of cheap milk chocolate. Break it up into manageable portions and it's melted by the time it hits the freezer and then it's just nine shapeless masses that nobody would find appetizing.

It's basically eat it all at once(which is, as I said, nine servings of chocolate) or let it go bad.

(also, even if I could our main freezer is full.)

[Aotrs Commander]

Well, at least the Red Dwarf special was really good.



It even sort of had some Starship Battles In It, or at least as close as Red Dwarf gets, anyway.

32 years on and they have lost NOTHING.

[Forum Explorer]

This is America, easter eggs are hard-boiled eggs died colors.

Our Easter Chocolate are hollow rabbits made of cheap milk chocolate. Break it up into manageable portions and it's melted by the time it hits the freezer and then it's just nine shapeless masses that nobody would find appetizing.

It's basically eat it all at once(which is, as I said, nine servings of chocolate) or let it go bad.

(also, even if I could our main freezer is full.)

I've got no advice for you sorry. I've still got a good meter of snow on the ground, so chocolate melting faster than I can freeze it has never been a problem for me.

[Aotrs Commander]

Whelp, me and Dad had to go round to Nanny's again; we (i.e. one or two of us out of me, Dad and Mum) are around basically every day for one reason or another at the moment. The irony of this is not lost on me.



Still, silver lining of us then having to go do shopping (she was out of biner liners and baby/face wipes) was that I was at least able to Acquire Additional Chocolate from Aldi. Which, after the insane queues on Friday/Saturday was dead empty, oddly enough.




We (that is Dad, Aotrs Shipyards and one of my mates who has a printer) are also test-printing some mast extenders to go to my sister who is working at the hospital, if they work, I will at least try and spread it out to folk with printers to say that is something they could do if they wanted to attempt to help their local medial people. We'll see.

Break it up into manageable portions and it's melted by the time it hits the freezer and then it's just nine shapeless masses that nobody would find appetizing.

Dude, it's CHOCOLATE! The frack does the shape of it matter?

[Rogar Demonblud]

Some people are weird. For instance, hollow rabbits? The ones I get are solid and very yummy.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Dude, it's CHOCOLATE! The frack does the shape of it matter?

Some people are weird. For instance, hollow rabbits? The ones I get are solid and very yummy.

We get hollow chocolate rabbits in the UK as well as eggs - Lindt do a rather nice one. And egg or rabbit, we have to smash them before eating anyway, so the shape doesn't matter.

I really don't get storing them in the freezer, though. The fridge should be cold enough - you don't even have to use the icebox.

[Adderbane]

Some people are weird. For instance, hollow rabbits? The ones I get are solid and very yummy.

Hollow rabbits allow kids to marvel at the size of their candy without providing the additional mass of sugar to aggravate their parents.

Spoiler: Ponies

Show

[Aotrs Commander]

Whelp. Apparently the Sots!Hiver!Aotrs are being topical, since they unleashed a deadly virus on the unsuspecting citizens of Ezekbyn.

Especially unexpecting, since Ezekbyn is an Hiiver!Aotrs planet.

Whoops.



On the other hand, I has discovered that if you field ten carriers with drones, by 'eck they can't half do some damage... 104 enemy destroyers for the loss of, what looks like, less than ten drones? That's a bit balmy, that is.

[Aotrs Commander]

So.

Nanny's getting worse, she's deteriorated rapidly in the last few days and it looks strongly like she'll have to go into hospital.

Which means that she almost certainly won't come out again, and worse, with the lock-down it means my sisters (and my uncle down in Birmingham) won't get to see her again. Hell, we probably can't even have a funeral properly.

This is EXACTLY what I was concerned about with the lock-down.

I hate it when I'm right.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I hate it when I'm right.

I can only offer my sympathies. There's never a good time to end up in hospital, and this is really not a good time.

[Rater202]

So.

Nanny's getting worse, she's deteriorated rapidly in the last few days and it looks strongly like she'll have to go into hospital.

Which means that she almost certainly won't come out again, and worse, with the lock-down it means my sisters (and my uncle down in Birmingham) won't get to see her again. Hell, we probably can't even have a funeral properly.

This is EXACTLY what I was concerned about with the lock-down.

I hate it when I'm right.

...I wish there was something I could do but I don't even know what to say. You have my sympathy.

[DigoDragon]

If only I had a way to take some of that extra chocolate off your hands, Rater. I've run out and can't get shopping until Sunday.

Working from home has been getting better for me. Mostly cause now I can yell at co-workers and they can't hear me. XD

I had installed a mod on Minecraft to play as a pony. I should get some pics, it's pretty cute. Though my bro sent me a copy of Breath of the Wild, so maybe I can steal my daughter's Switch this weekend?

[Aotrs Commander]

...I wish there was something I could do but I don't even know what to say. You have my sympathy.

The lastest at the moment is that she appears to have a temperature (it is not THE virus, we're sure); after some assessment from the district nurse, Nanny is going to spend the weekend in bed (good job we made that effort to get that put in the dining room the other week), partly because she's adamant she she doesn't want to go back in hospital. But in the bed, at least, a single carer can change her and stuff (apparently is was very traumatic for Dad to get her into bed with help and he can't keep doing it himself, and of coruse Mum is basically on her last limit because of the whole collective mess anyway).

So. Just a case of wait and see now; there are no good answers.



I had a bit of a laugh the other day, reading (for maybe only the second or thrid time) Asterix and the Chariot Race one of the new generation of Asterix books (released a year or two ago, I wait for the softcovers). As the Roman charioteer's name?

Coronavirus.


Yes.

Really.



Yeah,that made from some unintentiaonal black humour when you had all these people cheering for "Coronavirus...!"

[Forum Explorer]

So.

Nanny's getting worse, she's deteriorated rapidly in the last few days and it looks strongly like she'll have to go into hospital.

Which means that she almost certainly won't come out again, and worse, with the lock-down it means my sisters (and my uncle down in Birmingham) won't get to see her again. Hell, we probably can't even have a funeral properly.

This is EXACTLY what I was concerned about with the lock-down.

I hate it when I'm right.

Sorry. Dealing with this sort of situation is never easy even in the best of times and this is anything but the best of times. You have my sympathy.

[Form]

If only I had a way to take some of that extra chocolate off your hands, Rater. I've run out and can't get shopping until Sunday.

Working from home has been getting better for me. Mostly cause now I can yell at co-workers and they can't hear me. XD

I have done this exact thing. I imagine working from home is a bit more difficult to adjust to for very socially inclined people. For my part I appreciate the quieter working conditions and the lack of a commute.

I had installed a mod on Minecraft to play as a pony. I should get some pics, it's pretty cute. Though my bro sent me a copy of Breath of the Wild, so maybe I can steal my daughter's Switch this weekend?

Indeed! Or, to phrase it as per ye olde internete traditione: 'pics or it didn't happen!'.

[t209]

If only I had a way to take some of that extra chocolate off your hands, Rater. I've run out and can't get shopping until Sunday.

Working from home has been getting better for me. Mostly cause now I can yell at co-workers and they can't hear me. XD

I had installed a mod on Minecraft to play as a pony. I should get some pics, it's pretty cute. Though my bro sent me a copy of Breath of the Wild, so maybe I can steal my daughter's Switch this weekend?

Well, plan to buy Minecraft after my brother decided to not give me the account name and password, which I have been mooching on since decade ago.

[Rater202]

I had a bit of a laugh the other day, reading (for maybe only the second or thrid time) Asterix and the Chariot Race one of the new generation of Asterix books (released a year or two ago, I wait for the softcovers). As the Roman charioteer's name?

Coronavirus.


Yes.

Really.



Yeah,that made from some unintentiaonal black humor when you had all these people cheering for "Coronavirus...!"

The other day while ding a grocery run, my mother saw someone walking across a bridge on foot carrying a case of Corona Beer.

You'd think they wouldn't take the PR hit, but...

Also saw a commercial for bodywash where the agline was "you can never get too close with clean an healthy skin" which was just poorly timed.