Friday Bits

Dispatches from @ultrviolet@gts.endgameviable.com:

09:04 # I played about an hour of Baldur’s Gate 3 last night, to the exact furthest point I got to in the early access 4 months ago. It’s still pretty janky around the edges (lots of weird texture pop-ins and wonky models and not-quite-AAA motion capture and awkward transitions between scenes and uneven audio mixes, as if they have a lot more artists on the dev team than game engine developers.) Weirdly fixated on making sure you know this game has adult themes you wouldn’t find in your grandpappy’s D&D. (I’m not joking there is a genitals setting.) Weird mix of horror and humor. There was still a jokey Wilhelm Scream in an early cut scene that negated any sense of tension. But, you know, it is what it is. #baldursgate3

(It’s not like I’m not going to play it.)

09:20 # Weird mix of emotions this morning. I learned my last living aunt passed away. I didn’t know her that well, but I always found her a fascinating non-traditional role model. As far as I know, she was the last of the previous generation in my part of the family tree. I think I’m one of the youngest in my generation of the tree, and I’m no spring chicken anymore.

16:01 # Why do I hear an orchestral version of Toss A Coin To Your Witcher on my Amazon Music Classical playlist? And more importantly why do I recognize it immediately?