Definitely agree OpenAI is being set up as a sacrificial lamb for (if not a crash) a pullback in hype/funding for this stuff, but now the remaining players have to invent a reason that it failed that doesn't also apply to Anthropic or anyone else - "It was a non-profit!" likely doesn't count

This same FOE also has a rare drop that lets you craft the Bikini Armor of General Elemental Damage Resistance, and can be used by any class/gender. It's an RPG, you gotta have bikini armor

My "Clone the guy with the 4,000 Degree Knife" plan hit a small snag when I encountered an FOE that just spammed elemental AOEs to the tune of 100 dmg each. Protect Order does fine to stave it off, but only if the ninja is one ninja at full hp and not two ninjas at half

The glacial pace of the game has forced me to think about the narratives of my crew, and I'm still pondering answers:

>Dark Aura's narrative purpose
>Atreyu's benching after Melba (Ninja) gets Arbalist subclass and supplants her
>Pipsqueak's permanent presence on the bench after the Ketos fight

These maps are 35x30, bro. Over 1k tiles. It's a different story if I'm on the bus in 2011 versus at my home computer in 2025 juggling other projects and possibly screens. There's a certain intimacy to it back then, as it's a niche rpg on a niche handheld before you could get Naruto merch at Zumiez

As I had surmised, the 4th stratum's gimmicks would be painfully tedious if not for 15 years of guides. If mapping out the lava tiles was a fun aside, mapping gates/switches/holes is practically mandatory. For me, that aspect isn't a huge draw (apologies to EO purists)

I think FF7/8/9's arrow UI/Skyrim's quest markers occupy the same brain space - You as the player are allowed to get lost in the world and immerse yourself, but there's help if you need some direction. Yellow paint is a set of legos where the instructions are painted directly on the legos. Unsubtle!