Well, that comes from EA going “we need a continuing profit stream from this game, please put in some micro transactions”. The developer’s managers then take it and run with it and commits the sin of making it pay to win. I’d feel certain the directive was “add microtransactions, and make people want to buy them”.

That’s how it works, and why you don’t want to get on your boss’ bad side. Because while you may not doing anything to get fired, it definitely isn’t going to help avoid getting picked when layoffs roll around. It’s nice to believe that layoffs can be avoid by sheer output/quality, but the reality is many times the…

The concepts are not bad on their own. Random loot is fine. Paying for content is fine. But paying for random loot is not fine. Then you add in the ability to gain advantages to that mix and it ups the addiction level.

EA crossed the line when they made it pay to win and did it in such a marquee product. As long as it provides no advantage in game, people could grudgingly move past it. But they crossed the line that shouldn’t be crossed, at first blatantly, then by only half walking it back.

As I understand, it helped the movie from becoming a complete disaster for them. It sucks they went from woman to man, but sometimes things just aren’t working under their vision. Brave is just not a re-watchable Pixar level movie.

Mr. Coyote is survived by his wife and children ...

Then less people buy the game. The thing about micro transactions is you never put your money down at once. You pay your $60, the put another $60 in $2 increments over time. People won’t buy a $120 base price game in any numbers. But they will pay $60, then pay more over time if they don’t see it all totalled up.

They are accumulating as much wealth at the top because they know the pendulum is going to swing back hardcore. They hope net neutrality will be so hard to re-implement it won’t happen. Same with torpedoing the local media rules in favor of Sinclair.

Dude, Hillary isn’t far left. The right has just gone so far over the fucking edge it looks like the center is liberal. And all that “Hillary corruption” is just made up bullshit from Russia because Putin got called out on his fixed elections. Have you ever thought that the reason nothing “sticks” to her is because it…

How do you “vote with your wallet” when so many people have a single broadband option? Do they simply do without the Internet? Yeah, have fun with that given how much requires use of the Internet these days. It’s not optional anymore. And markets with a single provider are going to be fucked.

Precisely, which is why Verizon and Comcast are at the forefront of the battle to get rid of the rules. Since when has Comcast put that much effort into anything that benefits anyone other than themselves. Pretty much any shitty behavior an ISP has was pioneered at Comcast.

No, I won’t. The guy living way out in the rural areas who will suddenly see his already overpriced single ISP option start offering a “premium” service that costs extra for Netflix/etc. since it competes with cable TV will. Where sufficient competition exists, it would be fine. But far more people have only a single…

And it is the rural right wingers that will get mega fucked by this. City dwellers with multiple ISP options that wouldn’t dare screw themselves over will be fine. Tell people you have to pay extra for Netflix and Spectrum might as well just go ahead and tell customers to go with the other ISPs.

Well given the pleasant turn of Superman in Justice League, that could be the same. In my opinion, he became the Superman we know in that movie.

I’m ok with big boys offering the ISP, as long as it is multiple of them in a market. Just like with utilities, if you have a monopoly in a market, you have to deal with regulations. It would have the side effect of discouraging mergers, as it would expose them to heavier regulation in markets. In lieu of competition,…

Especially if they also offer TV services.

They don’t “have” to, it would just be a good idea to get them into homes. They obviously think they can package up something, slap an Apple on it and charge way more than it is worth. And people *ahem* will defend it.

Yes. Superman becomes the Superman we know from the past. Brighter outfit, and actually embracing and enjoying his gifts and position. He became the beacon of hope, and all of that mopey “I’m alone in the world” crap is gone.

That’s an “Oh fuck, he is fast enough to see and react to me” look.

LOL, if you want something to do amazing sound, you aren’t talking about a smart Home device. Heck, use a good Bluetooth speaker.