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It's funny, with the way work is now you can tell immediately who plays video games and is used to communicating over voice chat, and who has to relearn all the lessons we've already internalized about chat delay and talking over other people.

Good lord, yeah.

I dunno about "funny" but a lot of remote meetings I've had to join with non IT people for my agency who are learning these concepts is just... painful.

SHOUT LOUDER, KAREN, WE'LL HEAR YOU THEN FOR SURE.

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If you liked the 2016 version, you'll enjoy Eternal (story is a bit more forward facing this go round, which is polarizing for some).

I played through on Ultra-Violence, got my shit kicked but made it through. Enjoyed the difficulty spikes quite a bit but then on a re-play on an easier difficulty found I enjoyed just tearing around the levels soooooo......

YMMV.

Glad you're doing OK. I figured you being a fellow IT guy would likely be fine and have stuff to do, yet not impact your day-to-day much.

Keep that balance in check and check on your family and extroverted friends!

Hey, man. Thanks for asking. I've been worried about all of y'all, but except for the closest ones I already maintain contact daily, I had no idea how to approach the subject...

So. COVID-19.

How are you?

So far, fine.

Are you stuck at home?

Yep. Still live with my parents, so full lockdown over here, since my mother needs to have her immune system medically depressed. Fingers crossed.

This is what really makes me angry about people not taking it seriously. The asshole-part of me wants to enjoy the suffering the Anti-Vax crowd deserves from all this, but really the people who suffer are the ones who even if THEY take precautions are still at the mercy of other idiots.

Are you working?

Allegedly. Always could work from home, but never did because I have a hard time allocating my attention when not physically somewhere else. Definitely a psychological thing and I'm working on improving it.

That is a real thing. It doesn't bother me so much, but sometimes I'll work MORE than I should (not taking a break, not stopping when I should) because "it's right here, just one last thing"

Balance is important!

Do you have ways to be social or keep monotony at bay? Still Raiding?

Not much has changed here, except I haven't seen my fiancee in person for 2 full weeks now.

Do you need to vent?

Not yet :p

Do you need anything?

Nah, we found a grocery store that delivers so we should be good. Takes a very long time to clean everything, but at least it's something to occupy ourselves with.

Are you ok?

Mostly tired of the asinine way our government has been handling this. Hell, even you guys are handling it miles better...

Dunno about that.... I will say that in my home state (Ohio), I'm really happy with how our Governor has been handling this and that they saw the threat early and acted even when it seemed "unnecessary" because they've set us up for success and hopefully other states follow the example.

Sound off. Let your friends know how you're doing. People care about ya!

How about you, mate? You mentioned gaming, but how about these questions?

I'm doin alright. Burned out, but I was before all this. Gonna reply to everyone here and then update myself!

1. Vanquish
2. Vanquish
3. Vanquish
4. Vanquish
5. Vanquish

Idk what that is, but Doom Eternal was pretty fun.

Also bought Overcooked 2 on PS4 which is a fun little party game!

How are you?

Doing good. Really making sure I don't irritate my CHF—now is NOT the time to go back to the hospital AT ALL.

Are you stuck at home?

Yes, but I don't go out too often, so it's nothing new.

Are you working?

Unfortunately I haven't had a job since I was put on disability. I occasionally did some UBERing, but my car is showing its age and I need to get some things fixed.

Do you have ways to be social or keep monotony at bay? Still Raiding?

Of course, I have you guys, and I have the Respawn...I also have Covid memes—hey, we need some humor in these dark times.

Do you need to vent?

A little. Doom Eternal is awesome as hell, but I can't play it for more than 20 minutes at a time because Destiny 2 keeps pulling me back so I can finish all the JOBS I HAVE TO DO! It's a damn FOMO hostage situation, I swear. The news is even more depressing than normal. Although I have to say; although it's mindblowing, it's also a little "cool" to see late-night hosts do their shows inside their houses. Not to mention, seeing videos of the most populated locations in the world being straight-up Left Behind empty, it's like holy shit. I'm furious that Switches are sold out everywhere and I can't get one, but that's just selfish. So far, no one in my family has the virus, thank goodness. However, my dad and sister live in New Orleans, and I have one relative in New York, so I'm calling them frequently and reminding them to be careful. Unfortunately, my poor hero Babish and his girlfriend Jess have the flu. Hopefully it's not THE flu, but they're staying inside, good on them.

Glad you're staying entertained. I still check the news for Destiny now and then, but stopped keeping up long, long ago in-game wise. Now seems like the perfect time to enjoy a grindy-type game though!

That sucks about your family in the hot zones :(

It's really hard to watch the news about the other states that maybe have not responded to this as quickly as they should have... fortunately, starting late is still better than not starting at all so tell em to stay inside!

Do you need anything?

Water, I guess. And a way to eat pizza without getting fat. ;-)

NOPE.

And not having gym access right now is killing me.

Are you ok?

XD lmao

So. COVID-19.

How are you?
Are you stuck at home?

Yuuuuup.

Are you working?

Not…really. I'm on a video conference about 50% of days for 30-60 minutes.

Do you have ways to be social or keep monotony at bay? Still Raiding?

Playing more destiny than ever, but also staying up way too late to do so.

Do you need to vent?
Do you need anything?
Are you ok?

I'm in a Far better situation than most; seems absurd to be worried. Re-channeling my worry into reading far too much information/news and worrying about Family who work in medicine.

Sound off. Let your friends know how you're doing. People care about ya!

Sounds like you have a good handle on things!

I'm similar. Not really worried about all this. Whatever will be, will be.
It causes my wife some anxiety tho, but she's doing well all things considered.

How are you?

Great! I'm living my best life. Stay home, don't interact with others, when I do have to go out, there's no traffic or dummies do deal with. I'm a homebody anyway, so my lifestyle hasn't changed at all. I'm just able to do it guilt free!

This is the life to which my youngest (crazymoose 117) aspires!

So. COVID-19.

How are you?

Great! I'm living my best life. Stay home, don't interact with others, when I do have to go out, there's no traffic or dummies do deal with. I'm a homebody anyway, so my lifestyle hasn't changed at all. I'm just able to do it guilt free!

Are you stuck at home?

Our state is in "Shelter in Place" or whatever it's called and I'm doing my part to "Social Distance" but we've had a couple trips to the local park to walk and get fresh air.

Are you working?

Overtime. I'm in marketing department for a company that manufactures a medical incinerator so I've been going full bore to promote the thing.

Do you have ways to be social or keep monotony at bay? Still Raiding?

I started a group text thread with 5 other friend families where I issued challenges throughout the weekend with different themes. The winner took over hosting duties for this upcoming weekend. It helps fill the time with kids on the weekend when everyone is stuck at home.

Do you need to vent?

Nope. Again, living my best life.

Do you need anything?

Luckily, all the stores around here have been in full stock (of things we shop for.) My wife and I enjoy cooking, so raw ingredients are plentiful.

Are you ok?

Yes, but I'm an introvert. My wife is an extrovert and started to go stir crazy. Having a 6 year old in the house can make things stressful at times but all is going well. The new season of Destiny was good timing, it fits my playing style perfectly for a slow burn. Also just discovered that Call of Duty Warzone. So that's going to waste a good amount of time! I've got plenty of home projects to keep me occupied. We are (un)expecting baby 2 in July, so I've been working on moving my office/game room into the garage. It's coming along nicely and is going to be sweet. 2 tvs, 2 xboxs, 2 sound systems, carpetball table, pop-a-shot basketball, hifi system, mini fridge full of beer. Boom.

Same for my wife lol. Every day so far has just felt like a tuesday for me hahah.

One of our friends was telling us something like "you don't know how good you have it with no kids right now" and we were like "oh no, we absolutely do" lmao

Trying to buy a house right now has been interesting. I keep wishing we had just bought maybe a month ago before this started so I could the MY projects lol

Sound off. Let your friends know how you're doing. People care about ya!

I received a joke text a few days to the effect of "Consider your extroverted friends in these times" basically taking the sarcastic tone flipping how introverts aren't comfortable in public spaces. I'm guessing most people here are more on the introverted side, but seriously, if you have extrovert friends, they are probably going crazy right now. Check in on them, they need interaction.

Yep yep. I'm in the camp where this isn't really any different for me, but know it is hard for my extroverted friends. A skype session goes a long way!

The Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot on April 3-4 got canceled. For me, that's like canceling Christmas. If I don't get to blow something up in the next few weeks I am going to go crazy.

this made me LOL. I sincerely hope you make it. I've resorted to shooting pigeons in my backyard with airsoft.

I played MCC recently with some guys I haven't talked to in a while and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite my ineptitude in relearning the controls. We should do that more.

I love all things Halo, and don't play it enough. My gaming time is always few and far between (and I think we are on complete opposite US time zones), but if you see me online, give me a shout out.

I'm still at the office, but my office is fairly isolated with only 3 people and a lab. We're soaking it down regularly with Lysol. Most of my company, and industry, is shut down right now. A lot of what I do can't be done from home, so unless they close everything I'll be holed up here in my office and lab. My wife is still working too because she is in one of the "essential" industries.

I was supposed to go to China this summer for work. That is obviously on hold for now.

I'm WFH but Jackie is still required to go in... not sure how much longer that will last but she works for a group of folks from a generation that subscribes to the thought you must be physically in the office to get clerical work done....

I've been looking at plane tickets like crazy.

One of my side gigs is pretty much shut down because Nashville has no tourists right now, and the location I sell laser cut items at is closed until sometime in April.

My makerspace is closed and is likely going to out of business because of this so I'm really bummed :(

I'm optimistic it will come back in some form but it still sucks.

On my other side gig, I do still have some fireworks shows scheduled for May. That was supposed to be my biggest month, outside of the July 4th city shows. One small show got bumped to June, and I'm waiting on a decision for a big show that is scheduled for May 8th. It might get bumped to September. Two more shows are still scheduled for late May.

The Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot on April 3-4 got canceled. For me, that's like canceling Christmas. If I don't get to blow something up in the next few weeks I am going to go crazy.

I saw! I was like "shit just got real for blue" lol

I have been waiting for the weather to warm up so I can head to the Smokies for some backcountry hiking. I was planning to go up there this weekend but the park is completely closed for 2 weeks. I have a longer hike planned for the end of April, but that is up in the air right now. I have about 150 miles of trials I wanted to knock out this summer, along with any quick weekends I could sneak some more into, but it's all up in the air right now.

Yeah. I just had to cancel a trip down to Savannah to go meet up with a bunch of my maker\cosplay friends. Was gonna stop down and visit Sammy (and Korny, I guess) on the way down but it's been postponed for now.

Hoping most of our summer\fall plans still happen.

I'd ride down to tail of the dragon on my bike if there was somewhere I could stay lol

I played MCC recently with some guys I haven't talked to in a while and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite my ineptitude in relearning the controls. We should do that more.

LORD do I miss Halo. Christmas 2020. I want a house and a game room. that is my deadline.

I still play Destiny, but I have given up on the pinnacle activities and progression. I really enjoy the gunplay and movement, so I just focus on having a good time and shooting things.

Don't really have much else I can say, so as a sign of the moment, here is a .gif of a kitten attacking toilet paper.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

A solid argument for 'under'.

I am not dead, but I'm not sure this is living either. Should that change, I'll possibly post about it, or at worse... someone else will.

Maybe.

Don't really have much else I can say, so as a sign of the moment, here is a .gif of a kitten attacking toilet paper.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well that sounds kinda dark man. If you need to vent, even if it is here, you should do it. People here take a genuine interest in each other. It is a weird holding pattern for sure though.... groundhog day.

It's gonna get better! It just may not happen as fast as everyone wants it to.

I’m also looking forward to that Control DLC!

The DLC has been released for PS4 & PC... but for Xbox One...

Q: When will The Foundation expansion launch on Xbox One?
A: The Foundation launches on Xbox One on June 25th, 2020.

Quite a gap, eh? I have yet to find out why this is so. For now, all Xbox gets is the quality of life fixes in the universal update they just dropped yesterday.

I’m well! Thanks for asking!

:)

Mostly not much has changed for me. I’m an automotive tech, we’re considered essential, so no closure. I work for a small business; the boss is being really great, offering time off if we want it. He’s prepared and say we can hold out for a while without a lot of business. Unless this thing drags on for months and months, my job is secure. That said, we’re staying moderately busy so far. People still need their cars fixed.

That is good to hear. I'm mentally exhausted from work but still thankful that I'm able to and have income during this period when many do not. Perspective is everything. It could be better but it could be SO much worse.

The rest of my life is continuing mostly as normal. I live out in the boonies and mostly just chill at home anyway, so nothing has really changed in that regard.

I’ve abandoned Destiny wholesale again. I was excited for Trials, but couldn’t stomach the power level climb to get there. I still have fun when I play, but I’m just not wired to be able to just enjoy it without trying to level up the season pass or get my power level up. But when I focus on doing those, I end up not having very much fun. I’m finding that Apex Legends has my competitive shooter needs filled anyway. Borderlands 3, which I bought at release but didn’t play much of, it’s filling the other side of my looter shooter needs. I’m enjoying it a whole lot more than I did initially. Thanks stabbim for convincing me to jump back in!

I also started playing Dirt Rally 2.0 again, and rigged up a proper handbrake for my wheel setup. It’s essential in Dirt Rally, and searching for the B button on the steering wheel mid-turn sucks, so I’m happy to have a “real” handbrake. The game is tons of fun, just an incredibly visceral racing experience. It’s the DOOM of racing games.

Speaking of, I also got Doom Eternal. It’s very good! I also don’t like it very much. The combat is absolutely phenomenal and it’s gorgeous, but everything else about the game sucks. The platforming feels fine, it’s just not any fun at all. The writing completely misses all of the charm and irreverence of the first game. I honestly don’t think I’ll finish it. It makes me wonder if a lot of the charm and tone of the first game was a complete accident, or if it’s just something that’s impossible to recreate for a sequel.

Lol that was amusing to read. "It's good! I hate it!"

I kid. Totally get what you mean. The story in this one is much harder to... ignore than the 2016 version. That said, I'm the 5% that liked the story so what do I know haha. I really just wanted more arenas to slaughter demons and I got it (and a nice sound track) so I can't complain. I like most of the new combat things they added and have been thoroughly enjoying the memes on reddit/r/doom

It's my version of "git gud" for the souls people out there.

But that’s okay, because I also bought Animal Crossing, and I love it. I’ve never played an Animal Crossing game before, but I fell hard for Stardew Valley, so I assumed I’d like it. And I do! I really dig the loop of just collecting things and creating things and customizing my island and house. For all of my bitching about having to do chores in Destiny, of course I’d fall for a game that’s all about doing actual chores.

Of all the times to have a switch, this is it I think. I won't get one until I get a new Metroid game.

I’m also looking forward to that Control DLC!

I hope everyone can make it through this with relative ease!

We will!

Do you need anything?

If it comes to it, protection. I hope some of you have ammo. (I kid, I kid [he said, laughing nervously].)

You've got my number.

Hey friends!

Been a little bit, but I still check the forums from time to time even though I don't play.

Got to play though Doom Eternal (enjoyed it!), probably the first gaming I've gotten to do in probably 6 months. It really was some sorely needed self-care, honestly.

So. COVID-19.

How are you?

Healthy (as far as I know)--isn't that really the only important answer?

Maybe... you can be physically healthy and still have other needs lol

Are you stuck at home?

Yes. I bugged out a day before my company made us bug out--about two weeks ago. My county is one of the hotspots in my state. There's lots of tech, and apparently a Biogen meeting in Boston helped spread it down here. I was an early adopter of sheltering in place.

Are you working?

You are a smart man, I don't care what Korny says ;)

Yes, and hopeful that that continues. My company makes statistical software, and they've got many large clients around the world, including many governments, and we're trying to help people who are trying to help. Don't know if we technically qualify as essential, but I know there is lots of support work being done.

Work is work. If you can make a paycheck right now, there are plenty of others who can't right now. But I know you appreciate that. Glad you can work from home!

Do you have ways to be social or keep monotony at bay? Still Raiding?

Yes to raiding, but not this week. Not playing as much as I thought I might theoretically, and I think that's because I've found working from home exhausting. Learning to break up the time better.

Do you need to vent?

Idiots that don't take this seriously need to get a grip. They could be killing people. I've got a good friend who, if you can believe it, is even older than me, and he was casually galavanting around his usual haunts up until even a week ago. A week before that he had poo pooed my concerns regarding our regularly scheduled meal together. He's got cardio issues! I was worried about infecting him, but after he recounted his adventures, I began to be more concerned that he might be a carrier. SMH.

I think that most folks are past that in my town. There was a lot of resistance early in the month when a huge fitness festival was essentially closed to the public but they had the right idea when they basically said something to the extent that regardless of WHEN they started shutting things down it was going to be "you didn't start soon enough" so why not start as early as they could when they DID know. So I'm happy our politicians in state "get it" and it's bipartisan.

Do what's recommend--for Claude and all the other old folks if not for yourself.

lol

Do you need anything?

If it comes to it, protection. I hope some of you have ammo. (I kid, I kid [he said, laughing nervously].)

Are you ok?

Yes, so far. I'm not at super high risk, but I had pneumonia in my 20s at what was probably the peak of my fitness and I wanted to die. Don't want to face this virus in my 50s. I'm anxious for the world, but I also know this will end. Hope normal doesn't look too different at that point.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, changes for society after all this. There WILL be an after. I'm not an optimistic person but I find myself truly hoping that GOOD changes come out of this. For people, and the environment.

Sound off. Let your friends know how you're doing. People care about ya!

Thanks for posting Rev. Give my best to your lovely wife.

Of course! It won't be long before we all get to hang out again :)

And I'd also like to do Pit of Heresy, but I don't know if I can carry anyone.

How are you?
Are you stuck at home?
Are you working?
Do you have ways to be social or keep monotony at bay? Still Raiding?
Do you need to vent?
Do you need anything?
Are you ok?

The Oholiab clan is well and well-supplied. I've been working from home for two weeks, and my workload is full at the moment. None of our clients have pulled the plug, and I'm thankful for that.

We are not stuck at home - no shelter-in-place orders - but schools, restaurants, and places of public gatherings are closed.

We have much for which to be thankful. We are all healthy, and we have what we need. Two of the kids are homeschooled anyway, so there has literally been no change to their schedule. Your Accomplice, who was homeschooled for years, attends a school that quickly transitioned to online learning, so he's adjusted well even though he misses his friends. Mrs. Oholiab and I are enjoying more time together and more time with the kids.

I'm one of those immunocompromised persons who need everyone else in society to stay healthy, so please be wise in your decisions to socialize and travel. And wash your hands!

Many of you know that we take the Bible at face value - it claims to be the very word of the Creator. In light of that, we find hope, peace, and rest in passages such as Psalm 46:1:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though it's waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling"

Side notes - anyone up for carrying me through the Pit of Heresy this weekend?? I've never tried it, and I have an exotic quest to complete...

Good to hear! It seems crazy on the face of it that there are so many people where life isn't really any different or hasn't been impacted by this in any meaningful way. It is good that you are aware of that and thankful. I have a hard time in this watching folks struggle with this stuff when there isn't anything they could have done anyway.... life is just like that sometimes.

Stay safe and sane!

Costco is STILL out of toilet paper. America, you're stupid.

1. Ration your pooping. Go every other or every three days.
2. Squat. Use something like the squatty potty or just squat on the bowl. You will get more complete and cleaner elimination and require less paper to wipe with, if any at all.

Hey, Rev! Long time. Miss you guys!

We're all healthy. Life isn't that different than it was before this all started... with the exception of social gathering at night (and that actually turns out to matter).

No trivia nights. No plays. No talks at Town Hall (we volunteer there, so we end up seeing a half-dozen talks a month there, in normal times).

No Thursday night dinners with Nico.

No Sunday night movie nights.

We talked about 'remote watching', where everyone watches the show at the same time, but in their own home. We rejected that pretty quickly. I mean, 80% of the fun of watching stuff with other people is the other people.

Glad to hear you guys are OK. I legit had concerns with you being the part of the country you are. It hasn't been much a change for me, but my wife is way, way less OK with all this. She is a social butterfly and not enjoying being stuck at home. She's basically a golden retriever and I have to take her out for walkies.

Becky is busier than she's ever been; her work went from routine to crazy when this got bad. (She works for a bail fund - they're now totally focused on getting as many people out of pre-trial incarceration as possible, because jails are just incubators these days. You shouldn't be forced to be sick - or die - because you don't have money to bail yourself out.) She's being pretty careful, though - it's sort of amazing to see the new routine. She comes back inside, everything she wears goes right into the wash. Everything gets wiped down - the car (which I'm rarely in any more) smells like bleach all the time.

Glad she's OK and taking steps to protect herself. It is weird how this is affecting areas of society that people don't think about at first. Ohio has suspended most all court hearings but I don't know about those locked up waiting. Our Governor has been providing updates specifically for our prison systems which I found interesting....

I think once we come out the other side of this thing, maybe the best part is gonna be that everyone will be in the habit of washing their hands. I told someone yesterday, I've probably washed my hands more in the past 3 weeks than in the previous 25 years.

Gross.

But yeah, I agree and have said similar to folks. After all of this, we should be pros at washing hands after sneezing, coughing, using the bathroom etc.

Costco is STILL out of toilet paper. America, you're stupid.

Yep!

The stores around here are starting to have a supply of basic things again like canned foods, bread\milk. TP is hit and miss. FRESH FOOD IS EVERYWHERE.

We made the mistake of shopping for regular groceries like the day before our state leaders declared it was time to start winding things down... we just didn't think it would be as crazy as it ended up being.

I will say this: I'm proud that in the store we shop at, the candy and soda isle were like, untouched. Meaning, people were stocking up on healthy things and not Mountain Dew and Reese Eggs (which I only thought about doing) lol.

Thanks for filling us in, Rev. I do think we'll be better for this.

All the best, my friend.

A social interaction camel, you might say.

This describes me so very well. Can I steal it?

I’m glad you started this thread and checked in on everyone. I’m impressed that you followed up on every response individually. Stay well.