Acacia Sgt Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 1 minute ago, Armagon said: I would not be surprised if Aerith doesn't die in part 2/3. Regardless of what happens, I'd expect a meltdown in the fandom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpica Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 3 minutes ago, Armagon said: I would not be surprised if Aerith doesn't die in part 2/3. That was my first thought and that’s literally the only plot point I know! 😄 Better get out the popcorn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Sims 4 DLC is so expensive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benice Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 1 minute ago, Sooks said: Sims 4 DLC is so expensive... How expensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punished Dayni Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said: The issue is that the Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven Electors, the people who got to elect the Holy Roman Emperor, a very important political role. Already, all four not-Archbishop secular electors had flipped to Protestantism. 5/7 by the loss of what the Catholics assumed was one of their "secure as f***" (pardon the devil's tongue) electorates was not good. The Archbishop's choice of Calvinism didn't help him one bit, Calvinists were the Protestant minority in the HRE, and Lutherans thought Calvinists too radical. Amazingly for what you'd think of the time, people often being imagined as super-intolerant, they had actually managed to accommodate Lutherans in charge of Archbishoprics, Bishoprics, and the other geopolitical territories ruled by priests. Since these were elected positions, the assumption was that if one of these usually Catholic territories turned Protestant, the next election could flip it back to Catholic. However, the Lutheran leaders of these church territories didn't take the official title, they were labeled "Administrators", as if the position of Arch/bishop/prelate had been left empty, not usurped by a heretic. Yeah, I forgot that some bishops held an Elector position, it has been a long time since I peeked into history that predates the industrial revolution and it had fallen out of my head. 6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said: If you see the notes I've been taking... Reveal hidden contents The Spanish Monarchy Spain’s Many Dominions 1516-1659: Spain’s Golden Age and era of European predominance. International perspectives on the 30YW subsume it in a broader series of struggles by other European countries against perceived European hegemony. It was largely through Spain and its overseas empire that the 30YW was felt around the globe. Spain’s presence 30YW was a constant factor throughout 30YW, but problems distinct from those of Habsburg Austria. One commonality on the difficulties of both Habsburg branches- a large empire that proved challenging to manage and sustain. Portugal Union of Crowns, 1580 Dom Sebastiao dies young in a military disaster against Morocco in 1578. The Portuguese House of Avis, 1385-1578, dies with him. Portugal’s Golden Age is in the grave. Philip II of Spain claims the Portuguese throne and sends in an army, no hope of resisting this. Portuguese do get some benefits- the entire Spanish Empire is now open to them. Is a personal union- shared monarch, separate everything else. Portugal brings 1.1 million new subjects under Philip II. Overseas possessions in Brazil, Africa, Asia, thinly populated. Brazil ~30000 Europeans, 15000 slaves, 2.4 million indigenous at best, largely unexplored and underexploited. Africa- a few thousand Portuguese at forts in modern Angola and Mozambique. Estado da India- ~10000 Portuguese east of the Cape of Good Hope, governed from Goa in western India. Spanish Populations ~8.75 inhabitants in Castile and the associated lands of Catalonia, Aragon, Valencia, and the Basque provinces. Contrary to the trend elsewhere in Europe, Castilian population growth stalled around 1580. Causes of lack of growth: poor harvests, plague, emigration to the colonies, and above all, the burdens of war and taxation. 1631- Only 4 million Castilians, about 1 million less than 40 years earlier. Rapid population decline. (In other readings, France’s and the Dutch Republic’s slowdowns in population growth came around their periods of decline. Pop certainly ain’t everything, but it can matter.) Spain’s overseas colonies in population decline too. Caused by the physical conquest of the Americas. Overwork of the enslaved indigenous populations. Old World diseases the indigenous had no resistance to. Drops from 34 million to 1.5 million by 1620. Mexico, Caribbean, north and western South America, Manila in the Philippines in Asia: ~175000 European colonists, roughly similar number in African slaves and people of mixed descent. Spain’s European dominions: 1.5 million subjects in the southern Netherlands 1+ million in Milan and Sicily apiece 3 million in Naples. Spain’s economy was stagnant, magnifies the dominions’ and colonies’ importance. Other than re-export of silver, Spain’s main European trade goods were… raw materials and some foodstuffs. Growth was inhibited by a system of crown-supported cartels with monopolies over particular products. Cartels applied to colonial trade, Seville was the sole port that could legitimately trade with the Americas. Harvest failure atop the high taxes led people to flee the land to the cities and colonies. Nobles and clerics then encroached on the commons used by the remaining peasants. Private investors and merchants relied on silver receipts to eat. Because Spain failed to feed itself and needed to import much of its food. Spain failed to produce useful goods in useful quantities which it could sell in in its colonies. (Something the British “Workshop of the World” would later know how to do.) ~1600, Dutch and other foreign merchants get special concessions to enter Spain’s colonial trade, which they’re envious of. Fifty years later, 120000 foreigners in Spain, formed one-tenth of Seville’s population. Silver: The Lifeblood of the Empire Although the colonial empire did diversify over time, silver remained Spain’s primary colonial interest. The New World produced 50000 tons of silver between 1540 and 1700, doubling the existing stock in Europe. (Remember- gold/silver standard in this era. Matters a whole lot more than today.) Exports really got underway after the discovery of rich silver veins at Potosi (1545) in modern Bolivia, Zacatecas (1548) in modern Mexico, and with the introduction of German mining techniques using mercury to separate silver from waste. (Mercury is still used in precious metal mining to this day. Great as an elixir of (after)life, a treatment for syphilis, making you as mad as a hatter, and killing the fishies in the nearest river.) Zacatecas used mercury imported from Almaden in Spain. Potosi’s silver production soared once it got mercury found relatively closer in mines at Huancavelia, in modern Peru. Potosi Relied on forced labor through the mita system, indigenous people were forced to work four months every seven years. (Mit’a was the name of the Incan Empire’s mandatory public service, nowhere near as deadly.) Laborers worked six-day shifts at an elevation of 6000 meters, laborers died at a rate of 40 per day. Indigenous villages increasingly bought exemptions by paying tribute to hire laborers, who constituted over half the workforce by 1600. The system was controlled by a corrupt local elite that was not against the idea of murdering a government inspector with a cup of poisoned hot chocolate. Silver was carried down the mountains on the backs of thousands of llamas and mules to Arica on the Pacific coast, where they were traded for food and mercury. Precious cargo was shipped north to Panama, and carried across the isthmus to be put to sea again to be shipped to Seville. Attempts by the viceroy to improve equally atrocious conditions at Huancavelia contributed to fluctuating silver production at Potosi from 1591. Afterwards, a steady decline after 1605, from a peak of 7.7 million pesos in 1592, to 2.95 million in 1650. Zacatecas silver output increased from 1615 from more available labor. But the need for Spanish mercury left the silver mines vulnerable to disruptions in the sea lanes. Convoy system established by 1564 saw two fleets sail across the Atlantic in most years. Galeones (galleons) left Seville in August, headed south-west towards Africa, passed the Canaries, went due west to the Leewards. And then southwest to Cartagena in modern Colombia, or Portobello in Panama. Journey was 6880km, taking 8 weeks. Guarded by a squadron of 8 warships, with 2000 soldiers and marines. Merchant ships were also armed. Loaded with Potosi silver, cochineal, hides, other colonial products, the fleet wintered in Havana and then returned to Seville. The flota fleet set out from Cadiz in April or May, followed the above route past the Leewards, but turned north-west to Hispaniola, Cuba, Vera Cruz. Delivered the Almaden mercury and collected the silver from Zacatecas. Only two warships. Passing Cuba through the Bahama Channel was the most dangerous part of both trips- reefs and hurricanes. The galleons set sail 29 times from during the first half of the 1600s, only two silver convoys were lost to enemy action (1628, 1656). Spanish trade with the Americas was worth ~10 million ducats a year by 1600, roughly twice that of Portugal with the East Indies. (Book says 1 Spanish Ducat = 2.35 Dutch Florins, or 1.4 German Florins.) (Book says 7.5-10 Florins (doesn’t specify Dutch or German, I’ll assume German) would buy enough grain to feed a person for an entire year in 1618.) Portuguese Trading Empire Convoy system called cafila to protect their portion of the valuable spice trade across the Indian Ocean and around Africa. Presence at Axim and Elmina on the geographic Gold Coast (modern Ghana), mouth of the Congo River, and Benguela on the Angolan coast south of Luanda (1617) to secure the gold and slave trades. Communication with Portugal maintained via the islands of Cape Verde and Sao Tome. Portuguese influence depended on good relations with the local rulers, particularly the king of Ndongo. The Imbangala raided slaves to sell on the coast. Slave trade was already at 700 per year in the mid-1400s, began shipping them to Brazil in 1535. Slaves cost ~400 pesos, equivalent to 8 months’ wages for an indigenous Brazilian laborer. 1570s- Brazilian native population had dwindled enough to lead to large slave imports. Expansion into the Congo region and Angola allowed them to ship 4000 slaves a year by the 1620s. African slaves had replaced indigenous on Brazilian sugar plantations entirely by the 1620s. At least 3.65 million slaves had been transported to Brazil by the time the trade was formally suspended in 1850. Slave labor was irreplaceable when the Brazilian sugar boom began around 1600. By 1628, 300 ships needed to transport 4 million cruzados worth of sugar. Annual exports tripled to reach 40000 metric tons by 1650. Nine-tenths of Brazilian export earnings. Took until the 1700s for sugar production in rival Caribbean islands to contest Brazilian sugar. The Brazilian colony started at Salvador in Bahia, expanded northwards along the coast to Pernambuco, where two-thirds of sugar production was established. Economy of Spain and Its European Possession Spain and its European dominions remained the real fiscal basis of the empire. Despite a stagnant economy and inefficient administration, Spain sent 218 million ducats to maintain the war in the Spanish Netherlands between 1566 and 1654. -American silver receipts in the same period totaled 121 million ducats (total revenue, not how much went to war). Direct and indirect taxes agreed to with the Castilian Cortes (parliament) produced 6.2 million ducats a year around 1600. Millones tax- raised 90 million ducats between 1621 and 1639, triple the amount arriving from the Americas in the same period. Catalonia, Valencia, and Aragon paid virtually nothing as their local assemblies refused regular taxes to the Spanish crown. (Spain had no unified government, the King had to deal with a separate administration in each major territory.) The Catholic Church paid the “Three Graces” levies worth about 1.6 million ducats annually. Spanish Netherlands provided 3.6 million ducats. Milan- 2 million ducats. Naples 4 million ducats. Most of these consumed by local defense spending. Silver imports provided only 2 million ducats to the crown around 1600, because the monarch received just the surplus from the colonial treasuries, and a percentage of the much larger private shipments in Seville. American silver’s real value was as a source of credit. Since lenders retained faith in Spain’s ability to pay its spiraling debts with future silver imports. Creditors received consignaciones -claims on specific revenues- …or, they they received juros- government bonds paying fixed interest. Juros were traded on the international money market through Genoese bankers, who handled most of Spain’s external credit through 1670. Basic Spanish fiscal pattern firmly established by the mid-1500s. Only a small portion of current expenditure could be met by ordinary revenue, with a growing share of revenues using silver imports to counteract the debt using silver imports to sustain credit. Politics replaced economics, as finances became a matter of sustaining public confidence in the monarchy’s ability to repay its burgeoning debt. Bankruptcies occurred every time the confidence was shaken. 1559- debt reaches 25 million ducats, bankruptcy. 1598- Philipp II dies. Bankruptcy at 85 million ducats, ten times the ordinary revenue. The difficulty in sustaining credit forced the government into expediencies to bridge blockages in cash flow. Offices and titles were sold were sold in Iberia and the colonies. Certificates of ordinary nobility were sold, creating 169 new lordships between1625 and 1668, doubling the size of the aristocracy. Royal rights over 3600 Castilian towns and villages were pawned. Large parts of the customs services were privatized. The expedients created a new elite with a vested interest in the silver system, since most got rich from the Atlantic trade. However, the new elite made it difficult to reform the increasingly dysfunctional system, since that would alienate the crown’s creditors. The short-term gains also reduced long-term revenue, the tax-exempt nobles reached 10% of the Castilian population. Spain had built a system that devoured countless African and American lives, ruined its people with taxes, and found itself unable to escape a vicious debt spiral. Imperial Defense All economic activity was directed towards perpetuating Spanish imperialism. Military expenditures rose from 7 million ducats in 1574, to 9 million by the early 1590s. Between 1596 and 1600, Spain sent 3 million ducats a year to fund the Army of Flanders (Spanish Netherlands) alone. The Dutch War consumed 90 million ducats between 1598 (Phil 2’s death) and the 1609 truce. Spanish forces numbered 100000 worldwide in 1600. The Army of Flanders with 60000 troops was the largest operational army in Europe. Spain also became Europe’s leading naval power during the last two decades of the 16th century. A major role in the victory at Lepanto over the Ottomans in 1571 allowed Spain to downsize its fleet there to 20 galleys with smaller squadrons in Sicily, Naples, and Genoa. The Armada del Mar Oceano was rebuilt after the failed invasion of England in 1588 demonstrated the need for modern warships. The millones funded 56000 tons of new construct, much at La Coruna, between 1588 and 1609, creating a fleet of 60 large warships by 1600. Fleet was divided into three roughly equal squadrons: One at Lisbon to patrol the Atlantic for the silver convoys. The second in the Straits of Gibraltar for Mediterranean access. Third at La Coruna for operations against France and Protestant countries. 1580 fleet of six ships to protect the silver shipments from Arica to Panama, but no Caribbean squadron despite attempts. Naval expansion increased personnel demand to 27000 by 1590 at the same time the army needed more recruits and the Castilian population stopped growing. As volunteers dwindled, established system of issuing officers commissions to recruit units needed to be replaced. The state retained direct management of the army and navy, but contracted out key aspects of recruitment, logistics, weapons procurement. Attempts to get local nobles and magistrates to revive defunct militias to provide a measure of security in the hinterlands of outlying provinces like Catalonia, Levante, Andalusia, Galicia. State monopoly on weapons production in 1562 was dismantled after 1598, all works went into private hand barring a powder mill in Cartagena by 1632. Privatization did not mean weakness, private shipyards could build warships for 31 ducats a ton in the 1630s, 4 ducats less than royal shipyards, saving 2000 ducats per warship. But, privatization was unplanned and unwanted, forced upon a monarchy by its inability to master its surging debts. Only 5.1 million ducats of Spain’s 9.2 million total revenue in 1598 was available for the crown to freely spend. The other 4.1 million was mortgaged to creditors or paid the interest on the juros. The “free” portion of revenue declined to 1.6 million by 1618, while annual expenditure climbed to 12 million. Total revenue from 12.9 million in 1598 to 10 million or less by 1621. Philip III, heir to Phil II, broke from tradition and released a debased coin the year after his succession- the Vellon. Had to retract it in 1608 due to complaints, but reissued it in 1617 and 1621. Vellon actually hurt the Spanish government in the long run, Spaniards paid taxes in vellon, but soldiers demanded good silver coinage. Funded juros debt rose from 92 to 112 million ducats across Philip III’s reign, driving annual interest payments up to 5.6 million, half of ordinary revenue. Se va todo a fondo- “The ship is going down”. Many Spaniards recognized from the 1590s that Spain was entering the final phase of its natural life- decline and death. Only God could reverse this. However, there was disagreement over how much humans could do to slow this. The government received no shortage of proposals, identifying weaknesses and suggesting remedies. All solutions were concerned with the Spanish monarchy’s reputacion- reputation. Correctly identified as fundamental to sustaining the system of credit. There was very little concern about the underlying concerns for depopulation, de-industrialization, agrarian depression, and stagnant trade, which historians later emphasized. “Spanish decline” was not immediately followed by a loss of political influence. Spaniards at the time did not sacrifice themselves at the altar of pessimism. Sure, bankruptcies affected their hand on the world stage a few times (1609 Dutch truce), but catastrophic collapse did not feel imminent. For the fortunate few at the top of society, Spain was still wealthy, were life was very good. The 115 grandees collectively enjoyed an annual income of 5 million ducats, equivalent to half the state’s revenues. Spain still had a great many experienced soldiers, sailors, administrators, and diplomats with extensive contacts across Europe. Spain’s rival France was still very weak and would remain so until the mid-1600s. Spain had built up enough political and economic momentum by 1621 to carry on for two decades after it had run out of fuel. Emphasis on reputacion related to the Spanish conception of kingship. The king was exalted, specially selected by God to rule, in charge of his own destiny and all his subjects’. Estates, councils, other advisers that featured in the old traditions of mixed monarchy across Europe still carried some weight, but they were subordinated to a king who made decisions alone. …Is it any surprise divine pretensions don’t mesh with the reality? Philip II tried not to single anyone out for particular favor to encourage working together, rivalries went underground instead. Phil 2 tried to bypass constitution checks by ignoring traditional institutions and creating ad hoc committees- juntas (ready to overthrow a Latin American government near you). Juntas could provide flexibility, often did naught but add confusion and disputes in the administration. Conejo de Estado (Council of State) became the main forum for discussing matters and formulating policy. Created many juntas which became permanent. Including ones for war, finance, crusade (Catholic renewal), the Indies, Castile, Aragon, Italy and Flanders. The empire remained a composite state, viceroys and local governments had wide powers everyone, and Portugal still had its own government because of local pride. All governors faced advisory councils of notables and needed to pay attention to provincial interests. Their salaries, government funds, and the garrisons protecting them, relied on local taxes. The defense took place in grand strategy in the global Spanish Empire. More territory meant more potential enemies- the Dutch Revolt after 1566. Trade monopolies needed protection too. Spain’s sense of mission arose from the Reconquista, the vanquishing of the Moors in 1492 fused Catholicism into the Spanish national identity. Ottomans, heathens in the New World, Protestants, Spain would protect/save souls and damn the damned! The Papacy itself became an informal part of the Spanish Empire. A symbiotic relationship where both benefitted, but Spain was dominant. Pope Alexander VI (the Borgia Pope) was the start of this. Divided the world between Spain and Portugal with the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. Spain stayed unflinchingly Catholic amid the Reformation. Spain sent 7000 ducats and a white horse (why?) a year from Naples to Rome. Fees from vacant sees were remitted to Rome. Sicilian grain fed Rome, Spanish charity funded churches, hospitals, poor relief. Spaniards reached a quarter of all inhabitants in Rome by the late 1500s. Playing a central ceremonial and political role. 70000 ducats a year bought a College of Cardinals majority for Spain. The Papal States’ defense spending was slashed from over half the budget to less than a fifth with Spanish protection (though there was considerable popular resentment). Rome provided Spain in-turn with ecclesiastical levies worth 3.68 million ducats a year by 1621, a third of ordinary Spanish revenue. The two branches of the Habsburg family after Charles V’s death remained close. Spanish warships and troops continued to carry flags with the black double eagle of the Holy Roman Empire. Spanish writers concocted an origin myth that a son of the Biblical Noah was the first king of Spain. Making it older than the Roman Empire the HRE claimed descent from. Spain’s enemies saw the empire was eagerly waiting to impose universal monarchy across Europe. Spain’s rivals had little knowledge of its many internal problems. They thought the American resources unending. Spain it was feared could start so great a war that soon their meager assets would run out and they’d be doomed. France felt most acutely encircled. Spain to the south, Spanish-ruled Milan and Franche-Comte to the east, Flanders and Spanish Netherlands to the north, the Spanish Armada in the Atlantic. Spanish Armada of 1588- the classic image of the Spanish menace to Protestant countries. Spain and the Empire Spain generally did not intervene in other countries unless it perceived threats to its core interests. The Council of State usually had a strong body of opinion urging caution and disengagement. Philip II spent 1548-51 in Germany, knew many princes personally. Emperor Rudolf and his brothers Ernst and Albert stayed in Spain for durations. These developed Spanish-HRE diplomacy. Perhaps amazingly for Spanish zealotry did not prevent Philip II from building good working relationships with conservative Luthern princes, such as the Saxon Elector and Duke Heinrich Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, and leading Catholics like the Duke of Bavaria. Philip II made efforts to create a pro-Spanish HRE faction around Bavaria and Cologne to block any imperial policies contrary to Spanish interests. Spanish Catholics were influential in shifting Rudolf II towards Catholic militancy in Bohemia and Hungary after 1598. Protestants suspected a Spanish-papal conspiracy, but the “Spanish party” in the HRE truly desired to consolidate Austrian influence and cooperated with Madrid when it was in their self-interest. When Rudolf II died in 1612, the new Emperor Matthias, of the Inner Austrian HRE Habsburg branch, moved his capital back to Vienna. Spanish influenced declined in the HRE. Bavaria became the main Catholic focus for the Emperor due to Matthias’s wife. His successor Ferdinand III’s (1619) wife was Spanish, but the cultural influence remained minimal compared to Italy. The HRE resented Spanish attempts to intervene in its politics. HRE influence in Spain also declined. The Austrian Habsburgs stopped sending their sons to Spain for some years of study. Those that were sent, were seen as too Spanish. Austria had an embassy in Madrid, but it was not permanent as it was in Constantinople. The death of Philip II’s wife Margaret of Austria limited Austrian influence to Emperor Matthias’s youngest sister Margaret of the Cross- a nun who helped raise the royal children. Philip III (ascended in 1598) had no personal experience of the HRE. His advisors put a low priority on Germany. The Protestant princes were too disunited to be a threat, the Austrians incapable of independent action. If Spain left them alone, the Germans would not cause trouble. Spanish ambassadors portrayed a Germany in moral decline. The Catholics flirted with heterodoxy and failed to pay their share for the Long Turkish War against the evil heathen. Germans as a whole were backwards, boorish, too busy gorging on fatty foods and guzzling barrels of beer to achieve the heights of Castilian civilization. Germans lived in a rain-soaked land of dreary forests, muddy roads, and expensive, uncomfortable inns. Philip III has been called “the laziest ruler Spain has had”, and his own father said “God, who has given me so many kingdoms, had denied me a son capable of ruling them”. Philip III attended the Council of State almost daily from the age of 15, and had been signing documents already for his aging father by 1597. He retained the final decision on all important matters. Philip’s historians’ reputation for laziness and abandoning government steams from his interpretation of Spanish absolute monarchy. His father’s remote, inaccessible, lofty majesty was furthered by physically removing himself from government. Practical business was devolved to the Duke of Lerma, who dealt directly with the ministries and juntas. Lerma attached himself to the heir-apparent and made himself indispensable for his rise to power. A court favorite, who had clients, but rarely friends. Stressed his own grandeur and told everyone the qualifications that made only him worth of being Philip III’s right hand. Haughtiness made him susceptible to claims he wanted to eclipse the monarch. Lerma's influence during 1606-08, when his main allies died, retired or were arrest, one being a scapegoat for the 1607 bankruptcy. Lerma’s own confessor turned against him when he became royal confessor in 1608. (Leads to his downfall years later.) Criticism of Lerma mounted with the 1609 Twelve Years’ Truce with the Dutch rebels which he concluded. ...you can see why this would be draining. I still want to write notes on all the different countries' demographic-financial compositions, and scattered bits of other information that I like. It's the actual events I'm going to have to stop jotting down, or super-duper streamline. One to five sentences at most per major event. Sorry conflict over Julich-Berg-Cleves, you sound so important, but I don't have time. At this point, I should just buy the book instead of loaning it. There is not a lot more countries/territories to plant down the details of in the book. I really want to copy its description of Denmark at least, which for so small a country, the book had managed to make unexpectedly entertaining. Very rich, yet its domestic economy was primitive, with most of its income stemming from collecting shipping tolls in the Baltic Sea. Kilvas would be more interesting if it had done that instead of piracy (although, Denmark constantly warred with Sweden to maintain full control of the most important sea lanes). I wanted to comment on what was in the spoiler, thinking it was long enough already and it deserved a response. Then I actually looked at it. Needless to say I will treat it as a bit of reading on the side, because bravo. Where are you loaning it from? Can you get an extension? Meanwhile, it's only been a week, so I still feel comfortable to post this: Spoiler BERNIE'S UNSTOPPABLE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Benice said: How expensive? $749.67 USD all together. (951.44 Canadian) To put that into perspective... Want to add cats and dogs to your game and play with them? Maybe base them off your real life pets? $40. (50.11 Canadian) Want to add the ability for your sims to go to college and play out the ensuing events? $40. Want to add the hecking WEATHER to your game and seasons? $40. Want to make your sims celebrities? $40. Want to make your sims doctors, detectives, scientists, and/or have them create their own businesses and be the only careers you can physically play instead of waiting for them to come back? $40. Want your sims to live in a big city or on an island? $40 a piece. Remind me why I like this series again... Edit: The price at the top isn’t including the pack that literally came out today but it’s one of the reasonably priced ones I’m pretty sure so eh.. Edited January 27, 2021 by Sooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punished Dayni Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Just now, Sooks said: Want to add cats and dogs to your game and play with them? Maybe base them off your real life pets? $40. (50.11 Canadian) Want to add the ability for your sims to go to college and play out the ensuing events? $40. Want to add the hecking WEATHER to your game and seasons? $40. Want to make your sims celebrities? $40. Want to make your sims doctors, detectives, scientists, and/or have them create their own businesses and be the only careers you can physically play instead of waiting for them to come back? $40. Want your sims to live in a big city or on an island? $40 a piece. THE BLOODY CD EXPANSIONS WERE NEVER THIS EXPENSIVE. This in pricing feels like microtransactions, EA for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armagon Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 So @Lightchao42, Godzilla vs Kong got pushed back a week to March 31st.....except the international versions still come out the 26th. Warner Bros, what are you doing? Like an extra week isn't bad but like????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benice Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 2 minutes ago, Sooks said: $749.67 USD all together 4 minutes ago, Sooks said: To put that into perspective... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA You could buy Yakuza 0 2.5 times for each piece of DLC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 16 minutes ago, Dayni said: THE BLOODY CD EXPANSIONS WERE NEVER THIS EXPENSIVE. This in pricing feels like microtransactions, EA for you. The what? Is this referencing a game before Sims 3? 10 minutes ago, Benice said: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA You could buy Yakuza 0 2.5 times for each piece of DLC! It’s like if Yakuza sold you the ability to go be a gangster in a new area but the area itself barely had anything new for $40 and then said “okay, we’ll give you some new weapons to use as well! Eh? Eh? Now cough up 40 more! We’ll even be generous and give you mini games that have been staples of the series so far that we cut inexplicably in this game! For 2/3 the price at launch!” No seriously, at launch the Sims 4 was blasted or lacking content. For example, toddlers, a staple of the series, were (still expensive) DLC and pools, one of the biggest series staples, didn’t even exist. Sims 5 please be good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punished Dayni Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Just now, Sooks said: The what? Is this referencing a game before Sims 3? The original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightchao42 Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 17 minutes ago, Armagon said: So @Lightchao42, Godzilla vs Kong got pushed back a week to March 31st.....except the international versions still come out the 26th. Warner Bros, what are you doing? Like an extra week isn't bad but like????? With how often the release date is changing, there's a decent chance that it will change again to something sooner! They probably don't want non-Americans to pirate it off HBO Max instead of seeing it in theaters, though in that case they could've kept the American theatrical release date the same and released it on HBO Max a week later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightcosmo Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 55 minutes ago, Armagon said: To sum it up, there are these time ghosts or whatever that intervene from the plot every time the story starts to deviate from the original path. For example, the part where the plate falls on Sector 7 or whatever, in the remake, the heroes actually almost stopped it from happening....until the ghosts came in and said "no no no, that plate will fall" (but almost the entire town survives anyway, that didn't happen in the original) and it seems the whole goal of the game is to change the storyline.....which on paper is cool but this was not the game to do it with. I would not be surprised if Aerith doesn't die in part 2/3. That's not exactly how it goes, though. Your kinda missing alot of it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benice Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Just now, Sooks said: toddlers, a staple of the series, were (still expensive) DLC Imagine having to download someone so that you could have kids with them... Although kids do cost more than 40$... 1 minute ago, Sooks said: ’s like if Yakuza sold you the ability to go be a gangster in a new area but the area itself barely had anything new for $40 and then said “okay, we’ll give you some new weapons to use as well! Eh? Eh? Now cough up 40 more! We’ll even be generous and give you mini games that have been staples of the series so far that we cut inexplicably in this game! Worse, not having Karaoke to begin with! Related: I have a new favorite Yakuzaraoke song!* Well, for sound, at least. Nothing will top the roller-skating. *There are actually four different versions of this song in the series, (Yakuza 4, Yakuza 5, Yakuza 7 in English and Japanese) but this one edges out the other two IMO. Spoiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armagon Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Capitalism moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 I just spent the last four hours finishing Omori. My parents aren't home until tomorrow, so I wanted to finish the game in peace and quiet, but I didn't think it'd take that long. You know what else I didn't think? How much it would utterly destroy me. Honestly, I'm glad I decided to finish the game while the house was empty, because my reactions must've looked really weird at some points. Oh, and I gave it a short cry when the credits started rolling. It's never happened to me before, with a game. I don't know how many of you here have heard of or are interested in the game. If not, just know it gets my highest recommendation... But it's not a fun ride. It likes to pretend to be at times, but it is not. And now I get to listen to the soundtrack at last. Whoop de doo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 29 minutes ago, Benice said: Imagine having to download someone so that you could have kids with them... Although kids do cost more than 40$... I mean some personality traits and some life ambitions are dlc so you might have to if you want a specific someone... 4 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said: I just spent the last four hours finishing Omori. My parents aren't home until tomorrow, so I wanted to finish the game in peace and quiet, but I didn't think it'd take that long. You know what else I didn't think? How much it would utterly destroy me. Honestly, I'm glad I decided to finish the game while the house was empty, because my reactions must've looked really weird at some points. Oh, and I gave it a short cry when the credits started rolling. It's never happened to me before, with a game. I don't know how many of you here have heard of or are interested in the game. If not, just know it gets my highest recommendation... But it's not a fun ride. It likes to pretend to be at times, but it is not. And now I get to listen to the soundtrack at last. Whoop de doo. Dare I ask what the gameplay is like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 ❤️ ----------- Anyway, played some more Age of Calamity. I'm enjoying it more as I go along. One of the maps in Ch. 5 was particularly fun. The cutscenes in particular have a level of character development and interactions that Nintendo hasn't really done before in their games. I'm impressed. I'll probably have it finished in the next few days or so. It's a nice meaty game, and I'm not even doing much of the side quests/maps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 9 minutes ago, Sooks said: Dare I ask what the gameplay is like? Very standard RPG. I enjoyed some quirks of the battle system, but it's very much a standard-fare "press A a bunch of times to win" deal. That's it. I know it will sound unbelievable coming from me, but you don't play this game for the gameplay. It's a heavily story-driven game. An experience. You don't play it to "have fun", so to speak. Oh, and it's also psychological horror. I probably should've started with that, heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpica Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 XB2 surprises me by staying surprisingly wholesome every time i expect it to cringe Props for that, XB2 Also if the music is anything to go by, it's time for HYPE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acacia Sgt Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 (edited) Well, decided to start playing Skyrim once again. With like over 60 mods of course. Don't remember how I played the last time I did, but for this I'm going for a Magic-focused Breton. Edited January 27, 2021 by Acacia Sgt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interdimensional Observer Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dayni said: Yeah, I forgot that some bishops held an Elector position, it has been a long time since I peeked into history that predates the industrial revolution and it had fallen out of my head. My relevant notes on the Electors bit: Spoiler Consolidation of the Constitution forged the lay and spiritual lords into three groups by 1521.: Group 1- The Imperial Fiefs, subdivided into three groups.: The smallest, most senior, the seven Electors who held the fiefs associated with the Golden Bull of 1356, with the exclusive right to chose each Emperor. The list of the Electors: Archbishop of Mainz was the premier Elector. Followed in rank by the… Archbishop of Cologne and Archbishop of Trier. Clergy was the “first Estate” by virtue of social distinctions at the time- they pray for everyone’s eternal salvation. None of the Archbishoprics had more than about 100000 subjects. Leader of the secular Electorates was the King of Bohemia. Bohemia the only kingdom within the Empire, was the largest Electorate (50000 square kilometers). Most populous Electorate with 1.4 million inhabitants living in 102 towns, 308 market centers, 258 castles, and 30363 villages and hamlets, with 2033 parish churches. Brandenburg (no “-Prussia” yet!) second largest Electorate (36000 km), but most junior in status, with only 35000 people. Saxony was smaller, but more densely populated with 1.2 million subjects. The Palatinate ranked second in status among the secular Electorates. Was 11000 km in size over two parts, with a population of about 60000. Altogether, the Electorates held about 1/5 of the Empire’s territory, and over 1/6 of its population. (Note- the Electors would later expand after the 30YW to include Bavaria in 1623, and Hanover in 1692, both secular.) All other Imperial Fiefs were divided into two groups.: 50 spiritual fiefs. Archbishop, bishop. Chosen by the cathedral or abbey canons of the principle church in their land, including the Elector Archbishops. Selections subject to the approval of the Emperor and the Pope. 33 lay fiefs. Dukes, landgraves, margraves (marquesses). Inherited or purchased -subject to the Emperor’s approval. Total number of Imperial Fiefs always greater than the number of princes ruling them. Electors could hold princely fiefs, princes could hold more than one fief, prince-bishops could seek appointment to multiple prince-bishoprics. The Habsburg Dynasty was by far the most successful at this, acquiring the 11 Austrian provinces, Bohemia and its associated lands, and the seventeen Netherlands provinces (later given to Spain). Adding up to 303000 km of territory over two-fifths of the Empire. Taking these 2/5ths, and adding in the 1/5th owned Electors -minus Bohemia which is under Habsburg control- and that’d likely put ~50% of the entire territory of the Holy Roman Empire under the control of just seven families. Eight with big Bavaria. Add in parts of the defunct independent Kingdom of Hungary obtained first in 1526, and the Habsburgs governed 7 million subjects in 1600, compared with 17 million people in the rest of the Empire. This territorial base guaranteed the Habsburg monopoly over the Imperial title from 1438 to the Empire’s demise in 1806 (barring a three-year break because nobody obeyed the Pragmatic Sanction). Few other princes had more than 100000 subjects. And prelates, along with lords and counts, comprised the "mediate fiefs". They were the vassals to the Emperor's vassals, and never vassals to the Emperor himself. About 220 mediate fiefs in total at this time. Then there were 400 Imperial Knight families with 1500 itty-bitty fiefs but a direct link to the Emperor. And about 80 Free and Imperial Cities, ranging from 48000 people at most, to the usual city being 4000 inhabitants or less. 7 + 50 + 33 + 220 = 310 potential polities. Plus the Emperor, the Imperial Cities, and the Imperial Knights. Maybe one too many. Edited January 27, 2021 by Interdimensional Observer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acacia Sgt Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Heh, my CK2 playthrough never had the HRE form. I pretty much made it so the AI could never do it, hahaha... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armagon Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 30 minutes ago, Shrimperor said: XB2 surprises me by staying surprisingly wholesome every time i expect it to cringe I take it you're referring to the hot-spring scene? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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