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Pokémon Go May Be A Significantly Important Game

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I'm sure you've all heard about Pokémon Go by now. It's the mobile game that has you going out into the world to find Pokémon.

It's pretty fun. At it's heart, it's mostly all about catching them all, less about the RPG elements of the main games of the series. If you like geocaching, this is right up your alley, it's just Pokémon you're finding instead of muddy containers. If you played Ingress you'll feel right at home. It's made by the same developers, Niantic, and all the points of interest in Pokémon Go are the same. They already had all this map data, so why recreate it right?

I managed to get up to level 6 without even leaving my apartment. This area is But alas,... Read All I'm sure you've all heard about Pokémon Go by now. It's the mobile game that has you going out into the world to find Pokémon.

It's pretty fun. At it's heart, it's mostly all about catching them all, less about the RPG elements of the main games of the series. If you like geocaching, this is right up your alley, it's just Pokémon you're finding instead of muddy containers. If you played Ingress you'll feel right at home. It's made by the same developers, Niantic, and all the points of interest in Pokémon Go are the same. They already had all this map data, so why recreate it right?

I managed to get up to level 6 without even leaving my apartment. This area is But alas, I ran out of Pokéballs. To get more, you either have to pay for coins to buy more, or go out to Pokéstops. As it turns out, I needed to run some errands today so I decided to add some stops to my trip.

Now, the title of my post was not about how fun the game is, it's about how important it is. And this is where the importance comes in.

I noticed the mall next to the store I was in had three Pokéstops and someone had used a lure to get rare Pokémon to come around. There was a little lounge area in the mall where you could reach two stops and the lure, and there were thirty people or so all gathered around chatting and getting items. Pokéstops reset every few minutes, so between resets people would walk around the mall, getting in steps to help hatch their Pokémon eggs (incubators require you to walk a certain distance to hatch eggs).

Even discounting this experience, I saw dozens of people walking around with their phones out, talking with people. A friend of mine has even made some new friends by running into groups of people playing.

So, this is important for two reasons:

First, ARGs like this have never caught on to this extent. There were a lot of Ingress players, but this is orders of magnitude higher. This seems to be the game where ARGs become an established genre.

Second, this finally fulfills the Pokémon Company's goal. For years, each new game has gotten more and more social, and more and more active. There was a step counter for one game set that let you level up your Pokémon by walking around (or attaching the step counter to your dog's collar). Finally, a Pokémon game is bringing together massive groups of people and getting people active.

I'd encourage anyone with a smartphone or tablet to check this out. Smartphones would be worlds better, because you really need a data connection for it, and unless your tablet has mobile data, the areas you can play are very limited.

And even if you haven't played Pokémon games in the past, don't let that stop you. This really requires no experience with previous games, and doesn't even play like previous games.

And join the Blue Team! :D

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/11/2016 at 08:51pm

Go, Blue Team!

The social stimulation of Pokemon Go is one of the most interesting things about it. The gyms that I've come across, so far, have all been at restaurants, malls, and even the local YMCA, all places obviously designed for mingling with friends. As you say, Travis, they're now, all of a sudden, places for spontaneous nerd hangouts. It seems that competition, even though it's there, is largely downplayed, which seems like a good thing.

I haven't done any official mingling, yet. Most of my hunting is on my daily routes. One of the cooler features, is the window in the bottom right of the map screen, which shows what Pokemon are near you at the time. If you haven't discovered one of those, it will show up as a greyed out silhouette. I recognized one of those silhouettes as a Bulbasaur. Of course, this was at 11pm, and all I was intending to do in the game at that point was go through my backpack and transfer unwanted multiples to the Professor. I really wanted that Bulbasaur. I got up, got in my car, and drove around the neighborhood until I found him. It took a few attempts to finally catch him, but I'm really glad I did, otherwise I probably wouldn't have slept that night.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/11/2016 at 09:51pm

I completely agree. I can't believe how many people I'm seeing walking around, hunting Pokemon. I've never played a Pokemon game before, but last week when I heard the term "augmented reality," I had to check it out (I downloaded it on Wednesday, when it was only available in Australia and New Zealand, so I take pride in everyone following my lead)

It took a couple days to figure out exactly what to do, but I'm learning as I go. It's been a lot of fun to hang out with friends and all collect together.

And it looks like the Westboro Baptist Church is getting trolled through PG, so that's awesome :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/12/2016 at 04:35am

I see kids in my area out collecting Pokemon and some adults too. One kid was really into it and that was really nice to see. It hasn't caught me yet, but from your description I really want to head out and try it when I get some time.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/12/2016 at 05:11pm

Here's the thing-- I estimate I've seen about 130-150 people playing it, and that's not an exaggeration. But I've only seen one or two kids. That kinda surprised me.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/12/2016 at 05:30pm

I know (assume) a lot of kids these days have smartphones, but I don't know how many parents would allow traipsing about the countryside, bumping into strangers who could possibly suggest going "on an adventure together." Of course, when I think kids, I'm thinking pre-teen.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/15/2016 at 07:52am

My son and I are big fans of Pokemon, but since we don't have smartphones, we haven't jumped into the latest Pokemon Go craze. However, I did find an interesting article about what our Presidential candidates think about it. The Hillary Clinton camp is actually going to host an event.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hillary-clinton-wants-you-to-play-pokemon-go-trump/1100-6441828/

AutoCat1000 wrote on 07/15/2016 at 09:39pm

Yeah, I personally find it fascinating how the internet is reacting to Pokemon Go. If you haven't already heard, the three teams are Team Instinct (yellow), Team Valor (red), and Team Mystic (blue). Since the game is divided into teams, people online are taking it to some serious measures.

Someone wrote "Team Mystic" to deface a sign. You can see it (and the awesome people who cleaned it up) here: http://imgur.com/gallery/pXrYz

It's also interesting to see that Nintendo's stocks went up, what, $7.5 billion?

Overall I'm very glad that Pokemon go has inspired so many to get out of the house and meet people and have fun.

And yes, you should TOTALLY join Team Mystic!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/15/2016 at 09:47pm

Team Mystic FTW

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/15/2016 at 10:16pm

I wish I could play. I'd definitely be Team Mystic! I often choose the Water type starters, just because I love that they're usually blue. Haha

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/16/2016 at 03:59am

I swear if Trump dressed up in an all blue suit you'd love him :D

Or alternatively you'd switch to a different favorite color!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/16/2016 at 05:59am

Hahaha I'd love the suit, not him. I have no love for him. He's not on the blue team. :)

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Watch 64 Floppy Drives Play The Star Wars Main Theme

The Floppotron is an impressive creation built from hacked floppy drives and other old PC hardware to create musical tones and then made to work together to recreate the Star Wars main theme.

Can General Solo get these people a medal?

"How does it work? The principle is simple. Every device with an electric motor is able to generate a sound. Scanners and floppy drives use stepper motors to move the head with sensors which scans the image or performs read/write operations on a magnetic disk. The sound generated by a motor depends on driving speed. The higher the frequency, the greater the pitch. Hard disks use a magnet and a coil to tilt the head. When voltage is... Read All

We Finally Have A Good Picture Of What Happened To StarCraft: Ghost

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starcraft/images/0/0d/SC-G_Logo1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080508203154

Polygon has a really great article that covers the history of the infamous Blizzard game StarCraft: Ghost. Ghost was a game that was aimed at consoles and featured stealth gameplay starring the Ghost character Nova. I remember hearing quite a big of buzz about the game and as with many upcoming Blizzard games, I was really interested in playing it. Eventually Blizzard stopped talking about the game entirely and then we found out the game wasn't in active development but never properly cancelled. Up until now we didn't know much as to why the game was scrapped but Polygon has a very well written article that covers the story of Ghost from conception to it changing... Read All

Mighty No. 9 Stands Trial In The Latest Episode Of Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Recently Mighty No. 9 launched to very mixed reviews. Some Kickstarter backers didn't get the correct game codes for the platforms they pledged to and many more experienced some unfortunate game glitches at launch. In one of his latest videos, Cygnus Destroyer runs Mighty No. 9 through the Innocent and Proven Guilty courtroom and I found his verdict fair. As a fan of the original Mega Man series I had high hopes for Mighty No. 9 but I had mixed feelings about picking it up until I saw this video.

Starbound Finally Leaves Orbit To 1.0 July 22nd!

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Chucklefish is finally releasing Starbound 1.0 coming July 22nd. After making a huge early access splash, Chucklefish hit a few snags with some pretty large delays and as such garnered some community backlash. I am happy to see the game finally hit this milestone and as such am really eager to play it in it's final form.

"In case you missed it, Starbound is coming out of Early Access on 22 July, 2016.

After ~5 years, the game we set out to make finally exists, and to say that it all feels a bit surreal would be a massive understatement!

While Starbound will be finished in two weeks, this isn’t the end. We will continue to update and support Starbound for as long as we... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 07/09/2016 at 05:19am

I almost can't believe it! I have been waiting it out, but I'm stoked about playing the gold release.

I do wonder about those features that didn't quite make 1.0. I wonder what's in store.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/09/2016 at 06:11am

I thought of reporting that as I found that news earlier. :)

hardeyez wrote on 07/09/2016 at 07:56am

I played through so many versions of it that it feels more like Starbound 13.0.... but there hasn't been a new stable in a loooong time, so I'm looking forward to it again

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/10/2016 at 03:41am

I played it quite a bit at launch and then checked it out one or two times after that. It always got better but it didn't seem to hit the level of greatness I expected it to. Since then lots has happened to the base game and I am really looking forward to checking it out and seeing how the base game works with the new story mode and quests.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/10/2016 at 04:32am

I've played it a few times. The first time wasn't too impressive as there wasn't much to do, but it got better. I ran into some bugs, too. Now I'm itching to play again. It's very tempting, but I'm afraid if I do then I won't be as excited about 1.0 by the time the 22nd rolls around. Recently, I decided to check up on Starbound's news and that's when I found out about the 1.0 date. Initially my favorite race to play was the Avians, but then I played some Novakids and enjoyed them, too. I'm interested in finding out what's changed since I last played. I imagine, at least, there's a lot more quests now. I don't know if I played it after they introduced pets though.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/21/2016 at 10:44pm

Finally an update! "Starbound will launch tomorrow at 10am PST / 6pm GMT"
http://playstarbound.com/starbound-1-0-steam-workshop/

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/22/2016 at 03:55pm

Wow. It's launching today. I hope it's really fun.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/22/2016 at 06:14pm

Launched! I played for a bit, it definitely seems different right from the start. There never was a story or an intro mission when I played before. A lot has changed since I last played. I watched the trailer, too, and it looks like a whole lot has been added. I'm glad the wait is over. There's probably more to come in the years ahead, too.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/22/2016 at 07:41pm

This will be the mod that makes the game infinitely better:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cn_f2DGUsAABnvx.jpg:large

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/24/2016 at 04:46am

https://youtu.be/KnsiZOJjfUg

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Nuka World seems to be the last expansion for Fallout 4

In the tweet that ground many gears, Pete Hines today revealed that Nuka World would be the last expansion for Fallout 4. People on Twitter are responding as you'd expect, feeling ripped off by the hefty price tag of the season pass (unless you bought it before the price was increased), which only provides 2 or 3 expansions (depending on how you look at it) and a few pieces of mostly settlement-building add-ons.

I, unfortunately, must agree.

Based on what we've seen in the past, Bethesda games usually get way more content than this for way less money. I thoroughly enjoy the settlement system and love building things, but it doesn't replace the value of expansions for... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/06/2016 at 05:36am

Didn't they say that they had other DLC they were going to launch outside the planned DLC and that's why they were charging $50?

I can see why people would be pissed. They basically said "GET THIS AT $30 BECAUSE IT'S GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE BECAUSE OF THE MAD STUFF WE ARE ADDING IN!"

If they are stopping here, I can see why people may be a bit upset.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/06/2016 at 05:50am

Ok so they did add 3 more DLC packs but I don't know of all that was worth $60. Certainly glad I got it for $30, that seems better to me.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/06/2016 at 04:05pm

That's a bummer. Fallout 3 and New Vegas got more major DLC packs. Oblivion and Skyrim did, too. Fallout 4 has one big one, one medium or small one, and a few other little ones. I'm not sure where Nuka World is going to fit in, but to me it seems like there's still much to be desired for the season pass. Maybe including all the DLC we know about, that's probably about half of what I had expected or hoped for.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/06/2016 at 09:21pm

I was expecting one more push of one big one and two small ones like we have been getting.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/07/2016 at 02:55am

OK so after this comparison, I'm OK with it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/comments/4rkocf/fallout_4s_story_dlc_vs_fallout_3s_and_new_vegass/

Fallout 4's content is already more plentiful than Fallout 3's, and nearly on par with New Vegas, in terms of hours of fun to be had. If Nuka World is anywhere near the size of Far Harbor, it will totally blow it out of the park.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/comments/4rkocf/fallout_4s_story_dlc_vs_fallout_3s_and_new_vegass/

Also Greg-- Skyrim really didn't. Dragonborn was large, but not as large as Far Harbor, and Dawnguard was fairly short. Hearthfire was basically just building a house.

As for Oblivion, Shivering Isles was the big one, and Far Harbor is about on par with it. Knights of the Nine was interesting, but didn't add any new areas, just quests in the already present areas. The others were either horse armor (heh) or a single quest that opened up a new area for your home base.

So it seems Fallout 4 will definitely end up with the biggest amount of content in terms of hours spent and world size added on, BUT the question is still whether it's $50 worth. And now after reading that comparison, it may be.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/07/2016 at 02:57am

Also I meant to add-- "Fallout 3 and New Vegas got more major DLC packs"

Those games didn't have ANY expansion-size packs like Far Harbor. They were all about 5 hours worth of content.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/07/2016 at 03:12am

Still not sure I'd have paid $60 for it but more time, I suppose is better if hours per dollar is the ultimate judge of what makes something good. Like, Travis you played all the content does it feel worth $60?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/07/2016 at 03:52am

I haven't played all the content yet, we're still missing two that have yet to release (Vault-Tec and Nuka World) which are the two I've looked forward to the most aside from Far Harbor, and I haven't messed with Contraptions yet. So half of them are still a mystery.

Also: It's not $60, it's $50, which isn't that much less but at least it's less.

I'll just say I'm not sure. At least not yet. I think Far Harbor is easily worth $25 on its own. The more-than-20 hours I spent on it were probably my favorite hours spent with the game. I keep comparing it to Shivering Isles, because it really feels like that (it's huge-- about the same size-- and more fun than the base game, like SI), and SI was $30 at launch. Automatron was really fun, definitely worth at least $5 (to bring the running total up to $30), and it's $10 outside the season pass. So if their initial idea for the season pass was just those two and Wasteland Workshop, I'd say those three were worth that price.

The bump to $50 came with new content, which it now seems was the second set of three and, unfortunately, no more after that. So, if those three feel like they're worth $20 I think it'll be worth it, ultimately.

So yeah, I think I've talked myself out of my initial displeasure, but the new DLC is still an unknown at this point. It may be a turd.

But hours per dollar isn't the ultimate judge of what makes something good. 200 hours of clicking a single button would suck. But for games like this, you expect the gameplay to be similar enough that you can use that as a major factor. When comparing it to older games in the series, you have the new areas and quests, and the new areas and quests in Far Harbor essentially equal that of all of Fallout 3's new areas and quests.

Still, the way the initial announcement was worded, it really seemed as though there would be more content coming throughout the year. I'm not saying it was dishonest, but it may have been unintentionally misleading.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/07/2016 at 04:30am

That all makes more sense now.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/07/2016 at 05:52am

I bought the DLC on the $30 "get it now hype train" and if I had it to do over again I wouldn't have. Not that the value maybe isn't there at $30. I mean, maybe it is, but it's not for me as I haven't made a huge dent in the base game.

It's like boarding the early access hype train for a game. I've done that, had a bad time and have since disembarked.

I won't do this again with Bethesda DLC, if I finish the base game I'll get the DLC as its released and if I want to continue. Not based on some exclusive price or whatnot.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/07/2016 at 01:40pm

Yeah for someone who isn't putting in the time for it, it's definitely not worth it. It seems like you might not get to the DLC until it's already dropped in price, as your love for the game was never as high as mine, and your schedule, now more than ever, doesn't allow for intense gaming sessions.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/07/2016 at 04:58pm

> as your love for the game was never as high as mine

I really dug the first part. But something about continuing didn't hook me. I really like it though. I absolutely devoured Fo3. I will keep playing this and I imagine i'll crack the DLC at some point, so it's not all bad. smile

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/07/2016 at 09:09pm

It may have been just a matter of timing. I'd fall out of love (heh, FALL OUT GEDDIT) with it too if I couldn't dedicate time to it. I have trouble going back into it after not playing for a while.

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Today I Learned Diablo Was Released On The Original Playstation

After Diablo became a huge success on PC, Blizzard partnered with EA to port it to the original Playstation. This bit of retro knowledge wasn't something I was aware of until I saw RetroSnow's recent review of Playstation Diablo. From his review, the port seems to be very well done if not a bit dark in certain levels. It's nice to see Diablo III make a strong comeback on modern consoles and if you have a PS3, PS4, 360 or XBone I seriously recommend you download the Diablo III demo to see how well it plays.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/05/2016 at 12:47am

I have Diablo III for PS4, and I almost hate to say it (almost), but I think I prefer it there than on PC. Of course, Diablo is much better suited for console play than some of their other games, but even then, they did an amazing job with the console builds (for the PS4, at least).

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/05/2016 at 01:04am

I'm relatively a newb when it comes to Diablo, I didn't start playing until the third game. That said, I was surprised to hear familiar music and see Tristram in this video. I really enjoyed Diablo III, which makes it a tempting game to get on a console. I'm glad that it does well on there and that Scrypt amazingly says he thinks he prefers it on the PS4 instead of the PC. Wow!

Travis Admin wrote on 07/05/2016 at 03:05pm

Yeah they use some of the same themes throughout the series. The Tristram you see in this game is the destroyed Tristram thats a little outside of New Tristram in Diablo III. I *think* some events at the end of the first Diablo destroyed it, but it may have been something that happens off-screen between the first and second games. I honestly don't remember.

Or alternatively: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8rFnefnKhA

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/05/2016 at 04:34pm

Hahaha

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/06/2016 at 03:13am

That's awesome :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/06/2016 at 04:47am

That's awesome. Dorkly makes some really cool videos.

hardeyez wrote on 07/09/2016 at 08:01am

Yeah, the playstation version was pretty fun, but not quite as good as the pc... for Diablo 3, I really like the console version especially the local multiplayer and the dodge roll mechanic

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/10/2016 at 04:10am

Yeah, up until loot 2.0 and Reaper of Souls on PC I thought the console game was __WAY__ better but then the PC got most of the updates exception the dodge roll. That said, the console port is pretty darn good and the ability to couch co-op is pretty awesome.

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The History Of Doom

I recently found a video that catalogs the history of Doom and also briefly discusses iD Software. I've posted videos before talking about iD Software but this is a bit different in that it mostly covers Doom, it's origins and the most recent Doom 2016 installment. Not a huge amount of new information here but if you don't know the story of Doom, this is a very good way to get it.

Summer Games Done Quick Speedrunning Charity Starts On July 3rd

https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HkF2Oe1-t9cXBzT7-xOQBJqoBHY=/0x103:1015x674/1280x720/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48535861/Screen_Shot_2016-01-10_at_11.31.05_AM.0.0.png

Speedrunning charity stream Summer Games Done Quick will be blasting through the gaming stream-o-sphere starting July 3rd @ 9.30am and wrapping up on the 9th. As with every year, the game speedrunning lineup is a buffet of classic retro titles and many hot new modern titles such as Goonies II, Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening DX, BioShock, Dishonored, Hexen and Fallout 4.

I've created an Event you can join to add to you calendar to remind you of the event or just queue it up on Twitch starting July 3rd. As with every year there will be some great speedruns of this event and i'll share the ones I really enjoy. Let me know if you plan on watching and what games you are... Read All

The Entire BioShock Saga Is Coming September 13th!

"Relive the depths of Rapture and sail through Columbia in BioShock: The Collection! Remastered for current-gen, this edition includes all three #BioShock games, complete with all single-player DLC and a never-before-seen video series with commentary from Ken Levine. Available September 13, 2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC."

If you haven't jumped into BioShock yet this upcoming collection will be a great time to do so. Whereas the original game didn't sit as well with me as others, I thought BioShock Infinite and both DLC missions were incredible. If you enjoy heady sci-fi games with compelling stories, characters and gameplay or simply want to head back and... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 07/02/2016 at 04:20am

It's also worth noting that, like Skyrim, if you own these on PC already you'll get the remaster for free.

There's a Steam sale going on, what are you waiting for?

Travis Admin wrote on 07/02/2016 at 04:21am

I'll also add, on a more personal note, that I count the original Bioshock as one of my favorite games. In retrospect I don't think Infinite was close to topping it, even though I also count Infinite as one of my favorites.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/02/2016 at 05:52am

> It's also worth noting that, like Skyrim, if you own these on PC already you'll get the remaster for free.

So since I already own BioShock, Infinite and all the DLC i'll get this for free? If so, sounds good to me! I'd like the extra behind the scenes content!

Travis Admin wrote on 07/02/2016 at 01:43pm

Yep! If you want the Minerva's Den DLC for Bioshock 2 you have to have the game and the DLC.

But there's actually no change for Infinite. It's not getting the remaster treatment, it's just being included with the others. It's already shiny enough apparently. So if you have Infinite on PC you already have everything they're shipping for that one.

If you look at the announcement page, the behind-the-scenes stuff is just for the original Bioshock.

https://blog.2k.com/news/bioshock-the-collection-announcement

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/02/2016 at 02:28pm

To clarify, no change for Infinite on the PC, but it is being remastered for Xbox One and PS4. PC is just so powerful!

This is pretty exciting! All the Bioshocks, shiny and snug together. The director's commentary and Museum of Orphaned Concepts look most interesting. I haven't played through Bioshock since I completed it when it came out, and I never played through Bioshock 2, even though it's sitting, sadly, in my Steam library.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/02/2016 at 03:33pm

Yes, I meant specifically in Jon's case, but should have worded that better.

Bioshock 2 is also sitting in my Steam library, with like 2 hours of play time. It's not that it was bad, it just didn't grab me the way the first did. I still owe it a chance I suppose.

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