u/BigFrasier

After stalling out on my TGM progress for about a year, I picked it back up and immediately have something click for me.

Pyramid stacking is way easier than I thought and it makes things significantly easier.

I know that sounds obvious but I remember hearing about pyramid stacking and watching videos and trying it myself but I kept struggling with managing the pyramid along with with clearing. However, I had a sudden thought that made it all make sense. Maintaining a solid, clean pyramid is more important than actually clearing lines. When in doubt, use pieces to maintain the pyramid, rather than try and clear lines. You can even put pieces in theoretically "bad" positions as long as it's in service of keeping the pyramid alive.

This lead to my thought process in game going from "where's the 'best' place to put this piece?" to "Should this piece go in the well, or to build the pyramid?". Effectively turning a long decision with a multitude of answers into a short decision with only two possible answers.

Suddenly, I went from maybe Hitting lvl 500 on the occasional really good game to hitting it consistently, even if I was stacking poorly. I just wanted to pass this on just in case anyone else is struggling to apply pyramid stacking in their own games.

John's death hit way harder than Arthur's. At least for me.

With Arthur's death there was this big dramatic lead in across multiple chapters. The trope of "person starts coughing and it turns out to be TB" is as old as the hills and it's telegraphed pretty clearly with Downes hacking on Arthur during the beating. We're given a lot of time to sit with it, to see Arthur's decline and make peace with it along with him as he starts seeking redemption. By the end, we're proud of what he's managed to accomplish with the time he had left and the legacy he could leave behind, but it's a foregone conclusion. We knew this was going to be how things turned out. It's sad, but it's hopeful. We even get symbolism of a sun rising as Arthur passes, a new dawn for those he's leaving behind. Even the fist fight with Micah has this cathartic edge to it despite the circumstances.

Arthur lived a brutal life. He killed innocent people. In the end, it was that life that did him in. He just had a window of time where he could reflect and try to make amends. He even says as much to Mrs. Downes in their last exchange. He doesn't even want forgiveness, just to leave something, anything good behind when all is said and done. The whole thing feels fair in a cosmic sense.

But what about John? John was right there with the gang, robbing and murdering left and right both on screen and off. He too gets a stretch of time where he acknowledges his past sins and strives for redemption. What makes his journey different from Arthur's? Why did his death leave such an impression?

John's death wasn't fair.

John played by Ross' rules. He did what was asked of him. He spent the entire story risking life and limb for anyone who could give him a chance of accomplishing his goal and seeing his family again. And in the end it worked. Ross made good on his promise. He got his home back. He got his family back. We got a whole chapter of missions devoted to giving us a glimpse into what this happy ending future would look like. Finally, John had time. No Dutch. No Micah. No Pinkertons. No running. Just all the time in the world.

And then it all gets ripped away to satiate the pride of a bitter, heartless man.

You experience it firsthand. You control John as his family panics at what's happening to them. You desperately fend off wave after wave of agents as they cower behind cover and Uncle is shot dead. The whole thing feels miserable and hopeless. You start to realize that Ross was never going to make good on the deal. John's been a dead man from the start. That brief chapter of peace was just one more opportunity to twist the knife.

John sending his family off and facing his death is the final gut punch. After everything, at the end of it all. John is forced to part with his family again. A wound that he fought tooth and nail for the entire game to heal and he's forced to tear it back open moments before his death. The game even leans into this feeling with deadeye activating as the barn doors open. Letting you think there's a sense of hope, before tearing it down and forcing us into the cutscene where John is shot to pieces in graphic detail.

It all cuts so damn deep and left me just asking myself "Why?" after I turned the game off. It makes everything that Arthur sacrificed in 2 feel pointless. Like there was never any hope to begin with. In short, Arthur's death got me choked up and misty eyed, but John's death kept me up at night feeling like I just witnessed something horrible.

Hello!

I've been messing around with cubing since 2007 but I took a break around COVID era. I have a GAN 8 and was wondering if there's been any big changes in speedcubing since then? I'd definitely be down to pick up a new cube if there has been, but I'm having a hard time deciphering which brands and models are good and if they're any better than the 8

I've been playing Geoguessr for a long time and was originally drawn in by the gameplay (duh) but also the slick UI, and lack of "esports" vibe. Now that the current Geoguessr is filled with that stuff and the UI is a clunky mess that tries to get you to engage with the item shop and social features more than just playing the game, I'm in need of an alternative.

Are there any recommendations for specifically singleplayer alternatives that don't feel so "kiddie"?