Lurker > azuarc

VeryInsane posted...

azuarc posted...

You mentioned self-improvement in the topic. Are you looking to improve yourself in terms of your physique, talents or social skills, or are you looking to...I'll call it "improving your resume," where you work toward particular goals to be proud of? Granted the first group often leads to such goals, but I'm trying to get a feel for what you think you're looking for.

Probably more of the former, since I believe it will lead to the latter

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

Work out.

Literally the best thing you can do to make yourself feel better. You'll feel better, look better, and it helps you mentally to have something to really focus on and push yourself towards.

This was going to be my initial response, but I thought it might sound presumptuous without checking on what you were after.

Of course, rather than literal gym workouts, you can engage in some kind of other physical activity, like the earlier suggestion of parkour. But you either want it to be something that will build your physical assets (musculature, endurance, general health) and/or will work toward a specific goal. For instance, a few years ago, I saw a cover for Runner's World -- published by the company my late sister used to work for -- advertising their own half-marathon. It was six months away, and I decided to make it a point to run that race.
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play a friend quest up for grabs to first responder
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VeryInsane posted...

I've been starting to feel extremely depressed lately, and

You know it's February when...

What are some good hobbies to work on so I don't feel like I'm so much of a screw up

You mentioned self-improvement in the topic. Are you looking to improve yourself in terms of your physique, talents or social skills, or are you looking to...I'll call it "improving your resume," where you work toward particular goals to be proud of? Granted the first group often leads to such goals, but I'm trying to get a feel for what you think you're looking for.
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Yikes. You still want nominations up to that point?
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LeonhartFour posted...

or at least more cowbell

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bump for results
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You set them up to be in a fight against two guys that you pay off to take a dive. And then you get the MC to back them up so they don't wuss out.
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LordoftheMorons posted...

I guess in retrospect I definitely should have replaced Sanctuary with Heavenly Flight

Heavenly Flight is the only track from the game I could have named, and I appreciate it greatly, so yes, yes you should have.
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Complete data can be found at:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-4vvcT_Rzvp0npqA_OniySaMIShANCYmBAiDFNXN5mo/edit#gid=1227108939

Last two tabs have the results.

Thank you everyone for participating! Reverse rankings are nothing without strong support from the peanut gallery. I especially appreciate everyone who stepped up to do so many ranking clusters and/or inputted their results themselves. This will almost assuredly be the last project you see from me until VGMC starts up. I've got enough RL stuff going on to make just running that a challenge, and historically February is always the worst month of the year for me, so hopefully I'll see you all on the other side.
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51 - Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - A Tangle of Mystic Flowers ~ Warning Glory! - 2.60 - 2.30
52 - The House in Fata Morgana - Sanctus - 2.60 - 2.30
53 - The House in Fata Morgana - The March of Time - 2.60 - 2.30
54 - Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Depature - 2.60 - 2.30
55 - Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Voice of THE VENUS - 2.60 - 2.27
56 - Dragon Quest VIII - Traveling With Wagon - 2.60 - 2.17
57 - Xenogears - Emotions - 2.40 - 2.30
58 - Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Daemon's Court - 2.40 - 2.09
59 - Dragon Quest VIII - Remembrances ~ Cursed Trodain Theme - 2.40 - 2.05
60 - Silent Hill 4 - Clockwork Little Happiness - 2.40 - 1.97
61 - Star Control II - Spathi Theme - 2.40 - 1.97
62 - Xenogears - The One Who Bares Fangs At God - 2.40 - 1.82
63 - Bullet Heaven 3 - Christmas is Here! - 2.20 - 2.00
64 - Gimmick! - Lion Heart - 2.20 - 2.00
65 - Star Control II - Thraddash Theme - 2.20 - 1.89
66 - Silent Hill 3 - Walk on Vanity Ruins - 2.20 - 1.82
67 - Silent Hill 6 - End of Small Sanctuary - 2.20 - 1.72
68 - Dustforce - Upside Down Stalagmite - 2.00 - 1.64
69 - Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Annual Festival - 2.00 - 1.64
70 - The House in Fata Morgana - The House in Fata Morgana - 1.80 - 1.55
71 - Silent Hill 7 - Uneternal Sleep - 1.80 - 1.52
72 - Star Control II - Arilou Theme - 1.60 - 1.52
73 - Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Monster's Dance - 1.60 - 1.52
74 - Dragon Quest VIII - Sanctuary - 1.60 - 1.43
75 - Silent Hill 5 - Flower Crown of Poppy - 1.00 - 1.00
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OVERALL SONG RANKING

Rank - Game - Song - Average - Geo mean
1 - Dragon Quest VIII - Sky, Ocean, and Earth - 5.00 - 5.00
2 - The House in Fata Morgana - Giselle - 4.60 - 4.57
3 - Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - cheap treasure - 4.60 - 4.57
4 - Bullet Heaven 6 - The Count of Darkness - 4.60 - 4.51
5 - Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne - 4.20 - 3.98
6 - Dustforce - Light Pollution - 4.00 - 3.95
7 - Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Great Magic of the Power of Words ~ Starry Wisdom - 4.00 - 3.47
8 - Dustforce - Cider Time - 4.00 - 3.47
9 - Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Main Theme - 3.80 - 3.59
10 - Street Fighter EX Alpha - Precious Heart (Theme of Sakura) - 3.80 - 3.31
11 - Street Fighter EX Alpha - Amusementive Crime (Theme of Skullomania) - 3.80 - 3.27
12 - Street Fighter EX Alpha - Strange Sunset (Theme of Guile & Allen) - 3.80 - 3.27
13 - Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Illness Illusioner - 3.60 - 3.52
14 - Street Fighter EX Alpha - Rising Dragoon (Theme of Ryu) - 3.60 - 3.52
15 - Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Reunion ~ Theme of HERO 55 ~ - 3.60 - 3.39
16 - Deadbolt - The Way of the Dodo - 3.60 - 3.39
17 - Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Looking Up at the Sky (Ending Version) - 3.60 - 3.17
18 - Divinity: Original Sin 3 - Rivellon - 3.60 - 3.13
19 - Dustforce - Elvish Piper Academy - 3.40 - 3.25
20 - Divinity: Original Sin 6 - Sins and Gods - 3.40 - 3.13
21 - Star Control II - Supox Theme - 3.40 - 3.03
22 - Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Amaterasu of the Nine Luminaries ~ Sunlight Reburst - 3.40 - 2.99
23 - Gimmick! - Strange Memories of Death - 3.40 - 2.99
24 - Bullet Heaven 2 - Of Sand and Wind - 3.40 - 2.89
25 - Xenogears - The Wind is Calling - 3.20 - 3.10
26 - Gimmick! - Cadbury - 3.20 - 3.10
27 - Gimmick! - Sophia (Take 2) - 3.20 - 3.10
28 - Street Fighter EX Alpha - Irreconcilably (Theme of M.Bison) - 3.20 - 3.06
29 - Deadbolt - The Banality of Eternity - 3.20 - 3.06
30 - Trails in the Sky The 3rd - The Black Ark - 3.20 - 3.06
31 - Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Magnificence in the Wilderness - 3.20 - 2.99
32 - Xenogears - Bonds of Sea and Fire - 3.20 - 2.99
33 - Xenogears - Flight - 3.20 - 2.99
34 - Bullet Heaven 4 - Odyssey to the Deep Star - 3.20 - 2.86
35 - Dustforce - It's Not Supposed to be Snowing - 3.20 - 2.72
36 - Deadbolt - Defunktorum - 3.00 - 2.93
37 - Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Battle of THE BLACK VENUS - 3.00 - 2.83
38 - Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Cradle Where Feelings Rest - 3.00 - 2.70
39 - Bullet Heaven 5 - The Caves of Va'No - 3.00 - 2.64
40 - Divinity: Original Sin 4 - A Part of Their Story - 3.00 - 2.61
41 - Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Sword of the Fallen Hero ~ Legend of Sanada - 3.00 - 2.61
42 - Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Illusionary Blue Flowers - 2.80 - 2.61
43 - Deadbolt - Heynong Man - 2.80 - 2.55
44 - The House in Fata Morgana - Dira "Minchia!" - 2.80 - 2.49
45 - Gimmick! - Paradigm - 2.80 - 2.49
46 - Divinity: Original Sin 5 - Sing to Me (Lohse version) - 2.80 - 2.46
47 - Dragon Quest VIII - Over the Sorrow - 2.80 - 2.46
48 - Star Control II - Yehat Theme - 2.80 - 2.46
49 - Deadbolt - Blood on the Dancefloor - 2.80 - 2.40
50 - Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Last is Doon! - 2.80 - 2.40
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END RESULTS OF GAME RANKINGS

Place - Game - Avg - Geo
1 - Street Fighter EX Alpha - 3.64 - 3.29
2 - Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - 3.32 - 2.99
3 - Divinity: Original Sin 2 - 3.32 - 2.96
4 - Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - 3.32 - 2.94
5 - Dustforce - 3.32 - 2.88
6 - Bullet Heaven 2 - 3.28 - 2.88
7 - Trails in the Sky The 3rd - 3.16 - 2.9
8 - Deadbolt - 3.08 - 2.85
9 - Gimmick! - 2.96 - 2.7
10 - Xenogears - 2.88 - 2.59
11 - The House in Fata Morgana - 2.88 - 2.48
12 - Dragon Quest VIII - 2.88 - 2.39
13 - Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - 2.56 - 2.17
14 - Star Control II - 2.48 - 2.11
15 - Silent Hill 3 - 1.92 - 1.56
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1. Dragon Quest VIII - Sky, Ocean, and Earth

AVERAGE, GEOMETRIC MEAN, AND SCORES OF FIVES ACROSS THE BOARD

Comments:
* Whimsical, Glorious, it's all the spectrums of your everyday RPG credits sequence. But I'll give it top billing for carrying me all the way till the end.
* Pretty nice to listen to but it didn't do anything amazing.
* DQVIII is one of my favorite games of all-time, and easily my favorite JRPG. I love its soundtrack, and I greatly enjoy orchestral music in general. Sky, Ocean, and Earth was all but guaranteed to score high with me.
* Best new track I've listened to from this topic hands down right here, this is one of my favorite musical styles. It sounds like something from a Ghibli soundtrack, I love it!
* I am extremely into this, it sounds like it should be in Fantasia or something. Great piece.

I'm not into symphonic pieces as much as the people who rated this, it seems. It isn't guaranteed on a reverse ranking that we have a piece that garners a perfect score -- in fact, it usually doesn't happen -- but I was surprised to see this piece rise to the top. It's pretty, and very well done, but not my thing. A decent track to listen to at the conclusion to our list, however.

GAME RANK 12th - Dragon Quest VIII
Nominated by LordoftheMorons
Average of all 5 songs: 2.88
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.39

The ultimate hanger-on, DQ8 outlasted FFCC and tHiFM to be....twelfth place. Okay, so maybe it doesn't have the team trophy, but it did take home the MVP award. Congrats for that.

And that means congratulations go out to Street Fighter EX Alpha for having the highest overall average. Four songs went out right on the cusp of the top 10, in sequence, but SFEA's main strength was that it didn't have a weak link. Nothing dragged it down, and most of it's tracks posted a rating of 3.8. That's pretty damn tough to beat.
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T2. Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - cheap treasure

Average: 4.6
Geo mean: 4.573050519
Scores of 4, 5, 4, 5, 5

Comments:
* Dramatic run-up for the final area of the game, and there's like 5 versions of it on the OST, but it's only so-so as a standalone song.
* the early tone shift caught me off guard and helped this stand out more. my favorite from half-minute hero 2.
* Oh this is quite a song. I should play this game; everything about it seems so jank in a good way. This song starts out with beep ba-loops and then like a fucking orchestra comes on still mixed with occasional chiptuneyness.
* The way that it ends so that the intro can hit you again... Amazing.
* cheap treasure may have an odd title, what with its lack of capital letters and the song not sounding cheap or treasure-y, but it's easily one of the best and most unique songs in the contest.

Might have been a cool song to end on, but alas, one song on the list was literally unbeatable. Getting a single 4 was enough to guarantee second place at best.

GAME RANK 2nd - Half Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming
Nominated by dowolf
Average of all 5 songs: 3.32
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.99

This may have been the only other game on the list that I had played, so I was quite familiar with the music and pleased to listen to it, even if it beat out my own pet nom. Totally would have gotten first if it had included Swiss Cheese.
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T2. The House in Fata Morgana - Giselle

Average: 4.6
Geo mean: 4.573050519
Scores of 4, 5, 5, 5, 4

Comments:
* Great song. Not a lot else to say here.
* Is Giselle really from the same game as Sanctus? Whoever composed it made the excellent decision to eschew piano (at least I didn't hear one) for a more interesting combination of instruments.
* The vocals and instrumentation all flow really nicely in this one.

A surprise Fata Morgana track rocked the top of the list, tying for second. Nobody gave it anything less than a 4. It's a pretty piece, I guess, but I'm not exactly blown away...guess it's just as well I didn't have to rate it, then.

GAME RANK 11th - The House in Fata Morgana
Nominated by Sceptilesolar
Average of all 5 songs: 2.88
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.48

'House' was mostly a miss, but Giselle kept things alive for the game, and let it perform respectably against the other cellar dwellers. (Get it, cellar? House? I kill myself...)
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4. Bullet Heaven 2 - The Count of Darkness

Average: 4.6
Geo mean: 4.514402257
Scores of 5, 5, 5, 3, 5

Comments:
* Is it strange that this feels more like a touhou song than the actual touhou song in this block?
* Blends upbeat and catchy with a suitably epic sound in a way that makes it really easy to listen to.
* Pretty solid song.
* Count of Darkness feels like a long intro to a rock song, but in this block, it easily earned the top spot

GAME RANK 6th - Bullet Heaven 2
Nominated by Shonen_Bat
Average of all 5 songs: 3.28
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.88

Admittedly, I didn't get to listen to too much of the BH2 music. I'm just listening to Count of Darkness right now, and it's pretty rad, but I don't recall the bits I heard from the other tracks having the same impression. 6th of 15 is a pretty respectable rank, though, so clearly something went right!
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5. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne

Average: 4.2
Geo mean: 3.981071706
Scores of 4, 5, 5, 2, 5

Comments:
* Exquisite track. Easy 5 unless there's another great song in this pack.
* Fantastic vocals, and the background instrumentation is also really cool.
* Kaze no Ne is probably my favorite song on the list, no joke.
* The folk atmosphere is very relaxing and lively.
* This is quite pretty, I like it.

I'm surprised this song hasn't taken off during a VGMC.

GAME RANK 13th - Final Fantasy:Crystal Chronicles
Nominated by DragonImps
Average of all 5 songs: 2.56
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.17

A strong performance from Kaze no Ne kept FFCC in the mix up until the end, but couldn't salvage the overall game rank. This will be a running trend among nearly the entire top 5.
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6. Dustforce - Light Pollution

Average: 4
Geo mean: 3.948700972
Scores of 5, 4, 4, 3, 4

Comments:
* This song kind of makes me strut my head like a peacock. Now I'm swaying my shoulders, even my hips, ngl. It feels like a slow-burning town theme where a nice string of minor character revelations just shattered the player's initial perception of certainly allegedly immutable "facts" within the world's lore. I like the way it's layered. A new instrument emerges midway, and the musician who wields it does it with aplomb. It actually gets rather melancholy, then it cranks up the jam!
* It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly why, but this song just works. Really like the instrumentation they use, and the whole thing is just nice and laidback but in an inspiring way.
* I like this soundtrack bettter when it goes down this route. The energetic songs just sound off, but this mellow one hits some of the right spots. Personally, I'm still not in love with it for various reasons, but I can at least appreciate it to a much greater extent. I'd be perfectly fine with this playing in the background somewhere.
* I really like the bass in this song.
* Light Pollution is not half as good as Cider Time, but still pretty good. It's one of the better soft, relaxing video game songs I've heard.

Those scores are amazingly consistent. Also amazing is that someone used the word "aplomb" in their write-up.

GAME RANK 5th - Dustforce
Nominated by KCF0107
Average of all 5 songs: 3.32
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.88

An impressive showing for Dustforce. It's a favorite of a select few people, and is usually just above average for everyone else. The difference between 2nd and 5th was the geo mean tiebreaker, so depending on how you choose to interpret that, this could make the case that Dustforce outperformed everyone except #1.
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GAME RANK 3rd - Divinity Original Sin 2
Nominated by: azuarc
Average of all 5 songs: 3.32
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.96

Someone thought D:OS2 might win, but uh, well, nope. I'm hoping folks will decide they like either the main theme or Rivellon for VGMC.

GAME RANK 4th - Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology
Nominated by: FL81
Average of all 5 songs: 3.32
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.94

This fan game did better than the average Touhou performs on the board. Then again, I think the board's "inflammation" of Touhou-itis has mostly subsided. It might be time to try some of the stronger tracks once again...other than RFTM, I mean.
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T-7. Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Great Magic of the Power of Words ~ Starry Wisdom

Average: 4
Geo mean: 3.465724216
Scores of 5, 5, 1, 5, 4

Comments:
* I haven't been impressed with the rest of the songs I've heard from this game, but this is much better. I feel it's more directed and doesn't lose its mind partway through like others.
* Man. I was all ready to make some comment about how Touhou music is pretty mundane and never deviates from its formula. But then this actually does a really good job of mixing things up. The beginning is solid but unremarkable in standard Touhou fashion, but then I really like what the song does from 1:56 onwards.
* Starry Wisdom is not a bad Touhou song like I was expecting it to be. It does fly off the rails at points in typical Touhou fashion and is way too long for its music style, but it's certainly better than the majority of Touhou songs that I've heard.
* Hey, my favorite song from my own nomination! Wanwan is definitely my favorite Touhou fangame composer, even if this song does sound suspiciously similar to Tori no Uta ;>_>

Well, it's Touhou. You know what...well, okay, this was the first 4.0 game on the list, getting ruined by a single 1 in what could have been nearly a top score.

T7. Dustforce - Cider Time

Average: 4
Geo mean: 3.465724216
Scores of 5, 1, 5, 4, 5

Comments:
* If there was ever a time for personal bias, this would be it. Cider Time is my all time favorite Dustforce OST. It's unique, it rolls off easy, and it carries you while you listen to it at work. It's representative of the game's own frantic but passive nature.
* A nice pleasant background track. Unfortunately the other songs in the block were just better
* I was contemplating voting Blood on the Dancefloor over Cider Time, but I know that would have been a lie, so the song that I twice or thrice failed (I am like 0-10 in getting Dustforce songs that I originally nominated) across to get into VGMC gets max points.
* That percussive hit is everything. The awesome synth is just bonus.
* Cider Time is definitely my favorite song in this block and I suspect that, if I ever listened to every song in this contest, it would probably wind up as my #1 out of all songs. ...Though as I've only heard my nominations and these five, I might be jumping the gun a bit.

And now everybody's down to their last song. Echo what I said before about a lone 1.
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9. Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Main Theme

Average: 3.8
Geo mean: 3.594431819
Scores of 5, 3, 5, 4, 2

Comments:
* This seems like a well-made song, but for whatever reason the epic/mysterious aura this song is going for isn't something that inspires much feeling in me. It's probably unfortunate I was one of the ones who had to rank it.
* It's kind of unfortunate that this is the main theme and I don't think it'd play in the main game. Not that I don't think it fits as a main theme. It's so atmospheric and well-crafted I could see it fitting pretty much anywhere in the game. (Ed: variations of it appear freaking everywhere.) Hell, I could see it working as a battle theme if it played during the overworld beforehand during an important point in the plot. It conveys so much at different points but remains perfectly coherent.
* I'm a big sucker for that triumphant orchestral "2 Steps From Hell" kinda sound, not much else to say here. I like it.

Sic transit Divinity gloria.
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ooh, rotting smegma. That sounds interesting.
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Wonder Woman
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They're easy to get rid of. Just put a Polish flag on your neighbor's property.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Banjo-Kazooie's soundtrack sucks if that's what you're talking about.

Nice to see someone who agrees for a change.

Thought Kirkhope has done decent work on other games.
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Divinity: Original Sin 2
Shantae: Half Genie Hero
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metroid composite posted...

On 8? Well for starters, what's your turn 7 play? Remember, you need to maintain board control and keep minions stuck on the board or else Bonemare gets zero value. Part of what killed CotW decks was that turn 8 was often a dead turn for them after the nerf, which let their opponents get ahead on the board, and getting a pile of value on turn 9 wasn't enough. If you don't have a solid play on turn 7, you might not have minions on board to pump on turn 8.

So basically, what you're saying is that decks that intend to kill you on turn 5 can't afford to stretch that far.

I'm not denying this analysis. It's completely correct. I just feel like something's wrong if you've got absolutely no game left by the time turn 7 rolls around.

azuarc posted...

And some people have like 10+ of them, so that's 400 dust.

The only person in the world who likely has more than 2 is Kripp, because everybody else pushes the button.
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metroid composite posted...

Raza: Really wish they would have nerfed Anduin instead. Raza was a cool but niche card before Anduin came out.

How would you propose they did that? Considering how digital the cards are (as opposed to analog), finding a variation might prove challenging. I mean, you could say "the first time you play a card, refresh the hero power," but the whole point of the card is to reward you if you can get a bunch of cards off. It's just designed with the assumption those will cost 2, so there would probably be at most maybe 3 in a turn.

I'm not fond of Raza becoming Maiden of the Lake, but it was evident that was the link that had to be targeted.

metroid composite posted...

(for constructed; in Arena...sure, but they could also just lower the offering rate in Arena)

Offer rates sometimes make the problem worse rather than better. If bonemare is very common, it's annoying, but at least everyone has it. If it's rare, then the guy with the bonemare wins consistently. Especially since you're no longer playing around it.

As for your CotW example, 8 to 9 is a bigger difference than it seems. It locks you out from spending 2 mana that turn. One very obvious use of 2 mana is the hero power, for extra burst. There are other things you could do for 2 that are now not an option. Far less on 1...Arcane Shot and Hunter's Mark, basically. Yeah, you can make the same argument for Bonemare, saying now you can't play stuff for 3, but what were you playing for 3 and then hitting with BM? Acolyte? Burnbristle?

The main thing here is that as soon as Razakus decks take a step back, it opens up the meta to all the stuff that was prevalent in Lich King. Maybe no patches, but otherwise, it's the same stuff. Quite a few of those decks did run bonemare, and there's a solid chance they go back to it. I think Blizzard would prefer that people not have more reasons to tech in silence. Even so, Bonemare is essentially a 4 damage charge in addition to adding a pile of stats to the board.

At the very least, nobody's going to dust it, though, because it's common. You really want that 20 dust so bad?
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DragonImps posted...

Like most HMH tracks, it's weakness is being short. Hero '55 has plenty of impact while it's here, though.

While still short, the theme that this is based off of is much better imo:

Nah, I like 55 better. The HMH2 theme has a few nice callbacks to the original, but the only thing it has on 55 is the very ending.FL81 posted...

It's Divinity. You know what you're getting. Interesting melodies and instruments with a pretty upbeat, climactic feel. This isn't amongst my favorite Divinity songs, but it works

Out of curiosity, what are your favorite Divinity songs?
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mnkboy907 posted...

Wait was I not voting for the Seattle drive-in chain?

Nope, the sporting goods store.
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GAME RANK 8th - Deadbolt
Nominated by: Simoun
Average of all 5 songs: 3.08
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.85

I can't say the Deadbolt songs really stuck out to me one way or the other. Then again, neither do Risk of Rain's, so I think it's just the composer. Probably not surprising it finds its way to the very center of the list.

GAME RANK 7th - Trails in the Sky the 3rd
Nominated by: pyresword
Average of all 5 songs: 3.16
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.9

I wonder if Dreamy and Boisterous Land would have made a difference. Not in my book, but Trails music is hit or miss for me, so that's probably not saying much.

GAME RANK (temporarily withheld for dramatic tension) - Street Fighter EX Alpha
Nominated by: Raetsel_Lapin
Average of all 5 songs: 3.64
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 3.29

Remaining tracks:
Bullet Heaven 2 - The Count of Darkness
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Main Theme
Dragon Quest VIII - Sky, Ocean, and Earth
Dustforce - Light Pollution
Dustforce - Cider Time
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne
Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - cheap treasure
The House in Fata Morgana - Giselle
Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Great Magic of the Power of Words ~ Starry Wisdom
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T-11. Street Fighter EX Alpha - Amusementive Crime (Theme of Skullomania)

Average: 3.8
Geo mean: 3.27194695
Scores of 5, 1, 5, 5, 3

Comments:
* Entertaining, I guess.
* Hits too many of my musical pet peeves to finish anywhere other than last, even though some parts are pretty good. The weird dissonance that starts around 1:00 doesn't make sense in the context of the rest of the song and doesn't work imo. Then other than that, non-melodic talking in songs is something I almost always cannot stand. And while I can't actually tell if that's what's going on in the latter half of the track, it sounds enough like it to bother me immensely anyways.
* My feelings toward Amsuementive Crime are complex, but overall it is one of my favorite songs that I don't recall hearing before this project.
* Hey, this track is pretty cool! I like how it just shifts between "cool" and dissonant throughout the song.
* Amusementive Crime is another weird song. It's this almost discordant mash-up of like a techno fight theme, a broken amusement park attraction, and faint background vocals I can never make out. I don't dislike the song, it's just...weird.

I gave this a 5, and I didn't even like it that much. Just had a weak pack.

T-11. Street Fighter EX Alpha - Strange Sunset (Theme of Guile & Allen)

Average: 3.8
Geo mean: 3.27194695
Scores of 5, 1, 3, 5, 5

Comments:
* In a pack full of songs that did nothing but be quaint and cute and safe, Strange Sunset grooves the whole time and is completely unapologetic about it.
* The piano parts are nice, but the rest of the song doesn't mix well together, and the ending goes for guitar wailing over the main beat, which sounds worse.Strange Sunset is a nice multi-genre song. It isn't something that I will likely listen to again and again, but it's nice.
* Ooh, jazziness!
* I like the jazzy parts of this a lot. The 'main' part a bit less, but still good.

And the same thing here.

10. Street Fighter EX Alpha - Precious Heart (Theme of Sakura)

Average: 3.8
Geo mean: 3.314454017
Scores of 1, 4, 5, 5, 4

Comments:
* Oh man, this song is so 1992 with its saxophone I thought I was listening to Short Circuit 2. It's got a nice progression, but at no point during my session did I so much as bounce my bangs, and I kind of tuned out at the guitar section, so I'm afraid it's bottom-of-the-barrel in this neat fiver.
* Oh hey a saxophone. That's my instrument! And it sounds pretty good here to!
* What a great style. The jazzy guitar and trumpets that somehow remind of Sonic are great to listen to. It has a tremendous feel, that despite the joys or perils of the world, somebody at least is having a grand old time.
* I don't think the upbeat jazz music actually fits Sakura, but I absolutely adore this song and only nominated SFEX+@ specifically for this one song. I kinda feel bad about having to rank it, but that's just how things worked out... then I wound up preferring a Silent Hill song of all things and nothing makes sense anymore.

I was going to do the top 10 tomorrow, but it was too funny to not do 4 songs from the same game in a row and eliminate it.
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FL81 posted...

how is illness illusioner still even in this

Well, okay, since you asked nicely...

T-13. Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Illness Illusioner

Average: 3.6
Geo mean: 3.519482029
Scores of 3, 5, 3, 4, 3

Comments:
* The change in tone from 1:25-2:15 hits me in a way I can't really explain, and is very well done. Pretty standard Touhou otherwise, but it manages a surprise or two.
* It's Touhou. You know what you're getting. Interesting melodies and instruments with a pretty upbeat, hectic feel. This isn't amongst my favorite Touhou songs, but it works
* Cool song. The melody at certain parts feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be doing, but all around solid sound otherwise.
* This isn't great overall. It has some parts I like, but it also kind of gets on my nerves on other parts.

Yeah, I dunno, either. It's pretty typical, frenetic, incoherent Yoohoo. The franchise certainly has better. Apparently the group thought it had at least one better in the game, though, because BOSM is still alive.

T-13. Street Fighter EX Alpha - Rising Dragoon (Theme of Ryu)

Average: 3.6
Geo mean: 3.519482029
Scores of 3, 3, 5, 4, 3

Comments:
* It had a very good beginning and got me really pumped up, but the 2nd half felt like a lazy reprise, especially with the forced japanese bent towards the end as if to say Oh Yeah, Ryu is from Japan.
* It was fine.
* This is great. Halfway through some guy starts going "Hoo!" and the song loses its shit and starts throwing all of its instruments at you. The whole is rocking and catchy and compelling and nice.
* It's cool how it starts out with those sparse oriental Japanese elements, and then goes all-out with them at around 1:40 with that rad bass riff.
* Rising Dragoon is...weird. I nominated it and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. Is that a keytar?

SF continues its trend of above-averageness. Will that be enough to win? This song was certainly nothing special.
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Oh, all right, I'll keep going a little.

18. Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Rivellon

Average: 3.6
Geo mean: 3.129134645
Scores of 5, 5, 1, 3, 4

Comments:
* amazing song. Only thing it's really lacking is a decent ending.
* Great stuff all around. Really nice buildup, and then 1:20-1:50 is top-tier musical climax.
* It's fine. The beginning is pleasant. The buildup and climax are fairly generic and overplayed "movie trailer" themes. Honestly the last 15 seconds are its strongest. The song is fine for what it is, but doesn't really add anything new.
* Love the build-up in this song along with the western style elements
* Rivellon is pretty. I'm not as wild about it as the YouTube commentors that seem to consider it a spiritual experience that resonates within their soul, but, it is pretty.

I am disappointed. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Mr. Commenter #3.

17. Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Looking Up at the Sky (Ending Version)

Average: 3.6
Geo mean: 3.169786385
Scores of 4, 4, 4, 1, 5

Comments:
* Kinda bland. Written okay, but nothing really happens and it doesn't exactly tug on my heartstrings. Guess you had to be there.
* Pretty nice. Didn't do anything too surprising but I wouldn't mind listening to it occasionally.
* Looking Up at the Sky is an ending song that I feel like I've heard in dozens of JRPGs, and I would bet that I have played far fewer than the average B8er. It's far from a bad song, but it's one that I can sort of like for one listen then never plan on listening to again.
* Vocals are powerful and well-done but it's at the cost of boring instrumenation.

Agree with the last guy.

T-15. Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Reunion ~ Theme of HERO 55 ~

Average: 3.6
Geo mean: 3.39345819
Scores of 3, 2, 3, 5, 5

Comments:
* The first part was a good pumped portion but the rest got repetitive on the rock.
* Something that I can't quite put my finger on just feels off about this song, and I can't really get into it.
* It doesn't do enough in the half-minute style it's given itself. The dramatic parts are fairly generic, though the wavery flute that plays at the very beginning is adorable
* Best song on here by a good margin. Then again, I like most things are are high speed and rockin'

Like most HMH tracks, it's weakness is being short. Hero '55 has plenty of impact while it's here, though.

T-15. Deadbolt - The Way of the Dodo

Average: 3.6
Geo mean: 3.39345819
Scores of 3, 3, 2, 5, 5

Comments:
* Chill, multi-instrumental, piece that changes things up enough to hold attention.
* Well, I really hate the section of this song that starts around 2:25. Other than that though it's a pretty good song. I like the instrumentation here and think it does a great job building on itself as the track goes on.
* This is nice. It's got a good thing going on. Uh, it speaks for itself?
* The Way of the Dodo is a fun funky number, with some awesome drumming and great bass.
* Oh, this is good. It's just really smooth and relaxing. Nice. Never gets dull either with all the variation on the main theme.

I dunno. I got kinda bored. /shrug
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19. Dustforce - Elvish Piper Academy

Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 3.245342223
Scores of 3, 4, 3, 5, 2

Comments:
* Pleasant little background track.
* A nice and soothing track. Felt it was a bit TOO passive though in this case and maybe could have been a bit better.
* This is pleasant and atmospheric. Got a nice flute going on. It's not necessarily my style, but I can't deny it's relaxing, and the kicks or whatever add flavor without really disrupting that.
* Production is top notch, love the wooshing synth and the percussion.

GAME RANK 14th - Star Control II
Nominated by: NFUN
Average of all 5 songs: 2.48
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.11

Boing, boing, boing, boing...

GAME RANK 9th - Gimmick!
Nominated by: Ed Bellis
Average of all 5 songs: 2.96
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.7

My tastes don't always misalign with Ed's, but on this one account, I really don't get his love for Gimmick. There are better chiptunes if that's what he wanted to go with, and I know that's why he picked this soundtrack. But at least it's an interesting choice.
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21. Star Control II - Supox Theme

Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 3.031433133
Scores of 4, 4, 4, 1, 4

Comments:
* Hm. This is fairly catchy. I absolutely hated the last song I heard from this soundtrack, but this has much more variation to keep my attention. Not bad.
* Sick groove. Feels laidback but at the same time it also feels like there's a lot going. I'm definitely a fan of this one.
* Got my own song woops. It'd be misleading to say that this song fits into a category of weird VGM that I really like; the game itself inspired that fascination in me. All the silly, stupid samples come together into something that's fun and somehow works. I can't say that the song suits the race at all--they're not really necessary at all to the plot, only really show up if you're looking for them and are kind of boring--but those crazy Finns sure can write a catchy melody. Also part of has essentially the exact same melody, notes, and BPM of "You Spin Me Round".
* Gets interesting later on, but the beginning is too repetitive for my tastes.

RIP Star Control. At least there was one song worth listening to.

20. Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Sins and Gods

Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 3.129134645
Scores of 5, 2, 2, 3, 5

Comments:
* Haunting voices. A rather okay orchestral track if not a bit repetitive.
* The choir was alright, but I thought it would be backed by something eventually. It didn't hold my interest on its own.
* Choir songs are tricky to win me over. This one just feels like an prelude to a much better and more interesting song. (Ed: It is, indeed, a prelude, though you can argue whether the other is better.)
* Beautiful. Just beautiful.
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this has certainly been a day. At least I got things done, even if they didn't involve the results topic. But okay, I'm not going to be a total deadbeat...

24. Bullet Heaven 2 - Of Sand and Wind

Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 2.885399812
Scores of 2, 4, 5, 5, 1

Comments:
* What's funny about this is I already knew it was a Sand and Wind song even before I read the title, just by listening to this. It's got that drifting feeling with the flute here and there. Nothing new.
* Nice to listen to but doesn't try anything exciting.
* oh hey this one has the dustblown travels didgeridoo. I have no idea why I like Phyrnna's style as much as I do. I guess the rhythms of the drums get me or something, but somehow it all always comes together into one pretty solid whole.
* Just super-solid instrumentation, very well-done
* The background instrumentation really isn't too good, I don't think. Very uninteresting.

T-22. Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Amaterasu of the Nine Luminaries ~ Sunlight Reburst

Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 2.992555739
Scores of 4, 3, 4, 1, 5

Comments:
* It's very Touhou.
* I'm not a huge fan of the way the blaring trumpets in this song sound
* It's Touhou. You know what you're getting. Interesting melodies and instruments with a pretty upbeat, hectic feel. This isn't amongst my favorite Touhou songs, but it works
* pretty nice, but an easy pick for last place thanks to that initial wave of blaring trumpets.

I stand corrected. This is the new longest title.

T-22. Gimmick! - Strange Memories of Death

Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 2.992555739
Scores of 3, 1, 4, 4, 5

Comments:
* This is also catchy when I haven't liked much else from this game!
* Was really impressed with Gimmick!
* I like that popping synth that Gimmick!'s soundtrack uses, it's kinda like psudo-percussion... Or maybe it counts as actual percussion? The standout is that call and response (?) thing going on with those strong decending notes.

RIP Gimmick.
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Patches: is too big a liability if drawn now. A stonetusk boar is bad, but a 1-mana wisp does exactly nothing. Considering Patches gets drawn in maybe 10-15% of games, and no longer comes with enough upside to offset that, I'm pretty sure the card is simply dead in the water. Outside of Ship's Cannon abuse, the card is just dust now.
Corridor Creeper: holy shitballs, that's a nerf! I think it's a riot that creeper is now a carrion grub, since it looks like one, but I'm pretty sure 2/5 would not have been the statline I'd have picked. If anything, I'd prefer 5/2 to 2/5. Actually, just go ahead and rename it Corridor Rager and make it a 5/1. At 2/5, it may not be impactful, but it's still incredibly hard to remove. Unless, of course, the goal is that you want to have an anti-aggro tool for trading into all those small minions. Kill a paladin's first 4 minions, drop your carrion gru---corridor creeper, and mop up all those knife jugglers and annoying 1/1 tokens. Beyond that, I'm not certain this card will still be used. I mean, it's still playable, but I bet it won't be played.
Bonemare: fair. next.
Raza: Well, this certainly kills basic Anduin decks moving forward, judging from the number of times a priest loses Raza and immediately concedes. It also makes Spawn of Shadows combos a little harder to pull off, but those, unfortunately, are not dead. Therefore, I would have preferred the "0 to your current hero power" version. Anduin before Raza isn't a huge change, but it's enough of one that you don't get 8 extra healing on curve, along with a 5/5 on 5.

MariaTaylor posted...

I'm almost hesitant to say "too late" in this specific case. with it coming at the end of the standard cycle it seems almost fitting. like, standard meta is supposed to be its own unique, distinct thing. so the standard cycle that just ended was the one where patches dictated a lot of the meta, and raza had a huge impact in the later half of the cycle. but now that this standard cycle is ending the experiment is kinda over and we need to fix these cards so they don't ruin wild forever.

You may not hear much agreement on this sentiment, but I'm with you here.
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So where's the plot twist where we find out Fred's just gaming everybody all along, secretly pulling all their strings?
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Dying of dysentery.
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davidponte posted...

Rogue sucks.

Many archetypes of it do, yes. Somehow I end up playing every version of rogue except the really popular, obnoxious ones. (Well, okay, mill can be pretty obnoxious to play against, and I used to love that.)
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KCF0107 posted...

The Quick and the Dead

I can get behind this.
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digiiiiiiiii posted...

oh and one more: Destiny. It's just told in a terrible way.

I can think of a lot of these. EverQuest comes to mind.
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More if I ever get home tonight.
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so how bout just chocolate? Who doesn't love chocolate?

Besides people who are allergic, I mean. And people who are bad at dieting. And people who somehow see it as carrying racist overtones because it came from the Americas and is grown on plantation-style farms...other than that.
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Underleveled posted...

Is there a slang for asses/butts that starts with C?

Let's get this to win every letter possible.

Coccyxes.
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votals on what? Front page, or board contests?
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NFUN posted...

azuarc posted...

* Nice jazz sound that managed to impress me despite the fact that I typically hate any song using the NES soundboard or whatever it's calledThis is the best type of NES music. It uses the silly 8-bit instruments to great effect and sounds amazing despite, or perhaps because of, its limitations. You could listen to the whole song and only realize at the end that the game was on the NES.

you merged two

I (line) break for periods.
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GAME RANK 10th - Xenogears
Nominated by: SaveEstelle
Average of all 5 songs: 2.88
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.59

I expected XG to do better on board 8, but even if it may be one of the early eliminations, it still came out ahead of a few games that have a hanger-on left.

Remaining tracks at the 2/3 mark
Bullet Heaven 2 - Of Sand and Wind
Bullet Heaven 2 - The Count of Darkness
Deadbolt - The Way of the Dodo
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Main Theme
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Rivellon
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Sins and Gods
Dragon Quest VIII - Sky, Ocean, and Earth
Dustforce - Light Pollution
Dustforce - Cider Time
Dustforce - Elvish Piper Academy
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne
Gimmick! - Strange Memories of Death
Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - cheap treasure
Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Reunion ~ Theme of HERO 55 ~
Star Control II - Supox Theme
Street Fighter EX Alpha - Precious Heart (Theme of Sakura)
Street Fighter EX Alpha - Amusementive Crime (Theme of Skullomania)
Street Fighter EX Alpha - Strange Sunset (Theme of Guile & Allen)
Street Fighter EX Alpha - Rising Dragoon (Theme of Ryu)
The House in Fata Morgana - Giselle
Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Great Magic of the Power of Words ~ Starry Wisdom
Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Illness Illusioner
Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Amaterasu of the Nine Luminaries ~ Sunlight Reburst
Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Looking Up at the Sky (Ending Version)
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T25. Xenogears - The Wind is Calling

Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 3.103691148
Scores of 3, 4, 3, 2, 4

Comments:
* Honestly a toss up between this and Heynong Man, it boiled down to personal preference. The serene tune makes good use of its instrumentals, but it's nothing I haven't heard before.Nice atmospheric track. No complaints
* I can't help but shake the feeling that I've heard this somehow before. It's nice and relaxing, but there isn't too much going on. It pulls off the feel it's going for well enough that anything extra would probably get in the way anyhow.
* Very calming song, sound like something out of the Chrono Cross sountrack.
* I really enjoyed "The Wind is Calling", though I honestly don't know why. It's not objectively the best song of the contest, but it's thus far the only non-Dustforce song I'd want on my mp3 player.

And pop, there goes a soundtrack.

T25. Gimmick! - Cadbury

Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 3.103691148
Scores of 4, 3, 4, 2, 3

Comments:
* Not as good as Lion Heart, but just as frantic.
* Nice jazz sound that managed to impress me despite the fact that I typically hate any song using the NES soundboard or whatever it's called
* This is the best type of NES music. It uses the silly 8-bit instruments to great effect and sounds amazing despite, or perhaps because of, its limitations. You could listen to the whole song and only realize at the end that the game was on the NES.
* Is it just me or does Cadbury sound like the opening theme of a late night talkshow? I almost expect an announcer to introduce Mr. Gimmick and the very special guests he's welcoming tonight.

T25. Gimmick! - Sophia (Take 2)

Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 3.103691148
Scores of 2, 3, 4, 4, 3

Comments:
* It's not easy, imo, for a chiptune to be so relaxing and almost zen-like, so kudos to Gimmick!'s composer!
* Very pleasant listen, not much else.
* I generally don't like chiptunes or stuff that sounds like it, but this is nicely varied at least. I don't mind it.
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