u/PotterAndPitties

Nearly 8 years into being a dad, I am finally getting to share Harry Potter with my son. Been looking forward to it for so long, even used to practice the voices in my head when reading to myself.

​

I got the series for him as a Christmas gift, and his reaction was really funny. He knows I love Harry Potter, so when he opened the box set he pushed it towards me and said "Dad, I think this one is for you!"

​

It took a while to get going, he is a sensitive kid and got it in his head that the books would be scary. I finally made a deal with him that we'd read the Minecraft Stonesword series together first, and then we'd start Sorcerer's Stone. If he didn't like it, we'd stop and wait till he was ready.

​

Happy to report that we are about midway through Book 1, and he is loving it. It's been a thrill watching him react in disgust to Dudley and Draco's behavior, Dumbledore's appearance out of thin air on Privet Drive, the entrance to Diagon Alley, and so many more moments that just mean so much to me.

​

Been having fun doing the voices, really proud of my Hagrid, McGonagall, and Dumbledore. Had some trouble finding Snape and Hermione and with keeping all the characters straight and consistent, but he doesn't seem to mind.

​

I just wanted to share with everyone, because my heart is so full every night being able to share this wonderful story with him, and to see him enjoying it along with me.

I wanted to see if anyone else had this experience.

For background, I started reading the series shortly after they announced the first movie. The Trilogy hooked me instantly (I literally walked into a Barnes and Noble while killing some time before meeting someone and read the free sample on my Nook, then bought it).

But I struggled with the Prequels at first. On my first reading for each one, I didn't enjoy the book. I found TBOSAS to be confusing, and SOTR seemed to be almost fan fiction. But on a second read through, I found myself really enjoying the books and connecting with them more, in some ways even more than the original series. I noticed the message more, and saw all the subtle details that gave the stories life.

Trying to figure out why, I think that it's because the original trilogy wasn't that deep(This is NOT an insult, I love those books). To clarify, they were a story of a character put into a situation and what happens to her. My first read of Mockingjay I also recall not enjoying as much, but it later became a favorite on rereading, and I think it's because that book had deeper themes than the first two. The first two books were an adventure story with the backdrop of this Dystopian Society, while Mockingjay and the Prequels seem to be more about how that society impacts people and the effects of propaganda and power, with elements of adventure weaved into them. Just my take, not sure if I explained it well.

But my bigger question is, am I alone in this? Did anyone else struggle with the Prequels at first but grow to appreciate them more on a second or third read? If so, why do you think that was for you?

I have long extolled the virtues of the mobile version of Farming Simulator, FS23 in particular. Earlier versions were hit or miss for me, but FS23 really made me love the series.

So, naturally, I was thrilled when I learned a new mobile game was coming out. I now have the ability to play FS25, and don't play on my phone much any more, but I was excited to see how they would keep moving the game forward.

*I am sad to report, they did not move the game forward*

FS26 is a huge let down for me thus far. I know it's just come out, but it feels like a huge step back.

It looks...terrible. I always marveled at the visuals on 23. The tractor models and many of the map elements looked spectacular. The maps had life to them and were visually impressive. Yeah, the crop textures weren't fantastic, but overall it looked amazing. FS26 is... Lifeless. A boring map with insanely small fields.

The starting farms are worse than it's predecessor, with little to no storage. You start with 2 vehicles and 3 tools. Not kidding, you get a trailer and a planter and a cultivator, one tractor, and a Harvester.

It's very clear that they want you to buy tokens to progress, which was also a sore point for FS23, but the gameplay made up for that in my case. Here it's clearly a money grab. The basic tools you need will take up your entire budget. There are contracts, but there are only 3 and the payout isn't really sufficient to really help you progress. It's painfully clear they want you to buy coins.

Honestly, this feels like what Farming Simulator Kids should have been. They oversimplified everything, took the fun and challenge out of the game, and gave us a soulless wasteland to play it in.

I am still going to give it a chance to see if maybe it can prove me wrong, but boy I just don't know.

I don't get how they took a brilliant game like FS23 that was great but had areas to improve on, and made it significantly worse. How did they get this so wrong?

Hey all. Maybe a weird question for a Mobile game, but anyone have any idea what the specs are for FS 26?

I tried to preorder, however it tells me my device (Pixel 7) isn't compatible. Found this unusual as 23 runs fine and it's not like an ancient phone, all software is up to date.

Anyone else run into this or has anyone seen a breakdown of what is compatible?

Wondering if anyone has tried playing Witcombe Park Farm on their Steam Deck and how it is performing. I know it's an extensively detailed map with a lot of assets. Haven't had trouble with larger maps like Judith Plains, but curious to see how people's experience has been.

For those who are playing on the map, how is it?