u/artmalique

The "Ali Era" is widely regarded as the greatest time period in heavyweight boxing. The "Klitschko Era" is widely dismissed as the weakest time period in heavyweight boxing.

But was the gulf in class really that vast?

Admittedly, the time between Lennox Lewis retiring and Tyson Fury becoming champion did only have 2-3 truly outstanding champs: Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko & (arguably) Chris Byrd. The other champs in that time period were Hasim Rahman, John Ruiz, Oleg Maskaev, Siarhei Liakhovich, Lamon Brewster, Samuel Peter, David Haye, Ruslan Chagaev & Nikolai Valuev (sorry if I have forgotten anyone else). None of those champs were close to being all-time greats. But were they really that bad?

Obviously Ali, Frazier, Foreman, etc would have beaten all of them... but would it have been a demolition job? I don't think they would have found the Klitschko brothers to be easy opponents. But even those other guys may have put up a somewhat decent fight before losing..?

What do you all think? Was the golden era of Ali & co really that superior? For entertainment, yes! But what about in terms of skill?

Last night I was playing Digital Edition (on Xbox One) with hidden ending (12 possible endings enabled). I got myself into a strong enough position to make a push for the Crown of Command. All the AI characters were dead, except Wizard - whose stats were well ahead of mine... Yet he made no attempt to enter the inner region whatsoever, and instead went deep into the Dungeon. I got to the Crown of Command... and the hidden ending was revealed to be... "Winner Takes All" - which Wizard did two moves later, as he was in the perfect place to take out the Lord of Darkness and win the game.

Coincidence that Wizard happened to be in the right location BEFORE the hidden ending was revealed... or did the AI big-time cheat lol?!

Some foods are loved by nearly everyone (eg. chocolate, pizza, cake, ice cream, etc). Some foods are hated by nearly everyone (eg. Brussels sprouts). But what about foods that are virtually 50/50?

There is the obvious one: Marmite (whose ad campaign has always been "love it or hate it." The only other thing I can think of is cilantro. There must be others?

Which foods do you think divide opinion 50/50?

...then got the Horrible Black Void as the random hidden ending (with Dwarf then winning).

Why does this game hate me lol?!

My 100% losing record remains intact.

There are many movies where a seemingly harmless character turns into a crazy stalker, obsesses over someone, causes a bunch of trouble, then gets locked up, while the victim moves on with their life.

That is not what I asking for.

I want to find a movie where the person being stalked ends up seeing the good in their stalker and falls in love with them despite their flaws.

Any movies that fit this description?

For better or worse, House of the Dragon has made a number of changes from Fire and Blood - and will make more in seasons 3 & 4. How would you rate past changes, and what do you predict for the future?

I would say:

GOOD CHANGES:

• Velaryons' being black (for diversity - but also to provide stronger evidence of Rhaenyra's extramarital relations with Harwin Strong)
• Alicent genuinely misunderstanding Viserys' wish for his heir
• Alicent & Criston Cole hooking up
• Helaena having cryptic visions of the future
• Larys Strong's foot thing lol (comedy value - but also makes sense that a guy with a deformed foot would have issues with feet)

BAD CHANGES:

• The insistence on maintaining a friendship between Rhaenyra & Alicent
• Aegon II's awful actions in season one (season two Aegon was an improvement)
• Aegon II & Aemond becoming enemies
• Blood and Cheese being altered and watered down (and the way Helaena has been largely unaffected)
• Key characters being cut (though Maelor might still appear...)

FUTURE CHANGES PREDICTIONS:

• Only Ulf will betray Rhaenyra (Hugh will stay loyal)
• Rhaena (who seems to be claiming Sheepstealer) will be somewhat merged with Nettles (though obviously not the Daemon bits!) and will involved in the action against the Greens
• The deaths of Alicent & Aegon II will be completely different (the latter will probably not be caused by Larys)
• The show will end with Aegon III marrying Jaehaera

Which changes do you think have been good? Which have been bad? And what future changes are you expecting?

For better or worse, House of the Dragon has made a number of changes from Fire and Blood - and will make more in seasons 3 & 4. How would you rate past changes, and what do you predict for the future?

I would say:

GOOD CHANGES:

• Velaryons' being black (for diversity - but also to provide stronger evidence of Rhaenyra's extramarital relations with Harwin Strong)
• Alicent genuinely misunderstanding Viserys' wish for his heir
• Alicent & Criston Cole hooking up
• Helaena having cryptic visions of the future
• Larys Strong's foot thing lol (comedy value - but also makes sense that a guy with a deformed foot would have issues with feet)

BAD CHANGES:

• The insistence on maintaining a friendship between Rhaenyra & Alicent
• Aegon II's awful actions in season one (season two Aegon was an improvement)
• Aegon II & Aemond becoming enemies
• Blood and Cheese being altered and watered down (and the way Helaena has been largely unaffected)
• Key characters being cut (though Maelor might still appear...)

FUTURE CHANGES PREDICTIONS:

• Only Ulf will betray Rhaenyra (Hugh will stay loyal)
• Rhaena (who seems to be claiming Sheepstealer) will be somewhat merged with Nettles (though obviously not the Daemon bits!) and will involved in the action against the Greens
• The deaths of Alicent & Aegon II will be completely different (the latter will probably not be caused by Larys)
• The show will end with Aegon III marrying Jaehaera

Which changes do you think have been good? Which have been bad? And what future changes are you expecting?

4th Edition Xbox One. I always play as Elf (who, according to what I have read online, is lower tier... but I am sticking with him lol!). I nearly always play against 4 AI opponents - Warrior, Wizard, Dwarf & Valkyrie (my games nearly always result in Warrior & Wizard dominating, while I try to avoid being worse than Dwarf & Valkyrie...).

I play with the four corner boards and fairly default rules, adjusting here and there for improved game flow (eg. No More Lives upon reaching Crown of Command).

What about the rest of you who play Digital Edition against AI? Do you have a fixed/preferred character, opponents & rule sets?

How do you all like to play the game?

In this scenario, you don't become evil (you can be evil, neutral, or good - your choice). But you gain one dark superpower.

Examples: the ability to destroy anything with your mind, the ability to spread disease, the ability to set anything on fire, the ability to bring people's worst nightmares to life, etc. These are just a few ideas - your pick does not have to be limited to these. You can have any sinister power you can think of.

The rest of the world is unchanged. Nobody else knows that you have this power (it is up to you if you wish to go public or maintain a secret identity). If you do go public with your power the world will react accordingly (if you use your powers for good you will likely become a hero, if you use your powers for evil the authorities will try to stop you).

What dark power are you choosing, and how are you using it in the real world?

I remember for years, people said that Blood and Cheese was too shocking to be shown on screen. In the end, House of the Dragon gave us a very watered-down version... but nonetheless still showed it.

Looking ahead, are there any book plots that HotD may not be willing/able to show? I am thinking the Brothel Queens and Unwin Peake having Jaehaera thrown out of a window... Any others?

I remember for years, people said that Blood and Cheese was too shocking to be shown on screen. In the end, House of the Dragon gave us a very watered-down version... but nonetheless still showed it.

Looking ahead, are there any book plots that HotD may not be willing/able to show? I am thinking the Brothel Queens and Unwin Peake having Jaehaera thrown out of a window... Any others?

There are many movies/shows with Kings and Queens. There are fewer movies/shows with Emperors and Empresses. I don't know of ANY movies/shows with both??

A bunch of monarchs each ruling over their own kingdom - but with an all-powerful Emperor ruling over all of them would make for a great movie/show...

Scenario: Paparazzi-style beach photos of your spouse (if you are married) or future spouse (if you are single) will go viral online, along with their name. You make more money the less they are wearing...

A = $10,000,000 for your spouse to be fully nude
B = $5,000,000 for your spouse to be almost nude (eg. a thong)
C = $1,000,000 for your spouse to be in swimwear (shorts for husband, bikini for wife)
D = $0 for your spouse to be fully clothed

Moral dilemma: The decision is yours. You cannot consult with your spouse. Your spouse will never find out about your involvement. Depending on their personality, your spouse may feel embarrassed - but nothing more serious. Whatever you choose will not affect your marriage (you will be happily married regardless - the only difference will be how much money you make, and how much the world sees of your husband/wife).

A, B, C, or D - which deal are you taking?