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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 13th, 2023

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  • Depending on the implementation, I feel that DIDs across ActivityPub could make the aspect of interoperability between different services much more appealing as well. While I think it’s interesting that we can directly interact with posts from entirely different services like Mastodon, Pixelfed, Peertube, and Friendica, I find it difficult to make the feature make sense for daily usage beyond the convenience of not having to open another site/client for a singular interaction. I feel like it makes sense if you only prefer a single service/format for accessing content, but every software implementation handles content differently, with differing formats, features, and limitations. They each specialize at accessing and presenting the fediverse in their own ways, so there’s reason to use each individual application. If you still have to make a separate account for both instances to interact when using either of them, I feel that defeats the purpose of the interconnectivity aspect. By being able to connect the same account to instances between different software, I think this would strengthen it.




  • Blizzard originally announced that they were releasing an entire PvE campaign that you would be able to play from start to finish upon release. That was the majority of the justification for a $60 price tag. Since then, it’s been delayed, and now that’s been dropped. Instead, this is essentially the Overwatch Archives missions that players were already able to access in OW1, but now you likely have to pay for each consecutive mission set. In the original announcement blog post, there’s only one line that is seemingly intentionally vague about whether you can access the story missions for free when they’re introduced or not:

    You can get started on your mission to save the world with the Overwatch 2: Invasion Bundle for $15 USD. This bundle includes:

    • Access to the Overwatch 2: Invasion Story Missions, during the season and permanently after
    • 1,000 Overwatch Coins (equal to the Premium Battle Pass, $10 USD value)
    • A brand-new Sojourn Legendary skin ($19 USD value)
    • Permanent access to Sojourn as a playable hero for new players: unlocked upon completing Story Mission challenges.

    While this could be read as being able to play the story missions for free during the season, it doesn’t explicitly explain this, nor is it implied anywhere else within the announcement. What’s also troubling is the attachment of “permanent access to Sojourn as a playable hero for new players”, and later “you can also choose to unlock all the above, plus the six heroes new to Overwatch 2—Sojourn, Junkerqueen, Kiriko, Ramattra, Lifeweaver, and the new Support hero coming August 10—with the Overwatch 2: Complete Hero Collection for $20 USD.” They’re now locking 2 characters, alongside their respective abilities, that were previously attainable both by new and returning players for free behind a paywall, in a live service PvP game.

    Combined with other changes like the transition from lootboxes to the seasonal battle pass model, it feels like Blizzard is taking a more predatory direction in monetizing Overwatch 2, and burning both new and veteran players alike with these changes.



  • While I agree that it’s important for people to have an understanding of the values that the fediverse are founded upon, as well as associated etiquette, I still don’t think that the fediverse itself needs that much of an explanation for people to reach that understanding. Though platforms may provide tools that can be used for malice, a tool is only ever as good or bad as the intent of the person using them. I don’t think someone necessarily has to understand the technical aspects of the fediverse to know how to treat others. Maybe to put things in better perspective, like how much of a communal aspect there is to the efforts that maintain this network, but I think most people will get to that understanding on their own regardless if it’s truly in their intent. Inclusivity and kindness aren’t concepts that are unique to the fediverse, but human concepts that people learn, and unfortunately unlearn over entire lifetimes. And above all, I believe the best way to teach and convey values to one another will also always be the most intuitive: by example.