SMITE 2 is a mixed bag to me right now, but it is at least going down the right path in many ways.

First with some big improvements is the premier mode, Conquest. The expansion of the map combined with a massive overhaul to jungle camp tankiness has breathed new life into the game, making it feel so different to play as and around junglers. No longer is the jungle just trivially weak fodder for a mid or side laner to insta-clear, junglers actually have to be in charge of these tankier camps and worry about ganking less repeatedly. Laners have bought jungle starters too much in response to this, but said starters are wisely being balanced out with reduced lane minion damage.

Aspects are a VERY interesting concept that make SMITE 2 stand out as a sequel. With time they will be balanced out, but the creativity is on full display. From becoming an AOE protector as Bellona, to an all-in jungler as Cernunnos or Athena, the possibilities and interactions have increased so much. Super fun.

I do still have some gripes. I thought stability was improving as I stopped getting any crashes for a while, but in the past couple months they've been happening again.

Item variety is gradually improving, but the options are still dreadful for starter upgrades. They are one of the best things about SMITE 1, so I hope more are brought in asap.

Some god's ported over to SMITE 2 feel like they were given straight downgrades here and there. Just to name a few, Ares ult was robbed of its ability to tp/pull enemies while stunning, and is now trivial to counter with any displacement immunity. Other abilities just have this new jankiness to them, like Loki ult or Pele dash/knockup. Alas, I still find myself wanting to play some gods on SMITE 1 instead.

SMITE 2 has a promising future ahead with its ambitious changes and ideas, so long as it keeps improving optimization and bringing in/adding upon great things from SMITE 1.

For now, Google has been much more useful to me than DuckDuckGo or Bing for regular searching, being my default for troubleshooting and outdoing Reddit's own search function.

DuckDuckGo has a respectable focus on privacy and a clean, simple list of results, but it doesn't bundle results from forum sites as well as Google imo. Where Google gives me 5 Reddit posts packed together (with a 'More results from' link to boot), DuckDuckGo might give 1 totally different Reddit result with just 1 or 2 packed underneath.

Bing gives pretty good results, but the layout is way less compact and clean, so I still only consider it for image searching and its AI tool.

Ideally this social media would have opt-in verification without misleading checkmarks or other markers that are merely bought! It would also find a way to crack down on AI accounts that spam, pretend to be people and/or spread misinfo. Above all else, it would do away with ratios, likes, and hopefully the unhealthy chase for validation from these numbers.

I find myself using Android, YouTube, Google Maps and Search mainly. I also must enjoy Chrome's UI and most of its features, because I use Brave which is built on top of it.

I share others' negative sentiment towards most things Apple, which has certainly influenced me to stick to Android products.

I don't use Google Drive/Docs in the same way that many others do, but they have been very reliable for enabling and storing all kinds of spreadsheets/documentation made by communities for games I play.

Maps has also been invaluable for planning the bulk of my commutes. An issue I can have with it is its tendency to underestimate travel times during morning and rush hour, but I just plan around that and expect the worst.

Google's search engine is still top-notch, though I still find myself using alternatives like Bing alongside it for images.

Perhaps for those willing to get ahead of a new year's resolution this month, there could be a #RevampNovember (Revamber? Revampvember??) where people set goals and share progress revamping something in their everyday life, be it a renovation in their home, or even a daily/weekly routine that could use some spicing up. This could be a challenge that breaks from the norm of waiting till the start of a new year to commit to a goal. One that encourages people to go for what they want now--we've all got something we wouldn't mind revamping in our lives after all.

Alex Ovechkin.
Stanley Cup Champion, Playoff MVP, 3-time NHL MVP. 9 times (an NHL record) he has won the trophy for most goals in a season, and now he's on the verge of surpassing the legendary Wayne Gretzky's record for all-time goals.
Ovi is a symbol of resilience, taking roughly 13 years to get the championship he longed for, then persevering into his late thirties to try and dethrone the greatest goal scorer ever. He's also been incredibly fun to watch on and off the ice, with his one-of-a-kind humour and lethal offensive play.

It's an all-time classic response on Family Feud. He ain't necessarily wrong, either...

Think it'd be pretty cool if there was like a 6v6, maybe even 8v8 mode in a large slash/clash-esque map with towers, large jungle and a big, see-through barrier down the middle. Have players evenly and randomly be designated a half of the map to play on, maybe allowing for premades to be on same side as other premades. Then at each 5 minute mark, spawn an objective that unleashes the big fight, bringing down the barrier for a few minutes when beaten. A twist could be that players must get back to their side before barrier respawn or else they're executed.

From Deacon Blues by Steely Dan, a lyrical triumph of a song, these lyrics powerfully wrap up the vulnerable tale of an underdog musician:

I cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long
This brother is free
I'll be what I want to be

The song is ethereal and bittersweet, and one of my favourites lyrically from a group that constantly excels at writing.

Do you plan on adding Assault in its current Smite 1 layout, or might there be changes planned for it in Smite 2? Same question goes for Joust and Slash, as well as if there is potential for Arena to get any new features.