I quit facebook the other week. For a number of reasons, firstly out of protest due to how facebook nonchalantly shares and disregards our privacy. Secondly because I was probably spending too much time on there that I could be spending properley elsewhere. Thirdly because most of the content is low quality and basically spam, which didn't offer the in depth discussions I actually used the site for.
Unfortunately I have been having some withdrawals. I've been using social media daily since ~2007ish onwards. It's a big thing to leave behind, considering it's made up such a large portion of my life. I find myself opening Firefox only to close it again since I deleted my account.
It has been strange, and I feel slightly lonely. Maybe this is normal human existence; my brain has been hopped up hypersocially for such a long time that getting back to regularity feels boring.
I am staying active mentally and physically and everything, but I will sometimes pause a video and feel the need to check facebook etc, when in reality it will add nothing of value to my existence.
Maybe I'll feel differently in a few weeks or months.
Edit: Fuck it. I am so glad I quit facebook
Friday, 28 December 2018
Sunday, 23 December 2018
Going to sleep with computer addiction
So, I have computer addiction. I don't want to miss out on anything (massive FOMO) and will stay up till I am extremely tired. This is due to blue light https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30557479, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30506899, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30311830, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30568927.
I have remedied this with a few major changes in my life.
Firstly, by going to bed at a regular time. This has been incredibly difficult. Many people have trouble sleeping. I don't; I have trouble going to bed.
To resolve this, I went to Windows Task Scheduler:
I then clicked 'Create Basic Task' and enter the following information:
Then I clicked 'Next' and set the Trigger as a Daily task:
Then I clicked 'Next and set the time to 11:00 PM (as this is when I should be getting off the PC), recurring every 1 day.
I then set it as 'Start a program' and click 'Next'.
Here are the details:
For 'Program/script': C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe
For 'Add arguments (optional)': -s -t 300 -c "Goodnight Ben!" -d p:4:1
I then click 'Next', then 'Finish'. This sets up an automatic prompt for shutting down my computer at 11:00 PM, with a 2 minute warning window.
This has helped me significantly, allowing me to get off the computer and get to bed, so I can retain regular sleep habits.
Secondly, I have added f.lux to my desktop, which removes blue light. This kicks in around 7 PM and slowly removes blue light from the computer screen, which has been demonstrated to keep people awake.
Thirdly, using a Samsung Galaxy S9, which copied f.lux's blue light filter technique, I have turned on the 'Blue Light Filter' setting.
Finally, I have set my phone alarm for my phone for 11:00 PM, which tells me to GTFO the computer, my phone and get ready for bed. I have time to shower, read and get into bed for a 12:00 AM sleep.
Going to sleep on a regular hour, and waking up regularly at 8 AM has been a legitimate boon for me. I highly recommend it.
I have remedied this with a few major changes in my life.
Firstly, by going to bed at a regular time. This has been incredibly difficult. Many people have trouble sleeping. I don't; I have trouble going to bed.
To resolve this, I went to Windows Task Scheduler:
I then clicked 'Create Basic Task' and enter the following information:
Then I clicked 'Next' and set the Trigger as a Daily task:
Then I clicked 'Next and set the time to 11:00 PM (as this is when I should be getting off the PC), recurring every 1 day.
I then set it as 'Start a program' and click 'Next'.
Here are the details:
For 'Program/script': C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe
For 'Add arguments (optional)': -s -t 300 -c "Goodnight Ben!" -d p:4:1
I then click 'Next', then 'Finish'. This sets up an automatic prompt for shutting down my computer at 11:00 PM, with a 2 minute warning window.
This has helped me significantly, allowing me to get off the computer and get to bed, so I can retain regular sleep habits.
Secondly, I have added f.lux to my desktop, which removes blue light. This kicks in around 7 PM and slowly removes blue light from the computer screen, which has been demonstrated to keep people awake.
Thirdly, using a Samsung Galaxy S9, which copied f.lux's blue light filter technique, I have turned on the 'Blue Light Filter' setting.
Finally, I have set my phone alarm for my phone for 11:00 PM, which tells me to GTFO the computer, my phone and get ready for bed. I have time to shower, read and get into bed for a 12:00 AM sleep.
Going to sleep on a regular hour, and waking up regularly at 8 AM has been a legitimate boon for me. I highly recommend it.
Friday, 23 November 2018
I designed a new Australian flag
Inspired by Roman Mars’ (99% Invisible) TED
Talk, I designed a new flag for Australia based off Ted Kaye’s rules for
good flag design. This is most likely in the event of Australia becoming a republic.
Below is my flag design and reasoning, but before that I think it’s important
to talk about why Australia should have a redesigned flag.
 |
| Australian flag since 1901 |
It’s been spoken about before, but let’s go through it quickly.
Things I like about it
- I like the colours of the flag. They are a well-chosen trio of colours (borrowed from Britain) which are aesthetically pleasing to me.
- The Federation Star (below the Union Jack) is a great example of a simple and powerful symbol. Children can draw it and it has great historical value.
Major design issues
It is cluttered with three different symbols and therefore three major focal points.- The Union Jack, while nice on its own, floats awkwardly in the top corner of the flag. How relevant is the Union Jack and Britain to the Australian way of life now? Forty-four out of forty-nine nations of the Commonwealth have abandoned the Union Jack on their flags? Why? I assume not out of spite, but because they have forged their own national identity, and it is probably only proximally related to Britain.
- The Southern Cross is not a constellation unique to Australia (the seven-pointed star modifications are, however). The Southern Cross is currently found on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.
- The seven-pointed Federation Star sits centered below the Union Jack. I feel like its purpose has already been served by having seven-pointed stars in the Southern Cross, making it a tautology. It was possibly only included for visual balancing.
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| Current national flags with the Southern Cross on them. From the top: Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Samoa and Papua New Guinea |
Designing a new flag could allow inclusion of the Indigenous Australians into our national identity. That might be nice. It would also give Australia an opportunity to have a modern, simplified flag which represents us today. My proposed flag is below:
 |
| Flag available here in scalable svg format |
Design philosophy
Keep it simple
- This flag is simple, anyone could draw it and it would be easily recognisable. There is one clear focal point: the Federation Star.
- The flag has standard flag dimensions of 1:2.
Use meaningful symbolism
- If Australia was to become a republic, then we would most certainly ditch the Union Jack. The most important part of the Australian flag from my perspective isn’t the Southern Cross (which can be seen predominantly across the Southern hemisphere). Instead I utilised the seven-pointed Federation Star, symbolising the Federation of Australia (in 1901) and all the territories and states within.
- I would have liked to use a kangaroo, but it seemed gimmicky and QANTAS would love it too much. Would it be weird to have an animal on our flag that we also eat?
- The Indigenous Australian flag is quite elegant in my opinion, so I borrowed heavily off its design. The Federation Star is seen here in place of the sun, coloured gold.
Use two or three basic colours
This was the trickiest bit of the flag because using colours that represents all Australians is hard.
- The Australian green and gold combination looks terrible. Green does not go with ‘gold’ in my opinion. It looks tacky.
- The black in the Indigenous Australian flag represent the Indigenous Australians, so this wouldn't be representative of everyone.
- I got around this by going with dark blue. This represents the sky, as well as being reminiscent of the British Blue Ensign currently displayed on the Australian flag. This works well with the red (representing the earth just as in the Indigenous Australian flag), and the golden sun/star. Technically, most stars in the sky we see are suns, so it works.
No lettering or seals
None included
Be distinctive or be related
- I designed the flag in this way to marry the two major components of Australian history; the pre-colonised indigenous Australia and the British-colonised Australia. This was done in an effort to reconcile both histories within today's modern Australia.
- The flag contains elements of both the current Australian flag and the Indigenous Australian flag to reflect this. Also creating new things is hard, and using currently established symbols seems like a much better idea.
So it was pointed out to me that I basically created an inverted Viet Cong flag. Lol. This is hard.
Should Australia become a republic?
I mean, probably, I guess? I think it makes sense, but I wonder what the actual changes to society would be, because I assume not much. There are many more pressing and existential issues such as climate change, nuclear escalation and wealth inequality which deserve the full attention of legislators. If it’s not going to cost too much (besides souvenir shops who will have to restock thousands of little koalas which clip onto pens, holding little flags) and create legal issues for citizens then sure. I can’t see why people would be against it.
Even if Australia does not become a republic, there is still an opportunity for us to pick up a new and improved flag. In reality, this isn’t a big issue and barely registers as one. I just got caught up in trying to design a new flag. It was much harder and took much longer than I thought. I am actually too embarrassed to publish the trial and error flags I designed along the way. Below is my alternative design.
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| S'truth m8 |
I don't think what I have designed is perfect, but I can't be bothered spending any more time on this. If you have any alternatives or any feedback, let me know.
Sunday, 21 October 2018
The job of scientists and journalists
In my opinion, the thing these professions have in common is the communication of facts and truth. They are very similar, and I am personally attracted to both.
My job is to disseminate what is true. To further develop that point: to communicate information which is most likely true, given the information/evidence at hand.
I like that. I like that a lot. It's a cool job with a lot of responsibility to not only scientific peers but also to the public, and future generations of humans.
Tuesday, 16 October 2018
Fight club: human identity in a commercialised world
It's important to talk about the faux relationship forged between identity and commercial products by advertisers and manipulators of human emotion and psychology, an amoral trade which has been honed since commerce began.
"You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are the all singing, all dancing crap of the world."
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| If Fight Club is your jam, consider checking out Mr. Robot. It may be the greatest torch-bearing contemporary which refined and modernised the message. |
"Self-improvement is masturbation. Now self-destruction..."
Fight Club was never about selling you something, it was getting you to buy out of perpetual consumerism and self improvement that people have tried to tie to your identity. Advertisers and merchants have been perfecting the craft for centuries. This here's the real con in consumerism. The promise that if you use a product or service it will improve or carve out your identity, then others will like you more. Then you won't be lonely.
In truth, the thing people are really trying to sell you is something you can't actually purchase. You can't buy it. It's just not that easy. There aren't even any reliable shortcuts with regards developing a robust identity. Working out who you and developing your identity is a gradual, lifelong journey which involves periods of stagnation, isolation and deep self-reflection in a punctuated equilibrium-type model. Propping up an identity with commodities, objects or hobbies is a superficial mask rather than a bypass. It gives the impression of an identity without having to do any of the work. Your identity is everything you are once externalities are stripped away. It's defined by the absence of confounding variables, not the sum total.
"Let go!"
Fight Club is constantly reminding you of this throughout. The most clear to me is the car scene. Abandoning the relationship between commodities and self is freeing. You learn the shape of your identity once you remove the putty covering the imperfections. Only then can you see who you are. Looking inward is the only way forward. It's raw, flawed and unfiltered, but it's who you are. In the age of social media and serotonin saturation, a flawless facade of identity can be carefully synthesised, and even believed. But it's not real. It's not you. It's just PR. Even #nofilter is part of the narrative of a calculated and constructed identity. The unhealthy obsession with maintaining a well-filtered online identity is a real issue we need to deal with both on a societal and individual level. The cons probably outweigh the pros here. Imagine being able to change the world with a version release. Humanity hyperconnected but everlonely.
"It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything".
I think it's probably a common thought process that if you don't build up a dynamic personality of interesting interests, objects and hobbies that people will be bored by you and therefore not like you, leading to loneliness. Ironically, loneliness is something we all go through together, separately. I think it's a bug/feature of the human experience. Existence just happens to be a lonely thing, even for the hypersocial. Personally, I don't think it ever goes away - loneliness that is. It will always encapsulate your entire existence like an enteric coating, as life slowly digests you back into nutrients, not that you ever weren't. That's not entirely a bad thing though. That nakedness that loneliness exposes gives you a chance to see yourself for who you are. Only then can you evolve.
Your human experience is totally novel, yet completely common. This means two major things: you are not special, but you are unique. Therefore, your identity has value because there is no one else like you. You don't have 'value' in the intrinsic sense that 'all life and opinions are valuable' etc, but for the simple fact that there is no one else exactly the same as you. It's a pretty amazing thing to think about. In all of human existence, there has never been another you. There will be others highly similar to you or will share similar patterns of behaviour, but for now you can rest easy with your distinct but meaningless existence.
As a sidenote: in the future if cloning/brain uploading becomes legal/possible then there will be beings that are almost you, but they will be completely disconnected from your personal human experience.
The double-edged sword of uniqueness cuts through everyone. It's a festering wound of isolation and loneliness because no one can ever really understand what it means to be you. Understandably, they either don't care nor have time to find out because they are busy feeling the same way about their own existence. This is why trimming the fat and excising the shit you patch your identity with is liberating. You are not your taste in music, nor the number of social media followers. You are a unique but inconsequential organism. You are flawed and one day you are going to die and never come back. Once you really understand that, you'll start to see the fuzzy outline of who you really are, then there's nowhere you can go but up.
AFL and CTE
The AFL most likely has links to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), an acquired neurodegenerative disease resulting in behavioural issues, altered thinking, mood changes and as a strong predisposing factor for dementia and Alzheimer's.
The AFL has refused to cooperate in a two-year study to look at the effects of the game on players. Sadly it's not in their best interest to do it, it is putting profits (as well as an entire game and culture above the long-term health and mental wellbeing of athletes.
If you think Aussie rules doesn't have a concussion issue, be concerned. Turns out CTE is also caused by a build-up of sub-concussive blows. Research has shown CTE in soccer players (due to heading the ball), as well as skiing.
The next generations will look upon us as barbarians for risking the long-term health of our children's brains over a game.
I'm not saying there's no benefit to AFL/contact sport, or that it isn't fulfilling to play or entertaining, but the way it is played right now most likely isn't healthy for the players. Significant changes to the game will most likely improve player outcomes.
I'm posting this because Google needs some indexed links talking about the AFL and it's probable link to CTE.
Sources:
The AFL has refused to cooperate in a two-year study to look at the effects of the game on players. Sadly it's not in their best interest to do it, it is putting profits (as well as an entire game and culture above the long-term health and mental wellbeing of athletes.
If you think Aussie rules doesn't have a concussion issue, be concerned. Turns out CTE is also caused by a build-up of sub-concussive blows. Research has shown CTE in soccer players (due to heading the ball), as well as skiing.
The next generations will look upon us as barbarians for risking the long-term health of our children's brains over a game.
I'm not saying there's no benefit to AFL/contact sport, or that it isn't fulfilling to play or entertaining, but the way it is played right now most likely isn't healthy for the players. Significant changes to the game will most likely improve player outcomes.
I'm posting this because Google needs some indexed links talking about the AFL and it's probable link to CTE.
Sources:
- https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/concussion-research-worthless-due-to-afl-attitude-doctor-20180914-p503tk.html
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170215131600.htmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health_in_the_Australian_Football_League
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_injuries_in_the_Australian_Football_League
- https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/cte-authority-likens-australian-footy-codes-to-gladiatorial-sports-in-ancient-rome-20160212-gmsrle.html
- https://freeskier.com/stories/brain-busters-will-ski-community-react-cte-sudden-presence-action-sports
Sunday, 26 August 2018
The regulation of methyltheobromine
Methyltheobromine
Methyltheobromine is a regulated stimulant freely available in global markets, isolated predominantly from Coffea arabica.
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Common side effects
It produces a number of side effects such as addiction, chemical withdrawal, increased blood pressure, diuresis, mild anxiety, jitteriness, insomnia, increased sleep latency, and reduced coordination. When taken with other drugs such as alcohol, it can mask depressant effects, allowing people to drink more.
Dosage
People usually consume 280 - 400 mg of methyltheobromine daily, which helps the world go round. The lethal dose of methyltheobromine is somewhere between 5 - 10 grams in a day (150 - 200 mg per kg body mass). Injecting unknown quantities into the bloodstream or using the purified compound is dangerous and has on several occasions resulted in death. Thank god it is a regulated market with a safe delivery method. Imagine we treated other drugs the same way as we do caffeine.
As Paracelsus said: "The dose makes the poison".
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea
- http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/nurse-kills-patient-injecting-coffee-drip-article-1.1189969
- https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/exmwka/how-much-caffeine-will-kill-you-127
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
- https://www.popsci.com.au/science/fyi-how-much-caffeine-would-it-take-to-kill-you,378464
Tuesday, 21 August 2018
The dangers of advertising
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| Source |
Advertising by nature is parasitic
It means us harm. It is just legal and semi-regulated social engineering (hacking human behaviour). By regulated, I mean they can't show genitals or too much violence. Advertising tries to change your regular patterns of behaviour by tricking your brain into subconsciously associating a product or brand with an emotion or sensation. Basically, the more associations a particular memory has, the greater the chance of it being triggered and remembered. This is what advertising preys on. Attaching itself to your emotions like a leech.Everyone is effected
Advertising has negatively impacted all of us. We've been bombarded our entire lives. Companies have tried to alter the way we behave and permanently rewired our brains, all for the grand purpose of selling us shit we probably don't need. Cue Fight Club. This has resulted in literally generations of unconscious consumption.Advertisers have hijacked our thought processes and tried to weld their products and brands to our base desires; to the very things that make us human. If you were to have therapy to even attempt to dissociate all the brand names that have been paired with your emotions, you'd be in therapy for the rest of your life.
Targeted advertising
Personalised, targeted advertising is already effective now and is still a blunt instrument. In the near future it will be irresistible and totally integrated into your life that you won't even realise you are being marketed to. I don't know why this type of emotional manipulation and brainwashing to this extent is both legal and a booming business. Scary to think about in my opinion.See the following studies for further, alarming information:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27427474
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24583854
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359675/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29971684
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17655834
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5671759/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28661044
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27793520
Thursday, 26 July 2018
Australia's education trends, reforms, Gonski and the government
The stats and impact on you
If you have a child or a sibling in the school system right
now, or plan to, this then affects you. Australia has been on decline since the
~2000's and more rapidly since ~2006 regarding education performance (maths,
science and reading). The proportion of top performers has dropped
significantly, and the proportion of low performers has risen dramatically.
This matches the rising social inequality and performance gap suffered by
lower-income earners. In the OECD rankings, we rank 39th out of 41 regarding
'quality education'. Most people I am connected with on Facebook – you are my
peers. You are generally around the same age or older than I. We had mostly
good educations and made it through school before the sharp decline. The
quality of education is now lower than ever before. We were lucky, and we
shouldn’t be pulling up the ladder after ourselves.
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| Source: https://www.oecd.org/australia/pisa-2015-australia.htm |
Media representation
It is interesting how this issue is represented by different
media groups. For example, Nine frames it as "What needs to be done about
Australian students falling behind the rest of the world". The Herald Sun:
"Australian students fall behind in maths and science testing",
"Australian students going backwards on literacy". The Australian: “Australian
students fall behind rest of the world”, "Gonski 2.0 skims over key
indicators such as discipline in schools". Note the problem being
presented as a problem with students.
Compare that to other media groups who don't victim blame,
but frame the problem as an educational one, such as The Guardian: "Report
revealing Australia's educational decline a 'real worry', says
Birmingham". The ABC: "Australian schools are in 'absolute decline'
globally, says PISA report".
We can’t create a shitty, decaying education system, then
blame students for ‘falling behind’. Our education system should strive to be
the freely accessible ladder between social class, not a greasy snake, and
Australian media should not be complicit in this.
Catholic and private schools
Private and Catholic schools are outperforming public
schools. This trends with rising social inequality, and to address this, the
Coalition government decided to fund around 200 non-government schools almost
$750 million for “needs-based” funding. Even the Labor Party have pledged $250
million to Catholic schools. How is that right? Do high performing, private
institutions really deserve money in excess of that of a public school, payed
by the taxpayer? Do they actually need it? The Gonski 2.0 report, which
determined private schools should receive reduced funding, have instead seen a
higher proportion of taxpayer money as 'transitional' funding from the
Coalition federal government. 24 of the private schools (100%) who were meant
to have a taxpayer funding loss have all received an increase in 2018 so they
can 'cope' with the Gonski 2.0 transition. Is that a joke?
The Germany case
In the year 2000, Germany was astonished at its low
international education assessment ranking and underwent massive education
reforms. Within 10 years, their education outcomes increased significantly in
all the previously discussed metrics. Admittingly, it has fallen over the past
5 years or so, and I haven't done any research as to why. A quick summary of
how they achieved this incredible change in such a short time: changed school
structure to reduce impact of socio-economic background on student outcomes,
they increased affordable access to German language training programs, standardisation
and increased transparency of student performance data and metric collection,
and increasing quality of teachers through further education and more stringent
training.
To address the decline in Australian education outcomes, the
Gonski Report was commissioned by Julia Gilliard and the Labor Party. The key
points of the report were funding reforms, of which Catholic and private
schools (and the Coalition government) have been deadset against. Also an
additional $5 billion injection. It also recommended standardisation, and good
data collection of student outcomes to determine effectiveness of reforms.
More detailed recommendations: “[Significant increases in
funding should be delivered to the] government sector due to the significant
numbers and greater concentration of disadvantaged students attending
government schools”. The funding should: “consist of separate per student
amounts for primary school students and secondary school students provide
loadings for the additional costs of meeting certain educational needs. These
loadings would take into account socioeconomic background, disability, English
language proficiency, the particular needs of Indigenous students, school size,
and school location”, “be based on actual resources used by schools already
achieving high educational outcomes for their students over a sustained period
of time”, and “recognise that schools with similar student populations require
the same level of resources regardless of whether they are located in the
government, Catholic or independent school sectors”.
The Gonski Report/s
The report was then removed from public access by the
recently-elected Coalition government in 2013. Thankfully, it was preserved by
Pandora, an Australian web archive (see references). The Gonski 2.0 report was
commissioned by the Turnbull Coalition government, published in April 2018 (see
references). It had 23 main recommendations, one of which is measuring student
performance and education outcomes. The Labor government have pledged $280 million
for an independent education institute to measure and evaluate these changes,
so we can make informed, evidence-based policy. The Coalition has agreed to deliver
~$2,300 per student to schools per annum, which is far below the ~$13,000
recommended by the Gonski Report, but it’s a step in the right direction. Their
reforms also included the transition packages to private and Catholic schools.
The key point of the original Gonski Report (2011), was “The
decline in performance…of achievement indicates that Australia must focus on
raising performance across the board if it wants to improve its productivity
and competitiveness as a nation”. Sadly, these recommendations have not been
taken seriously, and we’ve seen a continued increase in performance inequality.
If I planned on having kids, I’d be worried.
What are your thoughts?
References for further reading
Sunday, 22 July 2018
What pokemon is really missing: agency
I've played Pokemon since Yellow version in 1999, and played every mainline game. As I've grown, it seems Pokemon hasn't, and I'm really disappointed that it hasn't matured.
As I became more interested in games, something was made abundantly clear: choice is the most important thing. Choice gives your decisions meaning, and immerse you in the fictional world around you. Seeing the impact of your decisions on the world around you make you feel personal agency, or at least try to replicate it.
Pokemon is missing two main things: choice, and by extension, stakes. For an RPG which allows probably one of the largest amount of party variety and customisation (Pokemon choice, movesets, items, stats, natures, abilities etc), it has surprisingly little amount of player autonomy. Nothing you do matters. If I say 'No' to an NPC, they don't take no for an answer. Why is that? Why give me the choice, then take it away?
Here are a few changes I would make to mainline Pokemon games:
As I became more interested in games, something was made abundantly clear: choice is the most important thing. Choice gives your decisions meaning, and immerse you in the fictional world around you. Seeing the impact of your decisions on the world around you make you feel personal agency, or at least try to replicate it.
Pokemon is missing two main things: choice, and by extension, stakes. For an RPG which allows probably one of the largest amount of party variety and customisation (Pokemon choice, movesets, items, stats, natures, abilities etc), it has surprisingly little amount of player autonomy. Nothing you do matters. If I say 'No' to an NPC, they don't take no for an answer. Why is that? Why give me the choice, then take it away?
Here are a few changes I would make to mainline Pokemon games:
- All routes should be accessible from the start
- Pokemon fainting should have consequences. I like the idea of injuries incurred when Pokemon faint, which could temporarily weaken them, even if fully healed.
- Decisions should matter, and there should be stakes or missed content for failing missions
- Capturing legendary Pokemon which control say, Space or Time only to shelve them permanently in Bill's hellscape AKA the PC, should cause massive problems of universal proportions. There should be a decision to capture but let them roam or something, so they can do their job. Sending them into legal dogfights seems so petty.
- Pokecenters shouldn't be free, they should either cost money or maybe reduce a trainer Reputation statistic. Reputation could have negative consequences or positive ones, give you missions, access to certain gangs (joining Team Rocket etc), items or Pokemon.
These changes could even be part of a 'Veteran Mode', where kids will still get to button mash their way through games, but the challenge exists for more experienced players.
Sunday, 15 July 2018
Easy 50 win streak for Battle Tree in Pokemon Sun and Moon
In Battle Tree, if you are looking to get a streak, you want a reliable strategy. This involves things like 100% accuracy moves. It's just not worth using lower accuracy moves as this will kill a streak. You also want a strategy that isn't too dependent on your opponents. So, here is the optimised team I used to beat Red in Super Singles (50th battle). Once I had this team set up, it worked on the first go. My current win streak is 60 and I have suspended for now. It has been incredibly successful and I wanted to share it. I know there are probably better teams out there, but if you want quick BP, then this may be the way to go.
Greninja 'Meniscus' @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
Timid Nature
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
- Surf
The goal is to use Greninja to wipe out as many Pokemon as possible, using Protean to change types for supereffective/neutral STAB Life-Orb-boosted attacks, while using it defensively for resistances. The moves chosen guarantee Neutral-Effectiveness against 336 and Super-Effectiveness against the remaining 582 Pokemon. If you have a choice between neutral Dark Pulse (80 base power) vs Ice Beam/Surf (90 base power) on what you think will be a 2HKO, choose Dark Pulse. The 20% flinch rate kicks in just enough for Greninja to sweep entire teams. Also Ice Beam > Surf due to the freeze chance, though be careful about Fighting, Rock and Steel moves.
Grass Knot is amazing. I recommend looking up the weights of Pokemon before attacking, so you can get the most of out Grass Knot. It's coverage and damage make this set viable.
For some reason, Protean seems to confuse the AI (due to the type changing) and makes it really easy to sweep teams alone. This guy took out ~35 teams by himself. I generally just use him until he dies, then switch into Dragonite or Dusknoir, depending on what I need done. This will also easily take out the Ferrothorn - Dark Pulse x 1/2 depending on the damage, then finish with the stronger Ice Beam.
Dragonite 'Flex' @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Multiscale
Adamant Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
- Fly
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed
Dragonite has Multiscale for defense (generally Stealth Rocks aren't played much in Battle Tree, or Dragonite is in battle before they are played), so he usually comes in at 100% HP. Don't bother with Dragon Dance unless you really need it. Last thing you want is your physical sweeper to be Encore-locked or Taunted, since Dragonite isn't the fastest. Greninja has usually done some damage by this point, so Extreme Speed to finish off fast weakened foes/Earthquake and Fly for slower ones. OHKO the first major threat you see with Z-Fly, then proceed to finish the match with either Fly or Earthquake. Anything you think will remotely give you trouble, use Z-Fly on it. Don't fuck around. If you do get a Dragon Dance up (and I don't recommend leading with it unless you know what the opponent will do, you'll win the match. If say, Dusknoir has burned a physical attacker then dies, you can go for Dragon Dance, as you'll have Multiscale + the opponents reduced attack.
Basically just Z-Fly. Try not to switch Dragonite into attacks. It's not worth it. Leave that to Dusknoir. Keep Multiscale in play for as long as possible.
Dusknoir 'Nightshare' @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Careful Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 110 SpD
- Earthquake
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Shadow Sneak
Dusknoir is a change of pace for this team. He is bulky as hell, allowing him to soak up hits from things like Jolteon and other physical and special sweepers. Even from the likes of Salamence and Lati@s. Being Ghost type, he gets immunity to Normal and Fighting moves. Generally lead with Will-O-Wisp unless you're fighting something with low defences and weak to Earthquake or Shadow Sneak. Shadow Sneak is a must, and Earthquake provides great coverage and damage. I don't usually switch Dusknoir in on attacks as I let Greninja die first. In some cases, if Greninja fails to weaken the foe, I'll switch during an attack.
This Pokemon has saved many matches and actually won two matches for via PP-stalling the opponent (due to Pressure, Leftovers and Pain Split). This thing is hard to kill. Sometimes you can just stall a monster for as long as possible, then switch in Dragonite after Dusknoir is KO'd.
IV spreads:
Greninja - 31 HP, x Atk, 31 Def, 31 SpA, 31 SpD, 31 Spe
Dusknoir @ Leftovers > Dusclops @ Eviolite. Dusknoir gets more attack, and Leftovers are essential in his stalling tactics here.
The only Pokemon I had any trouble with was the Scrafty with Protect, Bulk Up and Drain Punch. How I beat it was using Dragon Dance x 5 on his Protect and Bulk Up turns turns, then OHKOing hitting with Extreme Speed.
This team beats Trick Room teams with priority moves (Extreme Speed and Shadow Sneak).
I was considering swapping Dragonite for Salamence for better attack, speed and bulk, but losing a godly priority move like Extreme Speed is just not worth it. It saved my run countless times. Though, Salamence is the strongest Pokemon available in Super Singles Sun and Moon IMHO. The Salamence set is the standard Mega-Salamence one:
Salamence @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate / Aerilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Return/Double-Edge
- Roost
- Earthquake
Return for massive Flying STAB Damage (183.6 base power). I prefer it over Double-Edge (216 base power) as you'd take at least half your health in damage per Double-Edge hit. Battle Tree is all about longevity. Earthquake for coverage. Roost for survival. Honestly you probably won't need Roost much, with Greninja around.
So there it is. Have fun owning Red.
Without further ado, here is the team:
Ability: Protean
Timid Nature
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
- Surf
The goal is to use Greninja to wipe out as many Pokemon as possible, using Protean to change types for supereffective/neutral STAB Life-Orb-boosted attacks, while using it defensively for resistances. The moves chosen guarantee Neutral-Effectiveness against 336 and Super-Effectiveness against the remaining 582 Pokemon. If you have a choice between neutral Dark Pulse (80 base power) vs Ice Beam/Surf (90 base power) on what you think will be a 2HKO, choose Dark Pulse. The 20% flinch rate kicks in just enough for Greninja to sweep entire teams. Also Ice Beam > Surf due to the freeze chance, though be careful about Fighting, Rock and Steel moves.
Grass Knot is amazing. I recommend looking up the weights of Pokemon before attacking, so you can get the most of out Grass Knot. It's coverage and damage make this set viable.
For some reason, Protean seems to confuse the AI (due to the type changing) and makes it really easy to sweep teams alone. This guy took out ~35 teams by himself. I generally just use him until he dies, then switch into Dragonite or Dusknoir, depending on what I need done. This will also easily take out the Ferrothorn - Dark Pulse x 1/2 depending on the damage, then finish with the stronger Ice Beam.
Dragonite 'Flex' @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Multiscale
Adamant Nature
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
- Fly
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed
Dragonite has Multiscale for defense (generally Stealth Rocks aren't played much in Battle Tree, or Dragonite is in battle before they are played), so he usually comes in at 100% HP. Don't bother with Dragon Dance unless you really need it. Last thing you want is your physical sweeper to be Encore-locked or Taunted, since Dragonite isn't the fastest. Greninja has usually done some damage by this point, so Extreme Speed to finish off fast weakened foes/Earthquake and Fly for slower ones. OHKO the first major threat you see with Z-Fly, then proceed to finish the match with either Fly or Earthquake. Anything you think will remotely give you trouble, use Z-Fly on it. Don't fuck around. If you do get a Dragon Dance up (and I don't recommend leading with it unless you know what the opponent will do, you'll win the match. If say, Dusknoir has burned a physical attacker then dies, you can go for Dragon Dance, as you'll have Multiscale + the opponents reduced attack.
Basically just Z-Fly. Try not to switch Dragonite into attacks. It's not worth it. Leave that to Dusknoir. Keep Multiscale in play for as long as possible.
Ability: Pressure
Careful Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 110 SpD
- Earthquake
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Shadow Sneak
Dusknoir is a change of pace for this team. He is bulky as hell, allowing him to soak up hits from things like Jolteon and other physical and special sweepers. Even from the likes of Salamence and Lati@s. Being Ghost type, he gets immunity to Normal and Fighting moves. Generally lead with Will-O-Wisp unless you're fighting something with low defences and weak to Earthquake or Shadow Sneak. Shadow Sneak is a must, and Earthquake provides great coverage and damage. I don't usually switch Dusknoir in on attacks as I let Greninja die first. In some cases, if Greninja fails to weaken the foe, I'll switch during an attack.
This Pokemon has saved many matches and actually won two matches for via PP-stalling the opponent (due to Pressure, Leftovers and Pain Split). This thing is hard to kill. Sometimes you can just stall a monster for as long as possible, then switch in Dragonite after Dusknoir is KO'd.
Extra points to make
This team is fairly well balanced, which is what I was striving for: Greninja as a special sweeper, Dragonite as a physical, bulky sweeper with priority, and Dusknoir for bulky, resistant staller. Dragonite could be Jolly, but he loves Adamant Extreme Speed.IV spreads:
Greninja - 31 HP, x Atk, 31 Def, 31 SpA, 31 SpD, 31 Spe
Dragonite - 31 HP, 31 Atk, 31 Def, x SpA, 31 SpD, 31 Spe
Dusknoir - 31 HP, 31 Atk, 31 Def, 31 SpA, 31 SpD, 31 Spe
The only Pokemon I had any trouble with was the Scrafty with Protect, Bulk Up and Drain Punch. How I beat it was using Dragon Dance x 5 on his Protect and Bulk Up turns turns, then OHKOing hitting with Extreme Speed.
This team beats Trick Room teams with priority moves (Extreme Speed and Shadow Sneak).
Salamence @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate / Aerilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Return/Double-Edge
- Roost
- Earthquake
Return for massive Flying STAB Damage (183.6 base power). I prefer it over Double-Edge (216 base power) as you'd take at least half your health in damage per Double-Edge hit. Battle Tree is all about longevity. Earthquake for coverage. Roost for survival. Honestly you probably won't need Roost much, with Greninja around.
So there it is. Have fun owning Red.
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