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#1
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 05:46:38 PMBeen away so semi-detached. But if I was on the Labour right I think I'd be 100% scheming to replace Starmer with Shabana Mahmood not Wes Streeting.
I think she's communicating very effectively on this. Particularly agree with her calling the Greens massive hypocrites for talking a great game on asylum in Westminster while opposing applications to house asylum seekers in their constituency. Also big fan of the article in the Telegraph and article in the Guardian making a pitch to both sides.
On a purely technical level I'm struck at Mahmood's comms operation on this laying the groundwork for a big announcement in the Commons doing that with articles in different papers etc, on the Sunday shows doing all the interviews with literally any other government policy. For example, remember when ID cards were a big solution to loads of problems because Keir Starmer made a speech about them and has subsequently never mentioned it again. Or Rachel Reeves' Treasury team.
I think she's communicating very effectively on this. Particularly agree with her calling the Greens massive hypocrites for talking a great game on asylum in Westminster while opposing applications to house asylum seekers in their constituency. Also big fan of the article in the Telegraph and article in the Guardian making a pitch to both sides.
On a purely technical level I'm struck at Mahmood's comms operation on this laying the groundwork for a big announcement in the Commons doing that with articles in different papers etc, on the Sunday shows doing all the interviews with literally any other government policy. For example, remember when ID cards were a big solution to loads of problems because Keir Starmer made a speech about them and has subsequently never mentioned it again. Or Rachel Reeves' Treasury team.
#2
Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread
Last post by HVC - Today at 05:17:05 PMJust saw the highlight of the Ireland Hungary game thanks to the tubes of you algorithm. Tough loss for Hungary.
#3
Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...
Last post by HVC - Today at 05:11:45 PMQuote from: Zanza on Today at 03:25:07 PMAs a response to Russian aggression, Germany has decided to reintroduce conscription, to have sufficient troops and reserves in case of war.
Is it "real" conscription with military training or the forced volunteering stuff we discussed here a while back?
#4
Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...
Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 05:08:14 PMQuote from: Zanza on Today at 03:25:07 PMAs a response to Russian aggression, Germany has decided to reintroduce conscription, to have sufficient troops and reserves in case of war.
It's still hard to process that this is good news.
#5
Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic
Last post by Caliga - Today at 04:54:38 PMQuote from: Josquius on November 16, 2025, 07:38:37 AMIs it new jersey accents that are the ones where they'd say order like "oy-da"?That sounds more like Boston. Boston has the main non-rhotic accent in the US.
#6
Gaming HQ / Re: Europa Universalis V confi...
Last post by Richard Hakluyt - Today at 03:48:52 PMAh, they increased trade maintenance costs by a factor of 10 and now my trading empire makes a loss 
#7
Gaming HQ / Re: Cities:Skylines
Last post by Syt - Today at 03:39:33 PMhttps://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/an-update-on-cities-skylines-ii.1873154/
Yikes. I mean, CO brought a lot of enthusiasm into C:S1 (though their DLCs were hit and miss at times), but with C:S2 they seem to have bitten off way more than they could chew and seemed unable to get things sorted (the bridges and harbor DLC finally released, about 2 years(?) late, modding tools are still missing, and overall it just seems very "meh." C:S1 (even without mods) still feels a lot better, even if the gfx of 2 look better.
FAQ abut the transition: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/studio-shift-frequently-asked-questions.1873693/
The portfolio of Iceflake on Steam does not inspire confidence: https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Iceflake%20Studios
At least CO had done Cities in Motion 1 & 2 before diving into a full on city builder.
QuoteHi City Builders,
After more than a decade of successful collaboration across numerous titles that we're both immensely proud of, Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order have mutually decided to pursue independent paths. The decision was made thoughtfully and in the interest of both teams - ensuring the strongest possible future for the Cities: Skylines franchise.
Development of the Cities: Skylines franchise will move to a different studio under Paradox Interactive's leadership and Colossal Order looks forward to building on its experience across new projects and exploring new creative opportunities. Both companies are excited for what the future holds while remaining deeply appreciative of our shared history and grateful to the Cities' community.
"For over fifteen years, the Cities Series and our partnership with Paradox have been a defining part of our journey at Colossal Order. When we set out to create Cities in Motion, we never imagined it would grow to become a cherished franchise with a passionate, loyal community of millions of players around the world. We want to thank everyone at Paradox for their trust and collaboration, and of course the community for the incredible support that has made Cities what it is today. We're confident that the franchise will continue to thrive under Paradox's leadership. As we move forward, we're excited to channel our experience, creativity, and passion into new projects that align with our long-term vision." Mariina Hallikainen, CEO of Colossal Order
"Our partnership with Colossal Order is one of the longest-running relationships we've enjoyed here at Paradox. Four games, dozens of expansions, and a community of millions of Cities players; it's remarkable how much we've achieved together. We have deep respect for the Colossal Order team and we look forward to seeing where they go from here. On our end, we're eager to continue working for the passionate Cities: Skylines community and make sure to provide them with more content and new experiences." Mattias Lilja, Deputy CEO of Paradox Interactive
This means the Cities: Skylines franchise will move to a new developer, and we're pleased to announce that Iceflake Studios will be taking the lead. Based in Tampere, Finland, Iceflake Studios is one of Paradox Interactive's internal management game studios and is hard at work getting into the nuts and bolts of Cities: Skylines II. Specifically, Iceflake will take over all existing and future development for Cities: Skylines II, including free updates for the current version, continuous work on the Editor and console editions, as well as future expansions and content packs. This means that Cities players will be able to look forward to new updates and content drops for many years.
Colossal Order will implement a few additional updates before leaving, including the Bike Patch, which includes the long-awaited addition of bikes, Old Town buildings, bug fixes, and general improvements to the game. A Beta implementation of the asset support for the Editor, meaning access to Asset Mods, will also be available before year-end. Iceflake Studios will take the helm for all development from the start of 2026.
"Taking the reins on a genre-leading franchise like Cities is an immense honor and a great responsibility. There's a huge, loyal community out there and I want to say to every member of that community that we will humbly carry this legacy with respect, together with all of you. Iceflake has the capacity and capability to get started. We have a decade worth of experience from making city building and management games. We see a strong foundation and so much potential waiting to be unleashed and I can't wait to show you what we have planned for the next chapter of this incredible game." Lasse Liljedahl, Studio Manager of Iceflake Studios
Both teams are working together to ensure that players will experience a smooth transition. Iceflake will introduce themselves in the coming weeks and share their plans in the near future, so you know what to expect next!
Yikes. I mean, CO brought a lot of enthusiasm into C:S1 (though their DLCs were hit and miss at times), but with C:S2 they seem to have bitten off way more than they could chew and seemed unable to get things sorted (the bridges and harbor DLC finally released, about 2 years(?) late, modding tools are still missing, and overall it just seems very "meh." C:S1 (even without mods) still feels a lot better, even if the gfx of 2 look better.
FAQ abut the transition: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/studio-shift-frequently-asked-questions.1873693/
The portfolio of Iceflake on Steam does not inspire confidence: https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Iceflake%20Studios
At least CO had done Cities in Motion 1 & 2 before diving into a full on city builder.
#8
Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...
Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 03:27:04 PMComey prosecution is already falling apart.
The sole witness to testify at that the grand jury was an FBI agent who had reviewed improperly obtained privilege communications; the prosecution relied on documents obtained from a search warrant in an investigation that closed in 2021 without seeking a new warrant and used materials that were well beyond the scope of the original warrant.
The court has also found that the prosecutors made material mis-statements of the law to the grand jury, including statements prejudicial to Comey's constitutional rights.
Conclusion is that there are multiple reasonable grounds to dismiss the indictment; Comey team will be granted access to grand jury materials to pursue those motions.
The sole witness to testify at that the grand jury was an FBI agent who had reviewed improperly obtained privilege communications; the prosecution relied on documents obtained from a search warrant in an investigation that closed in 2021 without seeking a new warrant and used materials that were well beyond the scope of the original warrant.
The court has also found that the prosecutors made material mis-statements of the law to the grand jury, including statements prejudicial to Comey's constitutional rights.
Conclusion is that there are multiple reasonable grounds to dismiss the indictment; Comey team will be granted access to grand jury materials to pursue those motions.
#9
Gaming HQ / Re: The Miscellaneous PC & vid...
Last post by Syt - Today at 03:26:17 PMFingers crossed that Ubisoft manages to hang on till then. 
#10
Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...
Last post by Zanza - Today at 03:25:07 PMAs a response to Russian aggression, Germany has decided to reintroduce conscription, to have sufficient troops and reserves in case of war.