Hodgepodge: D4 Devs Relent on Mythics? AI Tech Execs Fear for Their Lives and More

Today’s Hodgepodge episode will really be a mix. I look at the unrelenting complaints about Mythics in Diablo 4 along with Blizzard’s recent response to make a hotfix. More AI headlines such as boys getting AI chatbot girlfriends, Smart Glasses users getting charged with crimes, Meta’s layoffs targeting disabled, AI worker fatigue, America wanting to seize wealth from AI, China’s Kimi model pushing the boundaries and having the US competition concerned, rental car using hidden cameras with AI tech and whatever else I can scrounge up on today’s ramblings.

Diablo 4 Getting Hotfix for Mythics

A hotfix patch 3.1.1a went out today to effectively the shut the fuck up all the players bitching on their forums and reddit over the massive Mythics misplay that was introduced in Season 14. The main points relevant are:

• Removed the “one-crafted Mythic” equipment restriction on Mythic items.
  • Developer’s Note: In S15’s Horadric Cube, we’re removing Mythic reroll crafting and adding a direct upgrade to Mythic that preserves the original Unique Item. We’ll evaluate bringing back this rule for that specific crafting path only.
• Increased the drop rates of Mythic and Iconic Unique Items from the Corrupted Reaper.

The design director made the following statement as well:

Effectively, they’re trying to fix the biggest problems that came along from the Mythic 3.0 update where they limited only a single crafted Mythic to be equipped and eventually just allowing a direct upgrade with presumably the new currency in S15 that will retain the unique’s properties. Also, they’re improving the drop rates for Mythics and taking a broader look at the Mythic system.

So on the surface, this sounds great to placate the loyal Diablo 4 player base. To me, this is just really another indication of how far off these people are. They acknowledge in the post how Seasons are meant to be used as an experiment but the problem is that the Mythic 3.0 system was meant to go into core (as indicated by the S15 Horadric Cube reference) so this wasn’t an experiment but some horribly thought out idea that no one asked for. When they mentioned how they’ll be looking at Mythics on a broader scope, I’m truly worried because these people aren’t making any real progress forward.

Quite frankly, I wish I was in on these meetings where the original idea was formulated and the tipping point at when they admitted to fucking up internally. It’s obvious that the basic idea was stripped directly out from Diablo 3’s Primordial Ancestral system but no one really thought it was a fantastic idea since it was just boosting stats. It worked reasonably well only because the impact wasn’t huge and people didn’t require Primordial Ancestral items to make their builds work. Also, the Kanai’s Cube formula of using Primordial Ashes and receiving a direct upgrade only randomized the stats that would appear. Because there were more limited primary affixes, you could lack one of the key stats and the item would probably still be useful.

Some idiot, who probably resembles that cartoon figure from my previous post on this matter, somehow managed to convince this group that this change would be a good idea. If it wasn’t a single person that thought this was a good or even sane idea, then everyone involved in that chain are complete morons. I mentioned that the aspiring content idea shouldn’t be bozosort chase scenarios where you have indefinite layers of frustrating RNG that lead nowhere as your source of content substitution. Only those with mental issues via a horrible gambling addiction will want something like this. Any sane person will see through this form of abuse and simply find something else to do (btw, Torchlight’s latest season is out; I don’t know if I’ll check it out but it certainly looks better than this crap).

I still think that they should just rollback the Mythic changes. Here’s how the real solution to this Mythic 3.0 should appear:

• Unlimited equipped crafted Mythics; if you find the currency, you get to use it and keep the results
• Allow this currency to do the direct upgrade to uniques without rerolling the stats and core power
• Keep the old Mythics the same. Let them be rare but let them remain powerful
• Make the currency the rare item and the chase thing. This is the only RNG piece required in this setup

None of this should be any more complicated. I have a feeling that these devs overthink way too much and keep fucking around with the same shit over and over for no good reason. They should be focused on new content and features, not jacking around with stuff that’s reasonably stable. If the intent of the Mythic change was linked to something down the road, then it shouldn’t have been released at all. I really don’t get this in terms of how anyone in their right mind would have thought this was a good idea.

The other thing is that I have to wonder what really convinced them to change course. I know reddit had nothing but complaints that trickled out daily. The fact that this came in as a hotfix shows that someone must’ve been on this guy’s ass big time to fix this shit. I mean it took someone with a director title to come in and write something at all, which means he either took the heat or someone underneath him is getting his ass kicked out. But none of this is a good look, even if players now are looking at Blizzard as this mystical, godly savior. It’s not. It’s an abusive relationship and people need to understand this.

As for me, one tiny change won’t convince me to play this season. Since the amount of real new content presented is insignificant while most builds haven’t really evolved outside of the crappy Mythic 3.0 itemization, there’s no incentive to waste any time checking this season out. It sounds like it got rushed out just like Season 12, which points to this bad cycle where is pushing out new seasons every 2-3 months or so. However, only a small portion of these ideas end making it into core so it feels wasted. And I get that they’re being used to test drive content for expansions. Let me get this one thing straight though: people’s patience is finite. Blizzard has never been consistent nor reliable on dates and we don’t know when the next expansion will come out. And if it does in a year’s time, will most of us be around? So I think this update was just foolish and that there’s better things around.

The Rise of Schoolboys and AI Girlfriends

Okay, this one is pretty hilarious and not surprisingly coming from a study in the UK. The gist of the article is that there was a survey done on 1200 or so students between the ages of 12-16 and how these kids (mostly boys) are on some sort of chat bot service that allows them to create a virtual/AI girlfriend. These programs allow one to customize the appearance of the girlfriend and set their behavior. One person mentioned that these girlfriends appear like “pr0n stars” which gave me a good laugh.

The main issue, the article points out, is that when applying their “skillz” of charisma to IRL situations, these kids are not only getting rejected but lashing out. The words new levels of “toxic masculinity” appeared here but I think the problem is that it’s still just kids. Part of the other issue is that these kids apparently are being targeted by YouTube and game advertisements, despite all these laws supposedly trying to protect them not really working. Interestingly enough, China just has disabled these things and social networks for kids apparently so maybe they experienced a similar phenomenon.

Of course, the usual goofs trying to blame AI, technology, etc. and combating these things are up in arms (and terrible suits). One group, not much older than those being targeted, formed a protest/study about the issue and mention how the younger generations are more adept at these AI technologies, etc. than they are. Buddy, you’ve got a lot to learn about young people when it comes to tech.

Here’s the real deal. You have multiple problems here, some which might be uniquely British others that a lot of adults simply can’t comprehend. First, the age group are those that are coming of age, which means their hormones are blossoming. Considering the kind of pop culture crap you see on TV these days (which to be honest is just as bad as when I was growing up just different), you can’t help but wonder why kids won’t flock to those types. I mean even when I was growing up reasonably “innocent” toys like She-Ra and Jem could be considered somewhat sexually enticing (which may have led to a lot of closeted kids eventually trying to recover missing parts of their childhood). The media has never been all that great at being subtle when it comes to the exploitation of sex to draw ratings and money and they won’t stop.

And let’s face it. Relationships are very difficult because they’re a two way streak. That’s the main difference between an individual and a computer system that you can control. I don’t know if kids at these ages would really understand nor care about that aspect though if they were taught. I tend to think ones hormones end up overriding ones rationality.

Also, I found it funny that this occurrence is happening in the UK. I haven’t really heard anything like this in the US, although I could potentially see it occurring. But for some reason this might be a very British type of scenario. Maybe it’s my imagining Pink Floyd’s The Wall with rigid, gender segregated schools out there. Maybe my impression of the British tends to be of a more snooty type that have a massive stick up their ass. Whatever the case may be, I think the issue might point to not the AI itself but a cultural problem in educating if the age range for this scenario is between 12-16. I keep thinking about the Margaret Thatcher days where you have a super conservative type in charge and how there could be some residual lingering stench.

But I think it’s stupid in general. Personally, I’m in favor of AI girlfriends if it leads to full robotic women that men can sleep with (and women too). I’m sure some social scientists is peeing his pants about this where there’s some distant worry about the world’s population growth shrinking. Let’s be real and state that if anything the earth needs a massive decline in population to support itself so if the rise of smart sex dolls is the key, I’m all for it. If it leads to the decline in rape, unwanted pregnancy, STDs, etc. I’m massively for it.

I think the real thing is that some goofball group saw this and decided to make a stink to get some sort of social karma from the papers and government. When I took a look at one of these people in charge, all I could think of was that this person was the one who needs to get laid. Or at least a finger up the bunghole.

Smart Glasses Getting People Charged with Crimes

To be fair, this was more of a sensationalistic headline than something with a broader scope. But the premise talks about three professionals who employed smart glasses to cheat a professional exam. The article goes onto mention a few other spots where these glasses are banned under certain circumstances. I suppose the author wants to act as though he’s giving a premonition about what will happen rather than something on a large scale that is happening. But it is an interesting thing to note how Smart Glasses of a sort have managed to find a real world use case.

I just think that maybe these tests should be re-thought since Smart Glasses should be looked at more as an augmentation of our knowledge rather than what we already know.

Meta in Lawsuit for Targeting Disabled in Layoffs

The article talks about how people on medical leave might’ve been targeted in the workforce reduction that was part of the 8k global layoffs this past year. 26 employees in particular are part of a suit where “artificial intelligence (was used sic) to flag them for dismissal.” Interestingly enough, a Meta rep responded with:

Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI.

Well, yeah, I mean HR and the old Zuck were the ones that decided. But whom they cut would’ve certainly been helped by internal tools that monitor employees in that company. And it’s like what I’ve been saying, you can’t blame AI because it’s just a tool. However, you can always point the finger at the people in charge because they’re the ones responsible for sign offs and these decisions. So don’t blame Skynet; blame the Fuckerbergs of the world for allowing this to happen in the first place.

AI Fatigue

The premise of this article was that AI Fatigue is being caused by this mad rush to use AI and keep up with the industry. The problem is that this unprecedented leap in technology is causing workers to become stressed beyond belief. One good line from the article described the situation as “We are over-indexing on efficiency.”

But the reason why I think it’s important to bring up this issue is that even when I was starting to get into the AI programming thing, I noticed how every day something new would come out or that an API might be deprecated without telling anyone. Even those at large companies pushing AI are experiencing this problem.

However, I think that this AI race that’s creating AI Fatigue has been problematic because of where the orders are coming from: the top. Upper management seem to be making a lot of these calls. In some cases, it might be warranted where a small company can share how people use AI and it makes a difference. For larger companies where these edicts are trickling down from MBA types, it’s less sensible because of how workflows are currently managed. There’s been talks of upskilling rather than laying off the workforce. But even then I have issues because it’s all being forced and no one can see the actual effect beyond the economic and psychological consequences.

My belief is that the tools should be a bottom up effort where those working on the problems are familiar with their domains rather than high level management, who probably have no clue how any of this operates and are either looking to appease shareholders or to impress the press. The other problem is that the promise of AI is far from where it needs to be; I think most imaginative upper management believe AI resembles something from Tony Stark’s basement that can magically engineer any solution they want.

One thing is for certain though: humans have a limit no matter what. Eventually, once that limit is hit, they either just fall off or rebel. I’m betting on the latter scenario sooner than later.

Most Americans Support Seizing Wealth from the AI Industry

I suppose this comes at a time where people are becoming more wary of AI. The article points to issues like unwanted data centers that cause environmental issues as well as driving up energy cost, stolen IP, loss of jobs, etc. The article mentions Bernie Sanders’ proposition of a sovereign wealth fund. If you actually look at his idea, it doesn’t necessarily kill the AI industry but it gives people a rather small check that doesn’t make up for the massive loss in everything else.

But there are two major problems with this anti-AI plight: 1) China is going to be our major competitor (and I’ll get to them shortly); they don’t have the same social and economic problems that America is facing so there’s a good chance that they’re going to kick America’s ass in this race (and if I’m going to be blunt here, rightfully so); 2) the economics aren’t really resolved by removing AI in any of this. It’s simply going to come back in different forms and the same issues are going to be present unless someone can figure out better hardware and power. You can’t stymie a problem by shoving it under the carpet and hoping that it goes away.

The real problem is that AI is far too much still in its infancy. This is a question of economics of scale. The current government is very ill equipped at dealing with this problem because they’re more concerned with lining their own pockets and fucking over the survivors once they leave this country for some place that’ll take them after this nightmare is over. The other major problem is that it’s all economics. Money is the biggest problem and there’s been the root of all evil right in front of our faces that no one has really sat down and tried to correct because people are too greedy or too lazy in wanting to change the existing super structure around.

I mean it’s a nice idea that we’ll get a check periodically as compensation for all the damage the AI industry is doing. But I think there’s a bigger problem with it like using it as an excuse to import more H1-B Visa types over at the expense of local hires. If you want to fix the problems, start at the top and how these companies are structured.

Moonshot Kimi AI Impresses and Sets Records

This is one of the more interesting things out there in terms of AI models. Moonshot is a start up developing a model called Kimi. It boast 2.8 trillion total parameters (whatever that means, but hopefully it’s not actual parameters in a function). One test mentions exceeding Anthropic’s Opus 4.8 model and the K3 model is priced below other competitors. The only thing is that the test were done recently and the model was available for a short period at the time the article was published. But it just shows you how high the stakes are in the AI market.

But this is just one example of what I’m stating where America is facing a major crisis at the technological level in competing against China. Personally, I think the real problem (besides the executives and government in charge) is that many large firms are being run by the CFO rather than technologists. I saw one of Intel’s ex-CEOs mention this about Intel but this is being done on a broader scope. Since these people are only concerned about numbers and the bottom line, they’re too short sighted and they’ll probably be the ones ruining this country in the race against China. I say let’s start using these SOX laws to full force and put these CEOs and CFOs behind bars where they belong (and a firing squad)

China’s Xi Promises “AI for All”

Mostly, this was just hot air from the Xi-man himself but the main quote from him was:

AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation.

I would almost agree if I’d be able to trust China. He did mention safety/risk factors as being important too and praised China’s rapid development. Considering just how stupid people are in America at all levels about AI, it’s impossible to say at this stage how China won’t beat America badly since people are looking to revert or demolish things outright rather than trying to find real solutions at all levels as opposed to lining a select few’s pockets during this period.

Woman Discovers AI Empowered Camera in Rental Car

I think this is another sensationalized headline because it seems more like a one off. The main issue is that the woman is a nurse who deals with patients and has private conversations. But the rental company did not make her aware of the camera installed in this particular vehicle, which caused her to be flabbergasted. The camera itself is meant to monitor the habits of drivers and issue warnings for effectively breaking the law while driving (or maybe their contract with the rental company). But the article situates this as being a violation of privacy.

That said, it makes me simply want to retain my old Toyota 2005 RAV4. It has its flaws for sure but all this computerization seems like overkill. I would love a camera to help me park or a better navigation system that could be voice activated (especially if I want to place a fast food order as I’m driving to a spot like Jack in the Box with their crappy app). But a lot of manufacturers have gone overboard in these upsells that end up becoming subscription services that are effectively crippleware.

Toyota’s Head Calls for Unification to Defy Chinese EVs

I probably wouldn’t care about a situation like this but it shows just what a force China has become globally in a variety of areas. The main idea is that the vice chairman wants Japan’s automakers to create some sort of standard whether it’s parts or whatever to streamline the manufacturing process. But the article also talks about how Japan’s automotive force has been slow to adapt the EV model.

I have no idea how he concretely believes this can work. I think this guy is just talking out his ass. As much as I like Toyota, this just sounds like management idealistic gibberish. If you want to improve autos, I think you need to shrink them down considerably. Get rid of large vehicles and move towards more economic versions that are cost and space effective. I think reducing the size of cars to a 1/4th of their current size will help congestion on the road. Most of the space in a car is worthless unless you have a large family. But for commuters, large cars are just money sinks.

Also, I don’t think continuing to craft the same shape and format of vehicles where only some computerization end up being the actual upgrades help. Like why not a power suit that one can take out and augment ones speed to get around a city faster? I mean for 2026, outside of computing, I don’t feel like things have progressed that far technologically. If Toyota and Japanese automakers want to get ahead of the game, they really need to get away from their traditional business and start looking at new ways of doing things. I mean where’s my flying Jetson car? Where’s my hoverboard?

AI Executives Fear for Their (Worthless) Lives

I decided to save the best for last (or maybe worst for last). But the AI backlash is coming to the doors of various executives with actual life threats. I think the Sam Altman incident is probably the most high profile of these but it’s not surprising considering how many lives have been affected by what’s perceived as AI creating an even bigger downturn and other major issues. I think if we go back to Bernie’s recommendation of a sovereign fund, the one thing that should be made concrete is that there should be no CEO nor CFO in charge of those places. Or if there is one in place, they should receive a normal paycheck like everyone else and zero stock. That way, they have a single purpose which is to ensure that those companies behave in a preordained manner that is conducive to the public.

Now, again I’m not against AI but I do believe that ethics are required for how these places are run and what’s allowed and disallowed.