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STARFIELD |OT| 2023: A Space Toddity

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
I also think this is THE ONLY way to get it, if you don't want involve the captain (someone please correct me). You can't pickpocket it, you can't overhear the code when she's checking her shit in the safe, can't steal it from her room... nothing like that. Amazing quest design.
WTF I was thinking at least they would make me
find some info to blackmail her, or maybe find out she hates the award/recipient and wants to sabotage it or something. But nah, she kept the award in some ultra secure safe room with an armed guard, and yet she just gives her ID to a stranger because I asked her for it.
 

Fess

Member
But how does it work with the "finding"?

Because
i have like short of 10 powers and they were all assigned missions with the whole scanner interference thing.

Do i have to start scanning planets or land everywhere to check for interferences or what?

I barely scanned or explored planets that weren't related to some sort of sidequest and i can't see myself starting now :lollipop_grinning_sweat:

If you people know the exact place for that thing, put it under spoiler and tell me.
I’ve finished it and I still don’t have that particular power, assuming it’s the gravity well. Googling on it tells me it’s acquired at Temple Delta.
Can’t say for sure but it might be a NG+ thing, I got a whole list of new locations when starting that but I chose to start over fresh instead so never got it.
 

MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
But how does it work with the "finding"?

Because
i have like short of 10 powers and they were all assigned missions with the whole scanner interference thing.

Do i have to start scanning planets or land everywhere to check for interferences or what?

I barely scanned or explored planets that weren't related to some sort of sidequest and i can't see myself starting now :lollipop_grinning_sweat:

If you people know the exact place for that thing, put it under spoiler and tell me.

If you want more powers go to The Eye or Lodge and find Vlad. Ask him if he managed to locate more temples. Rinse and repeat.

And of course you can only ask for 1 at the time. I hope you enjoy traveling back and forward like a dick head.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
If you want more powers go to The Eye or Lodge and find Vlad. Ask him if he managed to locate more temples. Rinse and repeat.

And of course you can only ask for 1 at the time. I hope you enjoy traveling back and forward like a dick head.
Oh ok, i'm already doing that.
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
WTF I was thinking at least they would make me
find some info to blackmail her, or maybe find out she hates the award/recipient and wants to sabotage it or something. But nah, she kept the award in some ultra secure safe room with an armed guard, and yet she just gives her ID to a stranger because I asked her for it.
LOL then I collected a piece of evidence and it’s
a recording of the 3 of them all speaking to each other using their real first and last names and saying stuff like “listen Gabriel Vera, I will give you your share of the 500,000 credits we STOLE FROM GALBANK just like we all agreed on before we ALL COMMITTED THIS CRIME TOGETHER!!!”
Oscar-worthy writing there.
 

Stafford

Member
Finally started with it on XSX. I was hoping the complaints about raised black levels were overblown, because I hate it when areas that should be at least dark, aren't. But ffs, these complaints aren't overblown at all.

I actually have to put my TV black level (that's brightness on Sony A95K) on 30 instead of 50 and black adjust at high to get the cave area at the start to look decent. If I kept everything default there would be no need at all for a flashlight.

I tried SDR, it's exactly the same. How can this be intentional? Flashlights are not even necessary. Man this really stands out and it really doesn't do the visuals any favors.

Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3 and 4 have fine black levels.

Even if they are fixing HDR, i fear this won't change.
 
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twilo99

Gold Member
Loving this, but must admit it needs some QoL improvements.

Would it be hard for them to add a ‘dock and board option’ or a ‘cockpit and undock’ when leaving?

It’s death by 1000 loading screens. The loads are often quick, but so many and so frequent.

People say it’s a limitation of the engine but hopefully they can improve it..
 

MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
You know that glitch in Akilla that allows you to steal the entire merchant chest through the ground? Well, you can do similar thing in Stroud-Eklund Staryard in Dalvik, Narion system. 160k credits in few seconds... not bad.
 

twilo99

Gold Member
Finally started with it on XSX. I was hoping the complaints about raised black levels were overblown, because I hate it when areas that should be at least dark, aren't. But ffs, these complaints aren't overblown at all.

I actually have to put my TV black level (that's brightness on Sony A95K) on 30 instead of 50 and black adjust at high to get the cave area at the start to look decent. If I kept everything default there would be no need at all for a flashlight.

I tried SDR, it's exactly the same. How can this be intentional? Flashlights are not even necessary. Man this really stands out and it really doesn't do the visuals any favors.

Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3 and 4 have fine black levels.

Even if they are fixing HDR, i fear this won't change.

Same on PC but luckily there are a few mods that remedy the situation to a certain extent, so perhaps same can be done on Xbox once mod support becomes available.
 

Stafford

Member
Same on PC but luckily there are a few mods that remedy the situation to a certain extent, so perhaps same can be done on Xbox once mod support becomes available.

BGS truly thought this was fine? Flashlights really aren't needed at all. The game should at least have had brightness settings, so I don't have to drastically change my TV settings.

I'm glad I don't have a Samsung TV anymore, because the brightness option on that was bullshit, the S95B at least. This Sony tv at least let's me change some settings significantly.

But I just don't get it.
 
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twilo99

Gold Member
BGS truly thought this was fine? Flashlights really aren't needed at all. The game should at least have had brightness settings, so I don't have to drastically change my TV settings.

I'm glad I don't have a Samsung TV anymore, because the brightness option on that was bullshit, the S95B at least. This Sony tv at least let's me change some settings significantly.

But I just don't get it.

Err they didn’t think about a lot of things lol
 

Stafford

Member
Err they didn’t think about a lot of things lol

On another forum I saw this posted. It seems they went for this look but I wish they had provided us options.

cSLJ4sZ.jpg
L7mdIFH.jpg
MXjAKKg.jpg
 
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Fess

Member
I would also like to add, and apologies for dragging the convo down a level, but where is the swearing and the tits? It’s so safe!
Yeah it’s the tamest mature/18 rated game I’ve ever played.
And tits you say but how about characters with a standard 2023 edition gym booty, thighs, hips like 90% of young people today have or want to have? It’s like the character designers were born during a covid lockdown and has never stepped outside of their home. Super boring.
 

BigLee74

Gold Member
Yes, very disappointing but maybe some mods can fix all of that?
Yep, next year, this game will be improved a lot by mods (I’m on the XSX).

But right now, I’m so disappointed in the Crimson Fleet quest line that the language isn’t straight from the gutter, and that there aren’t pirates shagging in all corners of the ship! 😂
 

Danknugz

Member
To be honest, I don't think a single skill is actually mandatory. It all just depends what you want to focus on and what you like.

For example, if you're not interested in outposts. Those are useless. Not interested in crafting? Those are useless. Not interested in shipbuilding? Those are useless. You can get ships, weapons, and items that'll carry you through the game without needing those. Some say the skills like botany or zoology are useless. But if you enjoy going around to all the planets and surveying them, those are great. Just depends what you decide you like with the game.

Not sure how far along you are but for an early basic, all-around character, I think these are my top ones that make things more enjoyable early on :

1) Boost pack - Just one point is fine unless you really enjoy using it in combat or are traversing a lot. Just 1 point has been fine for me. I don't really use it much during combat though.
2) Piloting - I would suggest 2 points into here since the ships feel real sluggish without it
3) Security - Lots of stuff to hack/lockpick in the game and you can get some decent stuff/credits to help you along
4) Persuasion - I don't believe you need this to actually get the dialogue option offered to you, but it increases success rate and opens options with success
5) Weight lifting - I have this maxed out since I was really getting bogged down in the early game
6) Stealth - A bit inconsistent, but 1 point in this gives you a stealth meter that's pretty useful
i beat the game and literally paidnjack shit attention to any of this crap except maybe when i created my guy and chose industrialist which gave me some persuasion. Outside of combat it's just filler game mechanics we've see a million times. Feels a lot more tacked on compared to Skyrim or even FO4.
 
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Two things I hope they add, a way to favourite a planet as I found some cool ones and want to go back but cant remember where they were, and also an easy way to find outposts I have built.
Something like this would be nice, bookmarked destinations, but what I would really like is the ability to bring up / write logs about specific planets or moons for my personal reference at any time later. It would be nice to be able to search the logs without having to highlight the planet as well.
 

Freeman76

Member
i beat the game and literally paidnjack shit attention to any of this crap except maybe when i created my guy and chose industrialist which gave me some persuasion. Outside of combat it's just filler game mechanics we've see a million times. Feels a lot more tacked on compared to Skyrim or even FO4.
They made a game where people can roleplay the life of a space explorer. The way you play is obviously just smash through it so of course you'll think most of it is filler, because a lot of it is only there to deepen the feeling of exploring space. The whole outpost system is completely unnecessary, yet people spend hours immersing themselves in it, for them that isnt filler its a part of sinking into a game and enjoying all aspects of it.
 

Freeman76

Member
Something like this would be nice, bookmarked destinations, but what I would really like is the ability to bring up / write logs about specific planets or moons for my personal reference at any time later. It would be nice to be able to search the logs without having to highlight the planet as well.
Yeah even better idea! Its such a vast game its hard to keep track of cool places and revisit them
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
Yeah it’s the tamest mature/18 rated game I’ve ever played.
And tits you say but how about characters with a standard 2023 edition gym booty, thighs, hips like 90% of young people today have or want to have? It’s like the character designers were born during a covid lockdown and has never stepped outside of their home. Super boring.
Not just lack of attractive women. There’s a total lack of sexuality, romance, and relationships. There’s this perfectly representative mix of races/genders across all cultures /walks of life in the Starfield universe. Everyone everywhere wears frumpy non-gendered clothing and has zero interest in sex or relationships or trying to win someone’s affection, even in the wild and free-spirited places like Neon and The Key.

The only hint of any positive committed relationship is you can see a same-sex couple watching their kids play in New Atlantis.

Other than that the only other relationships I can think of are:
- Stroud with his wife
- the asshole from Galbank who’s cheating on his wife
- a husband/wife who run a shop on Neon and bicker with each other
 

Danknugz

Member
unsure if i should keep checking it out - im about 5 hours in...

on one hand i feel like i havent even gotten to the game yet, just random side quests....

but on the other hand... i feel like its wasting my time already.

maybe I should exclusively focus on The Artifact main quest?
don't wanna pile on like this in another whiny post but if you wa t to be bored out of your skull running across barren wasteland and doing basically the exact same hour long quest 7 times in a row that feels like it forces you to take more time to artificially add playlength to the game then yes
 

Danknugz

Member
Not just lack of attractive women. There’s a total lack of sexuality, romance, and relationships. There’s this perfectly representative mix of races/genders across all cultures /walks of life in the Starfield universe. Everyone everywhere wears frumpy non-gendered clothing and has zero interest in sex or relationships or trying to win someone’s affection, even in the wild and free-spirited places like Neon and The Key.

The only hint of any positive committed relationship is you can see a same-sex couple watching their kids play in New Atlantis.

Other than that the only other relationships I can think of are:
- Stroud with his wife
- the asshole from Galbank who’s cheating on his wife
- a husband/wife who run a shop on Neon and bicker with each other
yes, i did t pay much attention to the dudes but Bethesda games are always like this, women all have man ass. The only model upgrade they did this time was the "overweight woman with bugged eyes"
 

DanielG165

Member
I’ve been really enjoying myself a lot with this game so far. And honestly, I haven’t had that moment of “give it a certain amount of hours, and everything clicks”. I was kind of onboard the moment I started, so there hasn’t just been a specific time where it hooked me in. I was just going through Neon City for the first time last night, picking up tons of quests and doing things for my new job, and then I look over at the time and see that it’s 2 am lol.

I wound up hopping off the game when I pulled up to check on Barrett, but I wanted to keep playing for a bit. I’m only like, level 8, so I’m sure I still haven’t even begun to scratch the surface yet, having been only been to a handful of planets thus far. But, it’s a lot of fun! It’s been cool having Sarah tagging along too.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Hey gang, so is there a shit ton of lock picking in this game?

I’d been largely in the dark, but while at work put a stream on - and holy shit - the majority of it felt like I was watching the player doing the lock pick puzzles.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
Hey gang, so is there a shit ton of lock picking in this game?

I’d been largely in the dark, but while at work put a stream on - and holy shit - the majority of it felt like I was watching the player doing the lock pick puzzles.

Nah, not really. About the same as there was in Skyrim, I'd say. And it isn't like lock picking is required to advance a quest or anything. Just optional safes and doors really.
 

reinking

Gold Member
So I’ve beer reading Three Body Problem, stellar sci-fi if you are into that kind of thing, but if you are struggling to find a name for your ship there are some good warship names in there:

Infinite Frontier
Yuanfang
Foghorn
Antarctica
Ultimate
Meiji
Tempest
Han
Advance
Thanksgiving
Sirius
Atlantic
Yandi
Proton
Masada
Justice
Columbia
Ganges
Newton
Enlightenment
Cretaceous
Cloud
Nelson
Himalaya
Thor
Messenger
Genesis
Einstein
Quantum
Bronze Age
Blue Space
Deep Space
Ultimate Law
Natural Selection

All of them were involved in something called the “doomsday battle”, which is probably one of the best sci-fi scenes I’ve come across..
I am going with Disingenuous Discourse for my ship name.
 

Danknugz

Member
They made a game where people can roleplay the life of a space explorer. The way you play is obviously just smash through it so of course you'll think most of it is filler, because a lot of it is only there to deepen the feeling of exploring space. The whole outpost system is completely unnecessary, yet people spend hours immersing themselves in it, for them that isnt filler its a part of sinking into a game and enjoying all aspects of it.
it's semantics. from the perspective of integrating these features into the gameplay in a cohesive, elegant way that makes the player feel like it's worth their time and rewarding enough to do it. i guess it's just about the design.

I played Skyrim and FO4 the same way and didn't feel this way, for example.
 
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SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Nah, not really. About the same as there was in Skyrim, I'd say. And it isn't like lock picking is required to advance a quest or anything. Just optional safes and doors really.

Ok, that’s cool. Although I’m the kind of player that’s going to want to pick every locked thing I can.
 

Topher

Identifies as young


Would not be the first time a game full of weaknesses has a larger fun factor than one that has far fewer flaws.

Ok, that’s cool. Although I’m the kind of player that’s going to want to pick every locked thing I can.

It is a good mini-game puzzle. Be sure and put skill points in Security so you can pick the more advanced locks. I waited too long and probably left a lot of good loot behind. Finally able to pick master locks and while challenging, I find it very enjoyable.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Prepare for A LOT of lock picking then. Security terminals, computers, containers, doors, storage boxes, lockers... There's a lot but like have mentioned 99% of it is purely optional.

It is a good mini-game puzzle. Be sure and put skill points in Security so you can pick the more advanced locks. I waited too long and probably left a lot of good loot behind. Finally able to pick master locks and while challenging, I find it very enjoyable.

Sorry, one more question: Do I level up in lockpicking by performing the action, or do you have to do special quests related to that skill?

Thank you both for the replies!
 
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MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
Would it be so hard to give vendors more money as you increase your commerce perk? You can sell loot for more $$$ which means you can now sell less shit at once.

I swear, Bethesda designers are so dumb.
 
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Definitely enjoying Crimson Fleet faction quest more than the others. Actually has a plausible plot that doesn't require you to just turn off your brain and go along with a nonsensical story.
Just started it myself, interested to see where it goes. The hideout is definitely going to be one of my preferred locations to sell goods - lot of vendors in a pretty small space, plus a doctor.
 

Fess

Member
Not just lack of attractive women. There’s a total lack of sexuality, romance, and relationships. There’s this perfectly representative mix of races/genders across all cultures /walks of life in the Starfield universe. Everyone everywhere wears frumpy non-gendered clothing and has zero interest in sex or relationships or trying to win someone’s affection, even in the wild and free-spirited places like Neon and The Key.

The only hint of any positive committed relationship is you can see a same-sex couple watching their kids play in New Atlantis.

Other than that the only other relationships I can think of are:
- Stroud with his wife
- the asshole from Galbank who’s cheating on his wife
- a husband/wife who run a shop on Neon and bicker with each other
Agreed. It’s my main complaints at this point. Everything else where the target is missed I’ve accepted but I’m a shallow sleezebag and accepting a future this boring and sexless is not going to happen. There is literally more going on in Zelda, and that’s rated 10.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
Not just lack of attractive women. There’s a total lack of sexuality, romance, and relationships. There’s this perfectly representative mix of races/genders across all cultures /walks of life in the Starfield universe. Everyone everywhere wears frumpy non-gendered clothing and has zero interest in sex or relationships or trying to win someone’s affection, even in the wild and free-spirited places like Neon and The Key.

The only hint of any positive committed relationship is you can see a same-sex couple watching their kids play in New Atlantis.

Other than that the only other relationships I can think of are:
- Stroud with his wife
- the asshole from Galbank who’s cheating on his wife
- a husband/wife who run a shop on Neon and bicker with each other

I generally agree with your observations here, but at the same time I have the feeling that if Bethesda tried to add more relationships/sexuality into their game then they would just botch it up. I mean....the actual relationship quests are about as sterile as they possibly could be. I actually regret getting "committed" to Andreja as she has been transformed into this lovey-dovey cross-eyed girl who throws out sweet nothings at me every time I speak to her and that is entirely out of character for her. So fair to say, Bethesda doesn't do this stuff very well but at least the romance quests are optional. If they can't do that much right then I'd rather they not even try to implement it on a larger scale, if that makes sense. This stuff just isn't in Bethesda's wheelhouse.
 

Fess

Member
Would not be the first time a game full of weaknesses has a larger fun factor than one that has far fewer flaws.
I don’t even understand that post. If he likes Starfield more then why does he think that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a better game???
My enjoyment of a game is all that matters. I’d rate Loop Hero higher than Halo Infinite because I had more fun with that. If I factor in other things it feels like I miss the whole point why I’m still playing games.
 

Macaron

Banned
I don’t even understand that post. If he likes Starfield more then why does he think that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a better game???
My enjoyment of a game is all that matters. I’d rate Loop Hero higher than Halo Infinite because I had more fun with that. If I factor in other things it feels like I miss the whole point why I’m still playing games.
Because it is. As someone who put BG3 down pretty early but has finished Starfield, plenty of easy subjective reasons. Modern day graphics, more into space than dungeons and dragons, more casual/easier game. But there is zero doubt in my mind objectively BG3 is better than this game.
 

Danknugz

Member
I don’t even understand that post. If he likes Starfield more then why does he think that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a better game???
My enjoyment of a game is all that matters. I’d rate Loop Hero higher than Halo Infinite because I had more fun with that. If I factor in other things it feels like I miss the whole point why I’m still playing games.
i don't read gaming journalism / articles but it's likely that by "better game" he means from a mainstream appeal and the current zeitgeist around what constitutes a "good" game. For example, if a game has mysoginistic tropes it's typically considered a poor game by todays standards irrespective of anything else in the game.
 

Chukhopops

Member
I don’t even understand that post. If he likes Starfield more then why does he think that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a better game???
My enjoyment of a game is all that matters. I’d rate Loop Hero higher than Halo Infinite because I had more fun with that. If I factor in other things it feels like I miss the whole point why I’m still playing games.
I think you’re saying the same thing as him - he prefers Starfield because he enjoys it more despite it being more flawed in his opinion.

And I kinda agree, there’s a lot to improve but to me it’s better than anything else I’ve played this year so far.
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
I don’t even understand that post. If he likes Starfield more then why does he think that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a better game???
My enjoyment of a game is all that matters. I’d rate Loop Hero higher than Halo Infinite because I had more fun with that. If I factor in other things it feels like I miss the whole point why I’m still playing games.
I think it’s sort of like how War and Peace is a better novel than Jurassic Park.

Like, I can see that BG3 is a masterful game with unlimited possibilities for emergent gameplay and creative problem solving. But I work full time at an intellectually challenging job, I have 2 kids, at most I might have 1-2 hours a day to relax at the end of the day. Starfield (and other Bethesda games) have more the level of complexity, depth, and instant gratification that I’m looking for in my entertainment.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
This is my experience with starfield:

- Oh I am encumbered again. ok, lets max out the weight skill tree.
- sigh, fine, i will run around 5000 yards before i can use my skill points on the weight skills.
- nevermind, im encumbered again. ok, i will save 250k and buy a bigger ship with 2,800 tons of storage.
- nevermind, i dont have piloting skills to pilot a class b ship. fuck.
- no problem, i have 3 skill points unspent, let me buy real quick.
- nope, you need to destroy 20 ships.

the whole game has been like this. i wanted to unlock a chest which supposedly has the best early game gun in the game, but nope, i dont have lock picking skills. i wanted to put some mods on my weapons, nope, first level up tier 1 abilities then and only then you can level up your mods.

it's too much busy work. ive earned the skill point fair and square, let me fucking use it. if i saved up enough money to buy an expensive ship, let me pilot it. is that asking for too much?
 

Danknugz

Member
This is my experience with starfield:

- Oh I am encumbered again. ok, lets max out the weight skill tree.
- sigh, fine, i will run around 5000 yards before i can use my skill points on the weight skills.
- nevermind, im encumbered again. ok, i will save 250k and buy a bigger ship with 2,800 tons of storage.
- nevermind, i dont have piloting skills to pilot a class b ship. fuck.
- no problem, i have 3 skill points unspent, let me buy real quick.
- nope, you need to destroy 20 ships.

the whole game has been like this. i wanted to unlock a chest which supposedly has the best early game gun in the game, but nope, i dont have lock picking skills. i wanted to put some mods on my weapons, nope, first level up tier 1 abilities then and only then you can level up your mods.

it's too much busy work. ive earned the skill point fair and square, let me fucking use it. if i saved up enough money to buy an expensive ship, let me pilot it. is that asking for too much?
this is another thing that kind of annoys me about this game. they put all this fast travel and it's a great convenience for lazy gamers. but then you kind of get thisnstuff that you described and the sense that they flesh out these criticalities to beef up the game mechanics to check off the boxes and add hours of gameplay, but it's not quality or fun gameplay, it's like doing yardwork.

what's the point of making someone run 5000 yards just to upgrade something? yay, i get to mindlessly run my dude around or just wait until it comes gradually as i progress. it's just lazy design. there's better, more fun, and more innovative ways to make gameplay more exciting.
 
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Havoc2049

Member
This is my experience with starfield:

- Oh I am encumbered again. ok, lets max out the weight skill tree.
- sigh, fine, i will run around 5000 yards before i can use my skill points on the weight skills.
- nevermind, im encumbered again. ok, i will save 250k and buy a bigger ship with 2,800 tons of storage.
- nevermind, i dont have piloting skills to pilot a class b ship. fuck.
- no problem, i have 3 skill points unspent, let me buy real quick.
- nope, you need to destroy 20 ships.

the whole game has been like this. i wanted to unlock a chest which supposedly has the best early game gun in the game, but nope, i dont have lock picking skills. i wanted to put some mods on my weapons, nope, first level up tier 1 abilities then and only then you can level up your mods.

it's too much busy work. ive earned the skill point fair and square, let me fucking use it. if i saved up enough money to buy an expensive ship, let me pilot it. is that asking for too much?
It's a RPG and you have to level up your character and there is gear/weapons/supply management. Pretty standard for the RPG genre. You can't do all the cool stuff as a nug.
 
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