And then unsubscribe from here: https://www.gog.com/account/settings/subscriptions

It's an annoyance, but "borderline unplayable" is wildly hyperbolic.

The patch triggered a new dialogue for me... and then it's right back to the charnel house. Still can't dismiss her.

I'm in act three right now, and the most noticeable issue I've run into has been characters mistakenly referring to choices I supposedly made. Really takes you out of it when that is such a focus of the game.

I also have Minthara in my party, and I can confirm that she's broken as hell. You give up quite a lot to recruit her, and it's not worth it at all. Don't do it.

If the hammer dropping doesn't cause the platform to drop, have you tried the lever at the bottom? That one drops the platform, so you could try using it first, and then going through the forging process as usual.
If it's any consolation, it doesn't take that long for you to get comparable gear elsewhere.

Fixed the dialogue flow when dating Minthara.

Regarding this one, boy am I curious if I'm just irrevocably screwed, having progressed to act 3 before this fix was implemented. I mean, have I now missed content in this line that I'll no longer be able to access?

Rather than looking for some kind of all-in-one solution, that is sure to compromise on features, why not just download the novels you want, and then use any reader you want?

I agree that Rudy's flaws are central to the story, and that's why I wrote "if you can accept it" rather than "if you can tolerate it."
My main point was that the emphasis on sex, how it's presented, and the extent to which this is interwoven with Rudy's personality, will obviously be a turnoff to some.

Rudeus is a really, really flawed character, and it definitely means that the anime and LN won't be for everyone, but if you can accept it, there's a lot there to enjoy. I agree that it makes it difficult to recommend to people.
I've read up through volume 19 of the LN, and though I love the series, I'd absolutely prefer if Rudy's libido were slightly less of a focal point.

DRM ensures that the paying customer gets the worse end of the deal, regardless of whether it affects performance.

I had completely missed that the card even released, and beyond that, forgotten its existence entirely. I've just gotten so used to ridiculously overpriced cards at this point that it's difficult to care.