kfwyre's recent activity
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 ๐น๏ธ๐๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ป INSERT CARTRIDGE ๐ข Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 ๐น๏ธ๐๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ป INSERT CARTRIDGE ๐ข Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI have never been more sold on a game. This quote should be on the box.a wonderful trainwreck of very creative ideas implemented as poorly as possible by overambitious driving game developers to the level of ludonarrative comedy
I have never been more sold on a game. This quote should be on the box.
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Comment on Digital Detox (formerly Screenless Day) discussion: October 2026 in ~life
kfwyre LinkDigital Detox Notification: This month's topic is now live. With this topic, we have pivoted away from a specific focus on "Screenless Days", though you can absolutely still take a Screenless Day...Digital Detox Notification: This month's topic is now live.
With this topic, we have pivoted away from a specific focus on "Screenless Days", though you can absolutely still take a Screenless Day if you like!
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Digital Detox (formerly Screenless Day) discussion: October 2026
The goal of the monthly Digital Detox topic is: to evaluate and potentially address toxic or controlling aspects of tech in ways are meaningful for you This is a shift away from the previous...
The goal of the monthly Digital Detox topic is:
to evaluate and potentially address toxic or controlling aspects of tech in ways are meaningful for you
This is a shift away from the previous emphasis on a "Screenless Day" which was aimed at being a specific task/event.
People can certainly still take Screenless Days as part of their Digital Detox, but I wanted to open this up a bit more to allow more opportunities for discussion and change rather than just temporarily cutting screens.
Please make this topic what you want it to be. There's no right or wrong way to post in it.
All people posting in this topic will be automatically added to the Digital Detox notification list. If you do NOT want to be added to the list, please let me know in your comment.
Monthly Discussion Starter: What "digital detox" steps have you tried in the past? Did they work? Why or why not?
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: October 2026 - April 2027 schedule in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentThe OG 1996 Resident Evil (but not the REmake) is also now available in a Humble Bundle alongside 2 and 3, Dino Crisis 1 and 2, and Breath of Fire IV.The OG 1996 Resident Evil (but not the REmake) is also now available in a Humble Bundle alongside 2 and 3, Dino Crisis 1 and 2, and Breath of Fire IV.
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
kfwyre Link ParentIโm realizing the above might not fully read with the humorous levity Iโm intending, so Iโll simply go on the record and say that continuing old projects is and always has been fine to do!...Iโm realizing the above might not fully read with the humorous levity Iโm intending, so Iโll simply go on the record and say that continuing old projects is and always has been fine to do!
Timasomo supports the act of creating no matter how or when itโs happening.
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
kfwyre Linkโ ๏ธโ ๏ธโ ๏ธ On account of the GRATUITOUS and EGREGIOUS rule violations conducted IN FULL DEFIANCE OF TIMASOMO LAW by ICONOCLASTIC and FREE-THINKING individuals intent on pursuing ILLEGALITY by any and...โ ๏ธโ ๏ธโ ๏ธ
On account of the GRATUITOUS and EGREGIOUS rule violations conducted IN FULL DEFIANCE OF TIMASOMO LAW by ICONOCLASTIC and FREE-THINKING individuals intent on pursuing ILLEGALITY by any and all means available to them, I hereby decree that THE SACRED NAME of Timasomo will be OFFICIALLY changed to
TIMASOORCOANOLPRTHYOALSTMO
Which OF COURSE stands for โTildesโ Make Something Or Continue An Old Project That You Already Started Monthโ, OBVIOUSLY.
With this GENEROUS change, I will also, in my UNFATHOMABLE BENEVOLENCE grant AMNESTY to those INDEPENDENT RULE-FLOUTERS among us for their TIMASOMO CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS.
As a result of MY KINDLINESS, all time-based RULE VIOLATIONS are now deemed NULL AND VOID, both in the past and IN PERPETUITY.
However, I will, IN MY INFINITE POWER, deputize additional ๐จ๐ฏ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐บ๐ถ๐ง๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ณ๐ค๐ช๐ ๐จ to shift their efforts to our NEWFOUND PRIMARY CONCERN which are the DELIBERATE DELINQUENTS and VAGRANT VANDALS who would DARE to misspell the FANTASTIC and CERTAINLY SIMPLE and DEFINITELY EASILY PRONOUNCEABLE name of TIMASOORCOANOLPRTHYOALSTMO.
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 ๐น๏ธ๐๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ป INSERT CARTRIDGE ๐ข Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentJohn Romeroโs about to make you his bโ NEVERMIND HEREโS KINGโS QUEST And I have no idea on the numbering? If I had to guess: they started the demo discs after the magazine had already been...John Romeroโs about to make you his bโ NEVERMIND HEREโS KINGโS QUEST
And I have no idea on the numbering? If I had to guess: they started the demo discs after the magazine had already been running, so the 1.1 disc coincided with what ever issue they paired it with and then they just counted up from there. Thatโs pure speculation though.
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 ๐น๏ธ๐๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ป INSERT CARTRIDGE ๐ข Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
kfwyre LinkSidequest: What are all the other Spooky Mansion Adventures out there? We've got three listed for CGA right now (technically 4 if we count REmake in January). What about all the others? Let's make...Sidequest: What are all the other Spooky Mansion Adventures out there?
We've got three listed for CGA right now (technically 4 if we count REmake in January). What about all the others?
Let's make a big megalist of ALL THE SPOOKY MANSION ADVENTURES WE CAN THINK OF. I'll edit things into the list as they come in:
The Comprehensive List of Spooky Mansion Adventures
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 ๐น๏ธ๐๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ป INSERT CARTRIDGE ๐ข Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentYay, more meta challenges! I still think fondly of that previous (glorious) train-on-a-train moment. Does this mean it's so bad it wraps around to good again, or is it just so bad it's bad? Also,...Yay, more meta challenges! I still think fondly of that previous (glorious) train-on-a-train moment.
1% on Rotten Tomatoes, wowโ
Does this mean it's so bad it wraps around to good again, or is it just so bad it's bad?
Also, if I somehow do miraculously have EXTRA time to game this month, I'd love to pick up Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare since it's another Dreamcast game that I've yet to play, and I always love taking things off that list. That counts as related media, right?
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 ๐น๏ธ๐๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ป INSERT CARTRIDGE ๐ข Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkI'm currently staring down Timasomo AND an Arcade Special this month, so we'll see how much of either I can successfully make happen. I was a PC Gamer subscriber way back in the day. Each issue...I'm currently staring down Timasomo AND an Arcade Special this month, so we'll see how much of either I can successfully make happen.
I was a PC Gamer subscriber way back in the day. Each issue came with an awesome demo disc full of little snippets of games to try out.
Except for that one time.
In July 2000, the disc that came with the issue wasn't demos but full games. I simply cannot convey how utterly exciting this was to teen me. It was like I had won a Vegas jackpot.
One of the games on the disc was Alone in the Dark, which I have memories of that are equal parts fond yet frustrated. I had played Resident Evil previously, thinking that RE was carving its own unique name for itself in the world of gaming. Turns out that, nope, Alone in the Dark actually laid that groundwork 4 years earlier, and RE was just following in its tank-controlled footsteps.
I loved the game's atmosphere, but its trial and error gameplay was grating for me, even by the standards of the time. I remember loving playing it, but also never even coming close to finishing it.
I then didn't touch the game for well over a decade, until I picked up the re-release of the original on GOG and decided to go back to it. This time I used a guide, so I was able to successfully finish the game without wanting to tear my hair out, though it admittedly did kill a lot of the game's (quite good) tension. The graphics are quaint these days, with its spookiness coming across much more cartoony than it did back in the day. Admitting that this game scared me feels like I'm fessing up to some bad secret now, because graphical fidelity has come so far that I don't think anyone can ever look at it now with the type of eyes we had on it back in the 90s.
I think, if I do manage to play it this month, I'm going to try out the 2024 reboot/remake rather than going back to the original. Despite having been so long since I've last played it (another decade), I still remember parts of it. That's honestly pretty rare. A lot of stuff I play slides right out of my memory these days, but not this one.
Meanwhile, Maniac Mansion and 5 Days a Stranger are new to me, so I think I'm more inclined to give those a shot first. Mansion has that classic, name-brand status that makes me feel like I need to play it just to have an opinion on it. Meanwhile, I love an indie darling, and I especially love mid-00s freeware games, so Stranger has genuine appeal to me too.
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: October 2026 - April 2027 schedule in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentYou're right! Thanks for this. I've fixed it in my post.You're right! Thanks for this. I've fixed it in my post.
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: October 2026 - April 2027 schedule in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkCurrent Sale Rundown: There is price parity for all games available on both Steam and GOG with the exception of Alone in the Dark 1 which is considerably cheaper on GOG than it is on Steam...Current Sale Rundown:
There is price parity for all games available on both Steam and GOG with the exception of Alone in the Dark 1 which is considerably cheaper on GOG than it is on Steam (although with Steam you get the 2008 game as well). (Note: I have only confirmed this for the US -- it might vary for other regions).
Also, I checked the Humble Store to see if people with Choice could stack discounts, but the games available there are currently at full price and are thus more expensive than the current sales.
Game Discount Steam GOG Alone in the Dark Anthology (1-4) -75% Steam Alone in the Dark Trilogy (1-3) -75% GOG Alone in the Dark (2024 remake) -67% Steam GOG Maniac Mansion -65% Steam GOG Sonic Adventure -50% Steam Sonic Adventure 2 -50% Steam Resident Evil (REmake) -75% Steam GOG Resident Evil (1996) -50% Steam GOG Another World -75% Steam GOG Zork Anthology (1-6) -35% Steam GOG -
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of September 27 in ~games
kfwyre LinkBuried Stars and System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster are this week's Epic freebies. I know nothing of Stars, but SS2 is a classic and one of my favorite games of all time. If I had to sell...Buried Stars and System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster are this week's Epic freebies.
I know nothing of Stars, but SS2 is a classic and one of my favorite games of all time. If I had to sell it to someone today, it'd be that it does atmospheric horror well while still letting you actually see things. A lot of modern games build their spookiness through darkness and flashlight management, whereas this game uses great sound design and a starvation diet of resources to make the environment feel genuinely threatening. The game's enemy models are certainly a lot less scary than they were back in the 90s, but overall I think it still has the potential to spook.
It was also ahead of its time (and, now that I'm thinking about it, would be a great CGA candidate). It's got three different playable classes and RPG-style talent points that you can choose to allocate to different abilities/stats. It's got great environmental storytelling. I know Half-Life is the go-to reference for being the genre-defining narrative FPS game of that era, but for me that game is System Shock 2.
If you played the recently released System Shock 1 remake and liked the atmosphere but didn't like the mazey, grid-based levels, then SS2 is for you as the level design is significantly better. Exploring the
IshimuraVon Braun is genuinely satisfying. There's lots of ground to cover and lots to find.(Editor's note: The strikethrough in the above paragraph wasn't me being cheeky. I legitimately got my derelict space horror vessels mixed up)
I will caveat that, similar to Half-Life, the end of SS2 isn't the same caliber as the rest of it. Development on the end was rushed, which is noticeable in how the game plays out in its closing act, but it's still a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. The weaker ending doesn't ruin the rest of the game by any means.
With free games, there's no question as to whether the game is worth the money, so it falls to being whether it's worth the time it takes to play it amidst all of the other games and media and whatnot we have competing for our finite entertainment hours. I'd argue, wholeheartedly, that System Shock 2 is absolutely worth the time.
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
kfwyre Link Parent๐จ ๐ฏ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐บ๐ถ๐ง๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ณ๐ค๐ช๐ ๐จ We got a call that someone was going to work on a dissertation that they ALREADY STARTED... ...and we're here to safely escort you to your favorite cafe for copious coffee,...๐จ ๐ฏ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐บ๐ถ๐ง๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ณ๐ค๐ช๐ ๐จ
We got a call that someone was going to work on a dissertation that they ALREADY STARTED...
...and we're here to safely escort you to your favorite cafe for copious coffee, tea, and snacks to help you see it through. Best wishes!
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Comment on Got my hands on a Steam Frame. Can't use it much for not having prescription lenses yet, but AMA in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentReloptix is another option for the US, though their Frame pre-orders are currently sold out. I got my Index lenses there and was very happy with them.Reloptix is another option for the US, though their Frame pre-orders are currently sold out.
I got my Index lenses there and was very happy with them.
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
kfwyre LinkTimasomo Notification: Here's the official start of Timasomo 2026! Make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo Posting in this topic is your official entry into Timasomo. Let everyone know...Timasomo Notification: Here's the official start of Timasomo 2026!
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Make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo
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Posting in this topic is your official entry into Timasomo. Let everyone know your plans!
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Timasomo 2026: Roll Call
October 1st has already hit in some parts of the world, so Timasomo has officially begun! Posting in this topic is your official entry into Timasomo. Let everyone know what your actual plans are....
October 1st has already hit in some parts of the world, so Timasomo has officially begun!
Posting in this topic is your official entry into Timasomo.
Let everyone know what your actual plans are. What are you going to make?
Anyone who was not already on the notification list will be added with a comment in this topic.
Once the date turns over to October 1st wherever you are in the world, feel free to start creating!
FAQs
What is Timasomo really though?
Timasomo is "Tildes' Make Something Month": a creative community challenge that takes place in the month of October. It is a chance to create something/anything!
There are no restrictions on what you can choose to make.
The best way to get a feel for Timasomo is to check out our previous Showcase topics, where creators share their creations with the community at the end of the event:
Can I participate?
Yes! Timasomo is open to anyone on Tildes! Please make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo.
The greater Tildes community is also encouraged to participate in discussion threads even if you are not actively working towards a creative goal. This is meant to be an inclusive community event -- all are welcome!
If you are interested in participating but do not have a Tildes login, please e-mail the invite request address here for an invite to the community.
If you do not want to create something but still want to check out the showcase, let me know in a comment here and I will add your name to a separate notification list that I will ping for the showcase topic only.
How do I sign up?
Make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo and/or are included in my notification list (simply comment on this topic to be added).
On October 1st, there will be a Roll Call thread. By posting your plans to participate in that thread, you have formally signed up for Timasomo!
Didn't it used to be in November?
Yes. Timasomo was originally inspired by NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, which takes place in November.
Initially, I wanted people participating in NaNoWriMo to be able to share their work with Timasomo as well. In the entire time it has run, however, no participant has publicly submitted any work from NaNoWriMo to Timasomo. Instead, Timasomo has gained its own identity independent of NaNoWriMo (which, after recent events, is probably for the best).
Many participants from previous years have shared that October would be a better month for them personally, so we moved the event to October.
Also, the event was so fantastically popular that it regularly upstaged American Thanksgiving, thus we only felt it fair that Canadian Thanksgiving be targeted as well.
What are the rules?
Timasomo is self-driven and its goals are self-selected.
On October 1st, participants will commit to a creative project (or projects) that they plan to complete within the month of October.
There is no restriction on the methods/products of creativity: writing, painting, code, food, photos, crafts, songs -- if it's creative expression for you, it works for Timasomo!
Though most will be participating individually, collaborations are welcome too!
What is the schedule?
Timasomo begins October 1st and ends October 31st.
All creative output towards your goal(s) should be confined to this time.
This week prior to the start of October is for planning. There will be a few days at the beginning of November given to "finishing touches" before we have our final thread, which will be a showcase of all the completed works.
Do I have to share my creation(s) publicly?
Tildes is a privacy-respecting site, and you are not obligated to share your creation here if you do not want to. We'd still love to hear about it though, if you're willing to share process and details!
Is it Timasomo or TiMaSoMo?
Either.
I personally use "Timasomo" because I think it looks cleaner and because too much time on the internet has made my brain incapable of reading "TiMaSoMo" as anything other than sarcasm, but go with whichever you prefer.
The best option, however, is โ๐ป๐ฐ๐ด๐จ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ถโ for reasons that are self-evident.
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Comment on Got my hands on a Steam Frame. Can't use it much for not having prescription lenses yet, but AMA in ~games
kfwyre LinkI had a Quest 1 back in the day and didn't even know that prescription lens inserts were a thing at the time, so I just played it with my glasses off. I enjoyed Beat Saber for a number of years...I had a Quest 1 back in the day and didn't even know that prescription lens inserts were a thing at the time, so I just played it with my glasses off. I enjoyed Beat Saber for a number of years like that.
Then I upgraded to an Index and prescription lens inserts.
My mind was genuinely blown when the newfound screen clarity showed me that the song is actually named "Country Rounds" instead of "Country Roads". I had no idea. I thought the blurry "Roads"-shaped word was, well, "Roads." For years!
This is all to say, I hope you get your prescription lens inserts soon so you can fully enjoy the device! Once you do and have had time with it, I'd love to hear what your thoughts are in using it for non-VR games. I think that's genuinely the most undersung feature of the device, but I'm curious if the execution actually lives up to the promise.
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Comment on Xbox announces digital entitlements for disc based games in ~games
kfwyre LinkThe service is now liveHere we go, folks! Xbox has announced out of the blue this evening that all Xbox console users are getting access to the disc to digital feature today, following its brief period of testing for Xbox Insiders over the past few weeks.
The news was announced by the official Xbox account on social media, and Xbox engineer Eden Marie has advised that it should be working already. We've verified on our end that it's gone live, although it required us to restart our consoles.
Update: I know I should be prioritizing the actual CGA games, but curiosity got the better of me. Iโve now played this for an hour.
Itโs bad.
So bad that itโs good? I wouldnโt necessarily go that far, but I have genuinely laughed several times (and not because the game is wanting you to).
Thus far itโs almost a cross between Uncharted and QWOP. Thereโs lots of climbing and big set pieces crumbling around you, but also the game lets you pick up objects and swing them around with the right joystick. This is absolutely as clumsy as it sounds.
I beat a zombie to death with a soup ladle in a very uncoordinated and protracted manner.
The game has a literal blink button that you have to use to clear your eyes.
Everything about it is janky and unpolished.
Iโm honestly having a pretty decent time with it.