Venko's recent activity
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Comment on BBC News live streaming on YouTube in the UK and USA in ~news
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Comment on BBC News live streaming on YouTube in the UK and USA in ~news
Venko Link ParentI haven't checked the link but if you live in the UK do not click it unless you have a TV license. It's illegal to watch live TV without a TV license and you face a criminal record. A TV license...I haven't checked the link but if you live in the UK do not click it unless you have a TV license. It's illegal to watch live TV without a TV license and you face a criminal record.
A TV license costs £180 a year in the UK and covers watching live TV (which includes watching something on YouTube as it's being broadcast on TV) and BBC iPlayer!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Venko LinkRecently I've been playing ex-PlayStation exclusives on my PC. I also just bought a new monitor, after using a cheap office monitor for ages, and the difference in how these games feel using it...Recently I've been playing ex-PlayStation exclusives on my PC. I also just bought a new monitor, after using a cheap office monitor for ages, and the difference in how these games feel using it and HDR mode is massive. Plus the monitor doubles up as a nice external monitor for work when rotated.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Much like the Hobbit films, this isn't really a remake of Final Fantasy 7. It's part one of three separate games in lieu of a Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Again, much like the Hobbit films, it's immediately clear that they've tried to pad out the game and story in order to justify splitting it into three separate games. Despite that, I'd say that it's the fan game with the highest production values I've ever seen. But it still suffers from a lot of the issues that you'd expect from a fan game.
The story has been quite drastically changed, and in many places it seems to be for the worse, but there are also parts that are better. The Avalanche side characters have stronger backstories and relationships and I felt that these were mostly introduced well. The broader story changes, though, seem really forced and unnecessary.
The pseudo-real-time combat is actually pretty good. I'm not generally a fan of this type of action combat, but the mix between action and strategy was pretty good. I found that the difficulty of the combat spiked in a few areas in the story and then dropped again immediately afterwards, which was a little strange. Perhaps they didn't properly test the combat progression through the game. As we've learnt to expect from Final Fantasy games, the final boss (if you can call it that, because it's the final boss for the first of three parts of the story) was much easier than the earlier bosses.
I think that Square Enix should really revisit this game and change some of the direction and cuts, because if they expect to sell the second and third parts of this new trilogy, then they should understand that people will play the first game first. That will be used as a basis to decide whether they want to buy the later games. They could streamline the story a little bit, remove some of the padding, and remove all of the very poorly hidden loading screens that were clearly required for the ancient PlayStation 4 but wouldn't be required for modern consoles or computers and yet still detract from the experience.
There are also far too many side-quests in this game that you have to complete if you want to unlock skills that are very useful in combat. This was the weakest of the three games that I've played so far in the ex-PlayStation exclusive list.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
Most of the time, I work building corporate software or being a dad to my two kids, but occasionally I'm Spider-Man. It's become a bit of a trope to say it because the majority of the journalists that reviewed this game said the same thing, but this game really makes you feel like Spider-Man.
Wow, this game is incredible. The quality of the cinematics, the story, the gameplay, the world, the exploration, the combat, the feeling of playing Spider-Man: across the board it's nearly perfect. I'm not usually experienced in action games, but I feel like this game helped me learn, and I've come away much more experienced. It's just so satisfying to play.
This was also the first game that I revisited once I got the new monitor to try out the HDR and path tracing and it makes the world feel new again. I don't have any criticisms of this game.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
I have not played any Ratchet and Clank games before, and I didn't know anything about the universe, but that didn't seem to matter. in the very beginning of the game, they give you a little bit of backstory on the characters and what's happened, but very quickly it becomes irrelevant as the setting of the game changes.
It took me a while to realise what this kind of game was and how to play it well. At first, it seemed like it would be an adventure game akin to Banjo-Kazooie or Mario. Like those games, it does have collectathon elements but it's more of a story driven shooter. in a typical fight, you would juggle through dozens of weapons. They run out of ammunition, and then you switch to other weapons. You keep juggling them based on what's appropriate for the enemy in front of you, or whether it's close combat, large numbers of enemies. As you progress through the story, you unlock more movement-based skills, and the fast-paced combat reflects that. You have an invincibility window when you dodge and you use this constantly.
The different worlds that you visit, the atmosphere around them, the storyline, and the combat all are really good. The game looks really beautiful in HDR with path tracing.
Unfortunately, the QA testing for this seems to have been cut short compared to the previous Insomniac game that I discussed, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, and this is reflected in a lot of bugs that I've encountered along the way:
- In one particular part of the story, you have to turn off path-traced lighting. Otherwise, the game will consistently crash. Fortunately, this is only for about 5 minutes, and then you can turn it back on again.
- I found one situation where, when I swapped from the main world to an optional side dimension (these are basically little bonus levels), I fell straight through. Reloading a save or visiting the game main menu didn't fix this, but closing the game and reopening it completely did.
- Some scripted encounters that are required to progress in the game just didn't fire, but whenever this happened, you could just open up the menu and restart from the last checkpoint, and you wouldn't usually lose much time. This was annoying because it wasn't clear when it had bugged.
Other than the QA issues I rate this game very highly. It's a lot of fun to play.
What's next
I am still playing through Ratchet and Clank, and I'm playing through the DLC that's included in the remastered edition of Spider-Man. However, once I'm done with those, I have these ex-PlayStation exclusives purchased and ready to play:
- God of War - I've heard really good things about this, but I'm going to go into it blind.
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 - I picked this up with the first part of the remake trilogy, and I plan to play it at some point, but considering the weaknesses in the first part of the trilogy, I'm postponing it until I'm done playing everything else.
- Maybe I will purchase the later Spider-Man game in the future, after I've had a bit of a break from Spider-Man, because if it's anything like the first game, then I imagine it will be exceptional.
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Comment on Firefox for iOS now has a native adblocker in ~tech
Venko Link ParentUnfortunately I still haven't been able to get access to Firefox's adblock on iOS. However I did some research into the adblock offerings on other popular iOS browsers and, based on what's...Unfortunately I still haven't been able to get access to Firefox's adblock on iOS. However I did some research into the adblock offerings on other popular iOS browsers and, based on what's reported, I think that Firefox will have the weakest adblock offering.
On Safari you can use the full ublock origin lite extension by installing it separately via the app store. This gives you access to all of the default lists and the option to add other third party lists. When using Safari you have access to the ublock origin extension UI to control blocking on a site-by-site basis and tweak settings. Ad blocking on YouTube works. The ublock origin UI in Safari allows you to select and block elements on the screen. I've not seen anything like this on iOS before.
On Orion the offering is very similar to the ublock origin lite extension with built in lists and the option to add third party lists. That said, my experience blocking adverts on YouTube isn't as clean. Also the website controls are a simple on/off for content blockers. That said I've been using Orion for ages and I'm generally happy with the ad blocking.
I wouldn't be surprised if Firefox starts off with just the default adblock list but addd in better controls to match Orion down the line.
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Comment on Firefox for iOS now has a native adblocker in ~tech
Venko LinkLooks like this hasn't rolled out on the app store yet in the UK so I haven't been able to try it out. I'm curious how the adblocking compares to the Orion browser's adblocking. Can anyone who has...Looks like this hasn't rolled out on the app store yet in the UK so I haven't been able to try it out.
I'm curious how the adblocking compares to the Orion browser's adblocking. Can anyone who has access to the latest version of Firefox on iOS compare them?
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Comment on What are the new EU border checks and how will they affect your summer holiday? in ~travel
Venko LinkThis rollout has been so incredibly bad and rife with technical issues. It's so bad that planes are leaving without half of their passengers. These are passengers that entered security as soon as...This rollout has been so incredibly bad and rife with technical issues. It's so bad that planes are leaving without half of their passengers. These are passengers that entered security as soon as they were allowed to.
In my opinion the result is that the EU is effectively closed to visitors.
Yes, some airports have temporarily suspended the system and some aren't suffering as badly (my experience boarding the Eurostar in Paris was that it took around an hour to clear security which is excessive but didn't cause the train to leave empty) but why would anyone sensible risk travelling into the EU for a holiday now?
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Comment on Reddit will require you to be logged in to use old.reddit.com in ~tech
Venko Link ParentAs you're using this could you please share some more information? Is there a cost associated with the Reddit API key? Is there a cost associated with the ImgUr key? How are you installing it...As you're using this could you please share some more information?
- Is there a cost associated with the Reddit API key?
- Is there a cost associated with the ImgUr key?
- How are you installing it yourself? I'm aware of self signing options that require resigning every week.
- Is there a feature to push either the entire app or just the ImgUr requests through a VPN? I live in the UK so sadly I'm behind the Great British Firewall.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 3 in ~games
Venko LinkApollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (4th, 5th and 6th Ace Attorney games) and Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (two spin-off games) for £27 on Fanatical's Build your own Capcom Masters...Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (4th, 5th and 6th Ace Attorney games) and Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (two spin-off games) for £27 on Fanatical's Build your own Capcom Masters Bundle. I think this is roughly tied for the best price for these games to date1 provided you want both of the collections.
1 - IsThereAnyDeal wrongly reports these as bundled £7.75 each in the past but they were actually £15 each in the same type of bundle so £30 total.
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Comment on World of Warcraft private server Turtle WoW to shut down May 14 2026 in ~games
Venko LinkPresumably all of their modifications and extra content dies with them. It's a real shame that a lot of the extra content isn't shared back with the wider open source community.Presumably all of their modifications and extra content dies with them. It's a real shame that a lot of the extra content isn't shared back with the wider open source community.
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Comment on You can finally change the goofy Gmail address you chose years ago in ~tech
Venko Link ParentWell sure that makes sense but Google has a history of launching services only in the USA as opposed to simply launching there first.Well sure that makes sense but Google has a history of launching services only in the USA as opposed to simply launching there first.
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Comment on You can finally change the goofy Gmail address you chose years ago in ~tech
Venko LinkIn typical Google fashion this feature applies only for the USA. I don't know why I'm surprised.In typical Google fashion this feature applies only for the USA. I don't know why I'm surprised.
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Comment on Third spaces: What do we want, and how do we get them? in ~life
Venko Link ParentMy local library doesn't have a public toilet which makes it a pretty poor place to visit for long. There's a decent selection of books for young children but I can't spend time there with my...My local library doesn't have a public toilet which makes it a pretty poor place to visit for long. There's a decent selection of books for young children but I can't spend time there with my four-year-old because he'll need the toilet.
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Comment on Need a replacement for my old macbook pro, should I just get another one? in ~tech
Venko Link ParentI highly recommend the iOS version of foobar2000. It has an FTP server mode so you can easily drop your music collection onto the iPhone from any computer.I highly recommend the iOS version of foobar2000. It has an FTP server mode so you can easily drop your music collection onto the iPhone from any computer.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~games
Venko Link ParentSmyths is a huge toy-store chain that has a console games section in its stores. You can confirm whether they stock things by going to their Video Games page and selecting your local store to see...Smyths is a huge toy-store chain that has a console games section in its stores. You can confirm whether they stock things by going to their Video Games page and selecting your local store to see stock. For everything that I checked my local store has stock.
They've been a much more credible physical game store for a long time.
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Comment on UK Conservative party would ban under-16s from social media in ~society
Venko Link ParentIt doesn't work with some porn sites because there often aren't UK sides to the businesses to target. It however did work with the big porn sites with targeted adverts to the UK. With "social...It doesn't work with some porn sites because there often aren't UK sides to the businesses to target. It however did work with the big porn sites with targeted adverts to the UK. With "social media" there are huge advertising and other profit segments in every market so you can absolutely force compliance with fines.
The only thing that I'd be worried about when it comes to forcing compliance is the Americans creating a trade-war with the UK over it. But if the rest of europe does the right thing then the UK would hopefully reintegrate into the EU common market.
[edit] Also a lot of "social media" companies did introduce age checks to comply with the legislation - even smaller companies like BlueSky did. So they could absolutely extend those checks to block access completely to anyone under the age of 18. They don't want to but their corporate interests typically don't align with those of their users.
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Comment on The next Windows background that appears, I travel to in ~hobbies
Venko Link ParentThis was a lot more interesting than I expected it to be when I started watching the ~40min video. Thanks for sharing.This was a lot more interesting than I expected it to be when I started watching the ~40min video. Thanks for sharing.
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Comment on UK Conservative party would ban under-16s from social media in ~society
Venko LinkThe most likely challenger to the current Prime Minister from within his own party, Andy Burnham, concurs (via X): Also, the teaching union NNASUWT is lobbying the government ban all young people...The most likely challenger to the current Prime Minister from within his own party, Andy Burnham, concurs (via X):
I find myself agreeing with a lot of what Kemi Badenoch is saying about children and social media. It seems to me parents would welcome a cross-party consensus around much bolder action.
Also, the teaching union NNASUWT is lobbying the government ban all young people from social media platforms (via Telegraph).
I realise that views on social media for children are mixed on Tildes but I'd support a complete ban for under-16s too.
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UK Conservative party would ban under-16s from social media
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Comment on Iran’s supreme leader signals harsher crackdown as protest movement swells in ~society
Venko Link ParentAccording to the BBC there's a nationwide internet blackout so it may be difficult for any Irani members of Tildes to share.According to the BBC there's a nationwide internet blackout so it may be difficult for any Irani members of Tildes to share.
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Comment on Iran’s supreme leader signals harsher crackdown as protest movement swells in ~society
Venko LinkI was surprised to there wasn't a thread on Tildes yet about the news of ongoing protests happening in Iran. It seems that these things happen every few years but that this time appears to be...I was surprised to there wasn't a thread on Tildes yet about the news of ongoing protests happening in Iran. It seems that these things happen every few years but that this time appears to be different.
See also: 'In isolation, we’ll never flourish': What Iranians think about the protests and an end to the Islamic Republic for interviews with citizens that Guardian conducted.
This seems to be a Trojan Horse from the BBC. It's illegal (criminal, not civil law) for anyone in the UK to watch this without TV a license but ALSO they plan to change the law to force every Brit who watches ANY streaming service to pay the license fee otherwise they'd be committing a criminal offence.
[edit] There's probably another Trojan Horse inside this Trojan Horse because the government will justify further profiling of internet use from the populace to "enforce the TV license".