Venko's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on Denmark places record order for European air defence systems instead of American – Scandinavian country's relationship with the Donald Trump administration has come under strain over Greenland in ~society
Venko LinkYou'd have to be extremely foolish to buy arms from a country that is making threats, however idle they may be, to take over part of your kingdom. At a bare minimum you need to consider that: arms...You'd have to be extremely foolish to buy arms from a country that is making threats, however idle they may be, to take over part of your kingdom.
At a bare minimum you need to consider that:
- arms deliveries may not happen (the USA has a history of this: during WW2 they sat on arms, the UK had already paid for, to fight the Nazis)
- backdoors may be hidden that can disable the systems at the whim of the vendor (in the age of sophisticated microchips this could be hidden)
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Comment on Sweden's health minister has urged the EU to push ahead with social media restrictions for kids while insisting it be treated as a pressing matter in ~tech
Venko LinkAlthough I'm squeamish about photo ID I strongly support banning so-called "social media" for children. A lot of parents are completely aware of how destructive these things are for their children...Although I'm squeamish about photo ID I strongly support banning so-called "social media" for children.
A lot of parents are completely aware of how destructive these things are for their children but if they do the responsible thing, refusing to let their child have a smart phone, then they're ostracised from their school friends. This peer pressure ultimately means that anything other than government intervention is insufficient.
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Comment on Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 getting rerelease on Nintendo Switch, bundle for $70 or standalone for $40 each in ~games
Venko LinkIn typical Switch tax fashion Nintendo have doubled the price on these games. These are part of the Nintendo Selects programme so they retailed for $20 US each.In typical Switch tax fashion Nintendo have doubled the price on these games. These are part of the Nintendo Selects programme so they retailed for $20 US each.
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Comment on Bluesky will comply with age verification laws in South Dakota and Wyoming after exiting Mississippi in ~tech
Venko Link ParentI'm going to assume that data brokers are either already harvesting enormous amounts of information from these "age checks" or will be soon. Tying someone's identity to their web fingerprint will...I'm going to assume that data brokers are either already harvesting enormous amounts of information from these "age checks" or will be soon. Tying someone's identity to their web fingerprint will be financially lucrative.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Venko Link ParentI realise that it's an intentional design decision to make people play more carefully but I strongly disagree with death runs as a mechanic in modern video games. I think that the modern Rayman...I realise that it's an intentional design decision to make people play more carefully but I strongly disagree with death runs as a mechanic in modern video games.
I think that the modern Rayman games did this best: difficulty that feels amazing when you perfect it and the regular deaths putting you straight back into the action.
But video games are an artistic expression and it's up to the creators if they want to make design decisions to make their art accessible to a wider audience. It simply means that I won't play the game but we're blessed with so many other games nowadays.
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Comment on iPhone 17, 17 Pro and Air announced in ~tech
Venko LinkI was considering replacing my 12 Pro this year but looking at the price (£1340 for the base 17 Pro with AppleCare with theft coverage for 2 years) I think I'll run my 12 Pro until it dies.I was considering replacing my 12 Pro this year but looking at the price (£1340 for the base 17 Pro with AppleCare with theft coverage for 2 years) I think I'll run my 12 Pro until it dies.
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Comment on What is a business/org that's so terrible no one should use if possible? in ~life
Venko Link ParentI noticed that you said a business account. May I ask which bank you use for a UK business account now and how you'd rate them?I noticed that you said a business account. May I ask which bank you use for a UK business account now and how you'd rate them?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Venko LinkI noticed that the Phoenix Wright trilogy was £4.50 as part of the first tier of a capcom bundle on Humble Bundle. That's the first three Ace Attorney games. So I couldn't resist picking them up...I noticed that the Phoenix Wright trilogy was £4.50 as part of the first tier of a capcom bundle on Humble Bundle. That's the first three Ace Attorney games. So I couldn't resist picking them up at that price.
I ended up (temporarily, I promise) parking my Final Fantasy IX: Trance Seek and my modded Stardew Valley playthroughs to binge through the first Phoenix Wright game in the trilogy.
Oh wow. I played through this game 18 years ago so I remember the rough case structure and most of the murderers but I have been having so much fun. I'm starting the second game now.
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Comment on Humble Choice - September 2025 in ~games
Venko LinkThere's nothing here that interests me this month. But if you are interested in these games then these are pretty cheap. For example WWE 2K25's previous all-time low is £21 alone.There's nothing here that interests me this month. But if you are interested in these games then these are pretty cheap. For example WWE 2K25's previous all-time low is £21 alone.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Last Express in ~games
Venko LinkI started playing the Steam release and reached day 3... I think. It's a compelling game but I'm finding it pretty difficult to navigate and interact with the things that I intend to. I keep...I started playing the Steam release and reached day 3... I think. It's a compelling game but I'm finding it pretty difficult to navigate and interact with the things that I intend to. I keep turning around without releasing it and where I think I've figured out a puzzle that requires speed I'm struggling to execute it correctly.
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Comment on Tesla said it didn’t have key data in a fatal crash. Then a hacker found it. in ~transport
Venko Link ParentThe American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) kept secret how unsafe the Boeing 737 Max was after the first crash despite being given the true data on MCAS. It wouldn't surprise me if other...The American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) kept secret how unsafe the Boeing 737 Max was after the first crash despite being given the true data on MCAS. It wouldn't surprise me if other American agencies are also complicit in hiding serious safety flaws in other American products and, in this case, they may already have this data and be sitting on it to protect the bottom-line.
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: Voting topic in ~games
Venko LinkChrono Trigger (5) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (5) Threads of Fate (5) Metroid Prime (5)Chrono Trigger (5)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (5)
Threads of Fate (5)
Metroid Prime (5) -
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Venko Link ParentI haven't yet. I will probably install new content mods alongside Stardew Valley Expanded on my next playthrough. For now I'm trying to focus on the 1.6 content and Stardew Valley Expanded content...I haven't yet. I will probably install new content mods alongside Stardew Valley Expanded on my next playthrough. For now I'm trying to focus on the 1.6 content and Stardew Valley Expanded content as that's a lot of content on its own.
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Comment on What's your current PC wallpaper? in ~tech
Venko LinkMy wallpapers are always rotating every thirty minutes. I like to focus on featuring video games that I've enjoyed although I do feature other things too. You can view my current selection here...My wallpapers are always rotating every thirty minutes. I like to focus on featuring video games that I've enjoyed although I do feature other things too.
You can view my current selection here (all 1920x1080).
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Venko Link ParentOnce you run Stardew Valley with mods on Steam Deck you'll see your battery life running it drop drastically. Don't panic. Instead lower your TDP for the game and you'll get most of the battery...Once you run Stardew Valley with mods on Steam Deck you'll see your battery life running it drop drastically. Don't panic. Instead lower your TDP for the game and you'll get most of the battery life back in exchange for longer loading times between in-game days.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Venko LinkIt's been a while since I posted in one of these threads. As I mentioned in my earlier threads I bought a powerful new gaming PC earlier this year. The two games that I'm currently playing on it...It's been a while since I posted in one of these threads. As I mentioned in my earlier threads I bought a powerful new gaming PC earlier this year. The two games that I'm currently playing on it don't exactly take advantage of the specs.
Final Fantasy IX: Trance Seek
Trance Seek is a huge overhaul mod Final Fantasy IX that adds different difficulties, new enemies, new bosses, new playable characters, a heavily overhauled combat experience, new storyline elements and so many items and abilities. Every boss fight is different and many of them have gimmicks. This is a complete overhaul on Final Fantasy IX for long-time fans of the game that are looking for a new, albeit far harder, experience.
Each character has their own new gameplay mechanic. Some examples:
- Zidane gains dodge every time he's hit and can swap between thief and combat stances.
- Vivi has a concentrate mechanic where spell damage goes up as long as you don't cast the same spell twice in a row.
- Steiner can enter a shielding stance to cover one attack against a team-mate and reduce damage by 50%.
I'm playing on the Zidane difficulty which is the default and does not feature level caps. Some of the fights are still pretty tough for a FF9 veteran. Although it currently only covers discs 1-3 I strongly recommend this for a FF9 veteran.
You install this via the Memoria engine's mod manager. It's not compatible with a lot of popular mods but it is compatible with the following mods that I also recommend:
- Playstation Sounds
- Moguri 30fps videos
- Moguri Mod
It's not compatible with most of the Memoria engine cheats but stealing on Zidane is easier and you can select the Triple Triad card game rules (in Memoria config) and Turn-Based ATB mode (in Memoria).
Stardew Valley (with mods)
I'm playing through a heavily-modded version of Stardew Valley. With the 1.6 update to the base game and the Stardew Valley Expanded mod there's so much to do. I usually get bored and drop my save shortly into year 2 but I can't see that happening this time. 1.6 massively extends the calendar with seasonal multi-day fishing events, a spring multi-day dessert festival and lots more.
I'm briefly summarise each mod I'm using. Every mod, except SMAPI, is downloaded from Nexus Mods.
Mod engine
There are a few mod engine mods that you need to power other mods:
- SMAPI
- ContentPatcher
- GenericModConfigMenu
- Farm Type Manager (FTM)
- StardewHack
Content mods
Stardew Valley Expanded
This is a huge expansion for Stardew Valley that changes all of the maps, adds lot of villagers, crops, fish, events, quests and so much more. I rate this mod very highly and strongly recommend it to Stardew Valley veterans. However because it changes so much and makes the community centre and building farm upgrades more difficult I recommend against this mod for first-time players.
Frontier Farm (for Stardew Valley Expanded)
This is the recommended farm map for Stardew Valley Expanded although it's optional so you need to install it separately. This is a big map with lots of features from other standard game maps. It's probably a little over-tuned but coupled with the new content and progression requirements from Stardew Valley Expanded it seems fair.
Seasonal Cute Characters + SVE addon
The base game has the same outfits for the villagers throughout the year. This mod improves the villager aesthetics and makes their outfits change on the season. I'd personally recommend this even for a first Stardew playthrough.
Quality-of-life mods
Activated Sprinklers
In Stardew Valley the sprinklers activate once per day when the day starts. This means that if you till the soil and plant crops then you'll need to water them with the watering can on the first day. That just seems silly. With this mod you can click the sprinkler and it'll water again. I'd personally recommend this even for a first Stardew playthrough.
Automate
If you place a chest next to a machine such as a furnace or cask it'll automatically process items from the chest and then transfer the result back to the chest. So this mod is very, very useful and a strong option for repeat players of Stardew Valley. I do not recommend it for a first playthrough because the game isn't balanced around this automation - you'll quickly build up lots of money.
Automatic Gates
The primary use of gates is to stop animals between gaps in your fences. In the base game you need to activate a gate to open and then activate it again to close it. This mod opens the gate when you approach it and then closes it afterwards. I'd recommend this for all Stardew Valley playthroughs.
Better Shipping Bin
This allows you to add and remove items from your shipping bin at any point through the day before it ships. With all of the improvements that ConcernedApe has made over the years it baffles me that this isn't part of the base game. Definitely grab it.
Better Ranching
Visual indicators on animals that can be petted, milked or sheared. This is more useful than it sounds because with lots of animals roaming in a pen outside it can be hard to keep track. I'd recommend this for all Stardew Valley playthroughs.
NPC Map Locations
Shows you where all the villagers currently are when you open the map. Some of you may consider this a cheat but I've always used a version of this mod since I first played the game. With Stardew Valley Expanded the map is much larger and NPC movement patterns have changed. It would be really frustrating without this.
Dirty-cheat mods
Bigger Backpack
This adds a third backpack upgrade that adds a fourth row to the backpack for a whopping 50,000 gold. Although this makes it very expensive at the beginning you'll reach a point where you're earning that in a few days.
CJB Show Item Sell Price
Shows you the sell price of each individual item and its stack in your inventory. This would have been considered a quality-of-life mod in the past but the 1.6 update of the base game added a way to acquire a weaker version of this via an in-game unlockable.
Gift Taste Helper Continued x2
Displays a tooltip with villager's favourite items when hovering over their birthday on the calendar or social pages of the menu. If you'd previously use a wiki to look this up then include it in the game instead.
Lookup Anything
Hover over any villager, item or crop and press F1 to see wiki-level information on them/it. Hover over a planted crop to see whether it's been watered today and how many days until harvest. If you'd previously use a wiki to look this up then include it in the game instead.
Movement Speed
Makes you move 50% faster (configurable in settings). This is a very naughty mod but it removes the main in-game annoyance for me as a repeat player.
UI Info Suite 2
Provides useful information on your level of luck, tomorrow's weather, whether today there's a travelling merchant, whether it's someone's birthday and whether you have a cooking recipe to learn today. It also shows experience gains, remaining experience, icons on items to indicate whether they're needed for the museum, etc. Also grants you access to the calendar and quest billboard from your inventory. Whilst these are all definitely cheats they're also very much quality of life. I wouldn't want to play without them personally.
Wear More Rings
Let's you equip more rings which is very useful but the game isn't balanced around this.
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Comment on Humble Choice - August 2025 in ~games
Venko LinkPersona 5 Royale is a really great game albeit with some massive flaws: the main one is its slow burn story blocking action. This has been resolved in Atlus's spin-off game, Metaphor Refantazio,...Persona 5 Royale is a really great game albeit with some massive flaws: the main one is its slow burn story blocking action. This has been resolved in Atlus's spin-off game, Metaphor Refantazio, which has much better story pacing and jumps straight into the action. That said, it's still a fantastic game and well worth purchasing this month for alone.
I don't have any experience with the other games but I'll give each a try soon™.
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Comment on Curate your own newspaper with RSS in ~tech
Venko Link ParentCould you please share the enrichment magic that you perform? Also would you recommend FreshRSS over other RSS clients? Does it behave well on mobile browsers?Could you please share the enrichment magic that you perform?
Also would you recommend FreshRSS over other RSS clients? Does it behave well on mobile browsers?
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Sight of someone potentially infectious causes immune response, research suggests
19 votes
Final Fantasy IX: Trance Seek
I finished disc 1 and am around half-way through disc 2. It's a lot of fun but because of the increased difficulty and depth to batles there's only so much that I can run-through the game at a time. I'll return to play some more later.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All
I'm half-way through the third case. It's a lot of fun but I've played the previous game straight before this so I'm taking a break: too much of a good thing can tire it out.
Rayman Legends
On a discussion of Hollow Knight: Silksong I said that I realise that it's an intentional design decision to make people play more carefully but I strongly disagree with death runs as a mechanic in modern video games. I think that the modern Rayman games did this best: difficulty that feels amazing when you perfect it and the regular deaths putting you straight back into the action.
After talking about it I couldn't resist jumping back into Rayman. Although I've played it before I started again and have finished the first two worlds.
WoW: ChromieCraft
Following on from the news of two private servers being hit with lawsuits/C&Ds (Turtle and Epoch) I felt that itch to play some WoW. I noticed that there's a new progression Cataclysm server that just launched but, after what's just happened, it doesn't seem sensible to support servers that unethically keep their changes to AGPL3 server emulators to themselves. When they eventually get shut-down all of their improvements are lost.
ChromieCraft is a progression Wrath of the Lich King server that follows the open source licensing correctly. I'm reasonably sure that the people running it are regular contributors to the AzerothCore project. It's currently on the Wrath prepatch with Death Knights added but Northrend closed.