Wes's recent activity
-
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of January 11 in ~games
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
Wes Link ParentI had good luck by putting testificates into a boat, then hauling them on a horse with a lead. They can be moved up one block gaps, and across rivers. It seems much easier now than the old way of...I had good luck by putting testificates into a boat, then hauling them on a horse with a lead. They can be moved up one block gaps, and across rivers. It seems much easier now than the old way of moving them via rail lines.
-
Comment on Microsoft wants to replace its entire C and C++ codebase, perhaps by 2030 in ~comp
Wes LinkThis article is outdated. They walked back the statement a couple of days ago....This article is outdated. They walked back the statement a couple of days ago.
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft - Get hyped countdown thread in ~games
Wes Link ParentPrism Launcher is what most of the modded community uses now. I can't speak for the Modrinth Launcher, but I expect that would work just as well if you're interested in a Modrinth-hosted modpack.Prism Launcher is what most of the modded community uses now. I can't speak for the Modrinth Launcher, but I expect that would work just as well if you're interested in a Modrinth-hosted modpack.
-
Comment on Elite Dangerous discussion in ~games
Wes LinkIf you're an Elite Dangerous player, remember to grab the items on giveaway this month. They've all been revealed now, and are available to redeem until January 8....If you're an Elite Dangerous player, remember to grab the items on giveaway this month. They've all been revealed now, and are available to redeem until January 8.
https://www.elitedangerous.com/store/catalog/promo/festive-giveaway
-
Comment on CGA-2025-12 🏴☠️🏝️🍌 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Secret of Monkey Island in ~games
Wes Link ParentThis was very gratifying to read, because you just named basically every thing that stumped me, too. I also completely forgot that the compass was magnetic, and the text of the navigator book....This was very gratifying to read, because you just named basically every thing that stumped me, too.
I also completely forgot that the compass was magnetic, and the text of the navigator book. Clever puns, but when it's 5 hours of gameplay later, the wordplay isn't so fresh. I had to use hints at both of those points.
I also missed the nose on the totem pole for ages. The only reason I was able to get that one is because I tested every single other scene on the island, and found that the monkey only followed you to the idol. So I knew it had to be somewhere nearby. Needing to use the "Pull" action made it so much more difficult to find.
The pirate's feet were hard to notice, and I don't think they showed different text on hover. I only got that one because the feather was given so recently, and tickling feet with a feather is a bit of a trope.
I agree with you that the remastered graphics were often less clear. They also trolled me hard at one point. There were two giant X's on the map of Monkey Island in LeChuck's room -- one pointing at the monkey shrine, and one pointing towards the middle of the jungle. Stuck trying to reach the key, I trekked all the way out to see if I could find something at that spot. After returning empty-handed, I realized the map locations weren't even included in the original art. It was an embellishment from the new art team. "X marks the spot", my foot!
-
Comment on CGA-2025-12 🏴☠️🏝️🍌 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Secret of Monkey Island in ~games
Wes Link ParentIndeed. It's for that reason that I did my best to avoid using hints or looking anything up. I did invoke the game's hints in a couple places, not wanting to be stuck for weeks or miss this...The thing about games like this is, once you know the solutions you can never experience the feeling of your first playthrough again.
Indeed. It's for that reason that I did my best to avoid using hints or looking anything up. I did invoke the game's hints in a couple places, not wanting to be stuck for weeks or miss this thread, but I did want to treat my only blind playthrough with some respect. I'd not have wandered around that cave for an hour otherwise.
At one point, it was both amusing and frustrating to be staring at a banana tree, having tried everything I could think of to shake the thing, finally giving in and using a hint, just to be told "You should try getting a banana from that tree".
If I were to check out the other games in the series, I think I'd be more willing to use hints now. Or to even consider watching a methodical Let's Play that shows the game off. I do place value on a blind playthrough, but because it's not a genre I really enjoy, it's more a question of getting something out of it than not playing at all. Still, I was glad to do it "right" at least once.
IMHO in terms of gameplay Monkey Island is flawed, but notably better than all (most?) of the other point-and-click adventures of its era. That’s the important context for evaluating it.
I totally get that. I understand that many early P&Cs could be cruel in misleading the player, requiring twisted logic, and making them backtrack hours if they missed something early on. Monkey Island had none of that.
In a way, I can appreciate masochistic design in the sense that it forced people to work together, with ideas and rumours spread throughout communities of gamers. There's a certain shared struggle that is no longer present in today's games. It creates stories, and bonds people and places.
At the same time, approaching something like that as an individual sounds like an exercise in frustration, and I don't think I'd have the patience for it. I'm glad that the design of most games has become more inclusive and accommodating over time. In no small part thanks to games like Monkey Island, I'm sure.
I’ve been raving a bit about the Ultimate Talkie Edition but I think it’s just the way you’d like to play. Pixel graphics + voiceovers. The best of both worlds.
Yep, I get it now. If I ever do a replay, that's how I'll do it. Also, while I liked the fuller fullscreen of the remastered graphics, having the verb menu be permanently available would actually save a lot of clicking.
-
Comment on CGA-2025-12 🏴☠️🏝️🍌 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Secret of Monkey Island in ~games
Wes LinkI'm no adventure gamer, but I was curious to know what all the hubbub was about with this one. I've seen so many references to Monkey Island over the years that it really felt like a cultural...I'm no adventure gamer, but I was curious to know what all the hubbub was about with this one. I've seen so many references to Monkey Island over the years that it really felt like a cultural touchstone that I wasn't part of. I'm glad to have finally played through this game to see it for myself.
I bought the Special Edition on Steam. I know it's the less "authentic" experience, but I figured it would be more accessible than using ScummVM, and that it might be cool to swap between graphics modes. I quickly found that I preferred the pixel art of the original, but then missed the voiced dialogue of the remaster. I mostly stuck to the remaster, but never quite got used to Guybrush's dumb haircut.
On the whole, I enjoyed the game, but didn't love it. I found myself getting frustrated at points. I got properly stuck probably five times in my playthrough, and spent a large amount of time retracing my steps, combining random items, or testing different verbs out.
Sometimes I just missed a visual cue. It took me ages to spot the Fort on the overview map of Monkey Island, as there weren't glowing lights to mark points of interest like on Mêlée Island. I also missed the climbable wall at the river fork for an embarrassingly long time.
Some puzzles did feel a little unclear as well. Early on when a seagull was guarding a fish, it was only by complete accident that I clicked on a loose plank to scare it off. I saw no visual indicator there. Later, when Guybrush comments, "Those luscious, juicy bananas look ready to fall off!", I expected to be able to shake the tree, not to need to build a catapult.
The biggest miss for me was near the end, during the cave sequence underneath the Monkey Idol. I spent roughly an hour trying to figure out how the room logic worked. I came up with various theories about how to decipher the symbols that appeared in each room, trying things like assigning numeric values to them and considering how they interact. Apparently the answer was "Just leave and talk to the cannibals again", which I found very unsatisfying.
I generally enjoy puzzle games, but I think I feel more frustration with adventure games because I never know if I have all of the pieces I need. Should I keep hunting around the island to pick up random detritus, or continue sitting here, twiddling my thumbs, trying different combinations of things?
That said, I did think some of the puzzles were very clever. I really liked making the soup in Act 2. It was fun to determine the substitutions for items, like gunpowder for brimstone, or a Jolly Roger's flag for a human skull. I had a good laugh when I finally worked out that my final ingredient, a "live chicken", was actually of the rubber variety.
I think Act 2 was my favourite, but Act 1 had some great moments as well. The sword fighting in particular was a lot of fun, and a super original idea. There was a bit of frustrating RNG in finding the right insults/retorts, but thematically it just fit the game so well. I do wish we'd seen more sword-insulting later in the game, though.
Act 3 was the weakest for me, for a few reasons. There was a lot more travel time, and I began to tire of watching Guybrush trek across the jungle or paddle around. I also had so much junk accumulated by this point that it made some of the puzzles feel unfocused and random. "Can I use this staple remover on a posted notice? Nope... it's never the dang staple remover."
I do appreciate that the game didn't have any true fail states. At worst, it may have included hints in dialogue that were non-repeatable. I did make plentiful notes as I played, though, and some of them even proved relevant later on.
Even if the gameplay didn't work for me, I still really enjoyed the theme and creativity. The writing was genuinely hilarious, and the constant quips, wisecracks, and throwbacks were what really made the game memorable for me. I think my favourite gag was the pirates having a long conversation about tossing a knife that was "used in a felony" into the water, only to abruptly decide otherwise and walk away. Hysterical, and worth having the voiced dialogue on for.
Even many of the fourth wall breaks felt well-done, like the "No animals were harmed" disclaimer after poisoning the poodles. There was a lot of self-aware humour, and many cute references to other LucasArts games too. By the way, have you played Loom™? It's an extraordinary adventure with an interface of magic, stunning, high-resolution, 3D landscapes, sophisticated score and musical effects. Beat the rush! Go out and buy Loom™ today!
Ahem.
So to summarize, I didn't click with the adventure gameplay, which is disappointing but not unexpected. However, I still greatly enjoyed the character, writing, and general charm this game offered. Best of all, I learned how to run my mouth off while sword fighting like a true pirate.
-
Comment on The truth about AI (specifically LLM powered AI) in ~tech
Wes Link ParentEven if one doesn't have the hardware to run a high-level model like that, there's many hosted alternatives available such as OpenRouter. Since the models are freely available, companies need to...Even if one doesn't have the hardware to run a high-level model like that, there's many hosted alternatives available such as OpenRouter. Since the models are freely available, companies need to compete on price to host them, and as a result it's actually pretty affordable to use even the best models. R1 is famously cheap to use.
Realistically though, smaller and flash models still work great for a large number of tasks. The big models are really only needed for difficult problems. Think major refactors, not boilerplate.
-
Comment on The truth about AI (specifically LLM powered AI) in ~tech
Wes Link ParentI'm not sure who the ruling class is in this hypothetical (OpenAI?), but if the last three years have proven anything, it's that there is no moat when it comes to models. There's dozens of good...I'm not sure who the ruling class is in this hypothetical (OpenAI?), but if the last three years have proven anything, it's that there is no moat when it comes to models. There's dozens of good open-weight options available, allowing for all kinds of use cases that were thought impossible just a few years ago. And you can run them now, on your own PC.
Check out GLM Air, DeepSeek R1, GPT-OSS, Qwen, FLUX.2, Phi 4, and all the other great open models. There's no need to be reliant on any cloud service.
-
Comment on Five browser extensions to make every website more useful in ~tech
Wes Link ParentI understand Grammarly is popular with students. Many colleges and universities make it available to their students for free. I'd find it a little heavy for conversational use, but for more...I understand Grammarly is popular with students. Many colleges and universities make it available to their students for free. I'd find it a little heavy for conversational use, but for more serious writing I'd appreciate having a review pass.
As a heads up, you can set the default search engine, as well as custom search keywords in almost all browsers. So you may be able to drop the Kagi extension from your lineup.
-
Comment on Tildes Book Club 2025 retrospective in ~books
Wes Link ParentI'm seeing with 20/20 vision for the first time in my life. :)I'm seeing with 20/20 vision for the first time in my life. :)
-
Comment on Tildes Book Club 2025 retrospective in ~books
Wes Link ParentI can't believe I didn't mention Born a Crime in my comment. You're right, that was an incredible story. I'm not normally one for autobiographies, but I very much enjoyed it. I had corrective eye...I can't believe I didn't mention Born a Crime in my comment. You're right, that was an incredible story. I'm not normally one for autobiographies, but I very much enjoyed it.
I had corrective eye surgery in February, so all I could do was listen to audiobooks for a week or two straight. I finished that novel, plus all three Lord of the Rings books that month.
-
Comment on Tildes Book Club 2025 retrospective in ~books
Wes (edited )LinkAs for me, I was able to participate in about half the threads and enjoyed each book we selected. I'd say Hyperion was my standout novel, as I immediately went on to read its direct follow-up (The...As for me, I was able to participate in about half the threads and enjoyed each book we selected. I'd say Hyperion was my standout novel, as I immediately went on to read its direct follow-up (The Fall of Hyperion).
I also intend to revisit the Bobiverse series, which others members have raved about. I think they'll be good palette cleaners for me, read between other stories.
Finally, I really enjoyed Stories of Your Life and Others. I hope to read more of Ted Chiang's works, including Exhalation, which was suggested by @kfwyre in the discussion thread.
For 2026, I'm most looking forward to reading Nabokov. I find his style of writing particularly beautiful, and I'm excited to experience that with others.
e: Typo
-
Tildes Book Club 2025 retrospective
Here we are at the end of another year. This was our first full year of the Tildes Book Club, so congratulations are in order for reaching this milestone. Currently we're taking a well-earned...
Here we are at the end of another year. This was our first full year of the Tildes Book Club, so congratulations are in order for reaching this milestone. Currently we're taking a well-earned December break, until we return in January for more.
This year saw us reading more variety across both fiction and non-fiction, covering scifi, history, autobiographies, and short stories.
Here are some stats for 2025:
- Books Read: 11 (18 if counting short stories)
- Total Pages: 3,919
- Participants: 50 unique users (134 total participations)
- Total Comments: 456
- Nominations Submitted: 55
- Nomination Votes Cast: 233
The superlative awards:
- Most Discussed: Hyperion (68 comments)
- Deepest Discussion: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store (averaged 5 comments per person)
- Longest Read: The Ministry for the Future (563 pages)
- Shortest Read: Elder Race (199 pages)
- Oldest Read: Cat's Cradle (published 1963)
The full list of 2025's discussions can be found here:
- Jan: The Ministry for the Future
- Feb: Born a Crime
- March: Hyperion
- April: Elder Race
- May: A People's Future of the United States
- June: A House with Good Bones
- July: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
- Aug: Cat's Cradle
- Sep: Stories of Your Life and Others
- Oct: The Poisoner's Handbook
- Nov: We are Legion (We are Bob)
Much thanks as always to @boxer_dogs_dance for organizing this club for us. We have a great lineup for 2026, including renowned authors like Kafka, Nabokov, and Pratchett.
Feel free to share your favourite Book Club reads from 2025, or what you're looking forward to in 2026.
14 votes -
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap in ~games
Wes Link ParentI can confirm that both are indeed awesome. Though since you're interested, let me just give a quick rundown on how to play mods safely. First, DS1: PTDE has no servers whatsoever. You're free to...I can confirm that both are indeed awesome. Though since you're interested, let me just give a quick rundown on how to play mods safely.
First, DS1: PTDE has no servers whatsoever. You're free to mod it to your heart's content.
All the other games with active servers (except Sekiro) have a concept called softbanning. This is when your Steam account is flagged, and you're put in an online lobby with other "bad players". You want to avoid this, especially if you do PvP or wish to coop with others.
There are two things that will trigger a softban:
- Connecting online with a modified game client.
- Connecting online with a save file with modded data.
So to safely mod your game, you'll need to stay offline completely until the mod is uninstalled. I strongly suggest using Steam offline mode for this, rather than the game's "Go offline" feature, just to ensure it doesn't connect without your permission.
You'll also want to back up your original save. As a Linux user, I'm sure you can handle that. Just remember to move or delete your modded save afterwards.
There are tools to automate this process like ModEngine. I haven't personally used it, nor do I know which platforms it supports, but it may be an option for you. Larger overhauls like Archthrones and the Seamless Coop mod also handle this for you by using a custom online server and storing save data separately. So those are a lot easier to install.
Daughters of Ash, I believe, is a regular mod. It unpacks some modded game files which you install to the game's directory. So if you're playing the version for DS1 Remaster (which has online servers), you'll need to be careful to avoid going online. Or the PTDE version is also available, if you don't mind 30 FPS (or you can add dsfix).
Out of paranoia, I tend to use a second account with Family Sharing turned on. I also temporarily hide the game from my regular library so I don't accidentally launch it from there. This helps ensure that the modded files are only ever opened from the second account. As a bonus, you can play mods in coop this way. The second account will be flagged and put on the naughty server, but you can still matchmake and exchange data with other players. I've done synced randomizers in multiplayer this way.
When you've finished your playthrough, be sure to remove all the mod files and your old save. I tend to just nuke the whole directory, as uninstalling via Steam will not always remove everything.
That's everything you need to know about how softbans work. It's a little scary, but if you take the proper precautions, you can go nuts in modding these games.
-
Comment on Is “green AI” even possible? in ~tech
Wes Link ParentArguably, most of the expensive processing (video decoding) is happening on the user's device. This allows them to distribute the work. At least in some communities, nuclear plants do charge...Netflix never had to build way more energy capacity available to run whatever it needed, let alone nuclear plants.
Arguably, most of the expensive processing (video decoding) is happening on the user's device. This allows them to distribute the work. At least in some communities, nuclear plants do charge user's smartphones.
OpenAI's work is entirely centralized, both for model training and chat inference. They accept all the power costs associated with that. Training will likely always be focused in data centers, but it seems plausible that inference will move to local use. New hardware made video decoding accessible to phones, and the same could be true of AI applications as well.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap in ~games
Wes Link ParentAppreciate the tips on Ender Lilies. I definitely wouldn't have thought to farm previous bosses for upgrade materials, but it sounds like it makes a big difference. Dark Souls 1 is also one of my...Appreciate the tips on Ender Lilies. I definitely wouldn't have thought to farm previous bosses for upgrade materials, but it sounds like it makes a big difference.
Dark Souls 1 is also one of my favourites. It may in fact be my favourite game. I never got into the PvP scene as you did, but I did complete a number of challenge runs. Since then, I've also spent a fair bit of time modding the game to add new content, challenge, or just to shake things up.
-
Comment on Elite Dangerous discussion in ~games
Wes LinkI'm an on-again, off-again player. I have around 1,500 hours in-game, and have completed most of the grinds (engineering, reputation, guardian), so I mostly just try out new content as it becomes...I'm an on-again, off-again player. I have around 1,500 hours in-game, and have completed most of the grinds (engineering, reputation, guardian), so I mostly just try out new content as it becomes available.
I dropped the game for a few years at the release of Odyssey. That update tanked my performance, introduced some very buggy gameplay, and I was miffed that I never got credited for my pre-order items.
I finally came back for the showdown of cocijo and protection of Earth. It sort of reignited my passion for the game, and I played heavily for the next few months. Let me tell you, supercruise overdrive is a game changer
I'm now back to playing a little more casually, but I still participate in many of the community goals. I also recently completed a second trip to Colonia to finish pinning all my engineering blueprints.
My feelings are a little mixed on the current state of the game. I'm glad that Frontier is back to developing it, after they shifted focus to other properties for so many years. Colonization was a great update, and I'm glad that truckers can now create their own long-term goals.
I don't love that the game now includes pay-to-win elements. Being able to outright buy pre-engineered ships and even space stations just feels contrary to the original pitch of being a trailblazing upstart, working up from a Sidewinder to controlling a grand fleet. I know that's the realities of business, but it does feel like it cheapens the game.
As a whole, I feel things are in a better place now than they were five years ago. They lost a lot of their original dev team to attrition, but the new team focused on Elite seems to slowly be getting up to speed on the codebase, and are now making more substantial fixes and improvements. The "orbital lines" rendering bug was finally fixed in VR, and just this week the dumb Odyssey unit AI was improved. Hopefully soon they'll take a look at some of the anti-aliasing issues that have long plagued the game.
Elite continues to be my comfort game. I can always hop in to do a few missions, take down a pirate warlord, or work towards a community goal. The VR experience is bar none the most impressive sense of scale you can experience in a video game, and the community's dedication to creating custom tools and meta-narratives around the game is unmatched.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap in ~games
Wes Link ParentOh wow, I completely missed your Gothic 1 write-up. You sneakily edited it in to an existing comment! I'm glad to hear you were able to get it running with a little troubleshooting. It's kind of...Oh wow, I completely missed your Gothic 1 write-up. You sneakily edited it in to an existing comment!
I'm glad to hear you were able to get it running with a little troubleshooting. It's kind of funny how common ".ini fixes" were as a troubleshooting method for older titles. It still comes up when I get my triennial urge to play Skyrim and need to make a few performance tweaks, too.
I'd definitely be curious to hear your thoughts on how Gothic 1 compares to the remake in the future. I have high hopes for all the patient fans out there that have been waiting.
Thanks for joining in the event, and I hope you have a good time with all these classics.
Sounds like one for you, @JCPhoenix!